The Sox signed Altavilla last March even though he hasn't pitched since 2019. He didn't pitch last year either so it's high likely he doesn't play this year either. Still, the Sox have plenty of others to take his place if he doesn't pitch.
The Sox signed 30 year old Booser on February 6th after being batting practice for Double A and the Lancaster Barnstormers last year. I know the Sox are short of AAA quality pitching but this was scraping the bottom of the barrel for him.
The Sox got Broadway as a throw-in when they send Jake Diekman to the Chicago White Sox for Reese McGuire. The White Sox selected Broadway 19 choices after the Sox chose Daniel McElveny so at only 26 (his birthday is tomorrow), he's still considered a prospect. He had a good showing last September for Portland so it'll be interesting to see how he does in Worcester.
Unlike some of the others mentioned, the 32 year old Dermody is the perfect AAA pitcher. He went 6-3 with a respectable 3.74 ERA last year for the Iowa Cubs so if younger guys like Broadway and Bryan Mata need some mentoring, Dermody may be the guy to show them the ropes of AAA style. Whether or not he does well for Worcester is up in the air, but at least he's the kind of guy you want on the team.
If you would have told me back in 2017 that 24 year old rookie Jake Faria would be on the Red Sox six years later I would have thought that it would have been a nice free agent signing. Who knew his career would flame out so bad he would be straight batting practice for the St. Paul Saints to the point they cut his ass last June? If the 30 year old couldn't get AAA batters out last year, who thought he could do it here? Sox GM Chaim Bloom must think the Red Sox have the pitching coordinators the Tampa Bay Rays do because he expects them to fix guys like Faria. Again, if you want 4-A players, you get guys that do well in AAA like a Matt Dermody...not guys like Altavilla and Faria.
The 25 year old right handed pitcher Durbin Feltman is one of the few remaining draft picks from the Dave Dombrowski era. He was Boston's third round pick in 2018 and he was horrible for Worcester last year going 3-5 with a 7.63 ERA. Its sad because in 2021 he was one of the top pitchers in the minors, going 8-1 between Portland and Worcester. Hopefully last year was just a fluke and he can get back on track. He doesn't turn 26 for another 10 days so this could be a do or die year for him.
The 27 year old Venezuelan got a really bad break. In 2019 he was arguably the best minor league pitcher in the Arizona Diamondbacks' system going 3-0 with a 0.53 ERA in 11 games. After Covid wiped out a year of his development, he dominated AA in 2021 but was smacked around in his call up to the Sacramento River Cats. He was even worse for the River Cats last year and elected to become a free agent. The Sox signed him on December 5th hoping to re-capture the magic he showed at the end of 2019 and early 2021. Hopefully he can at least be serviceable for Worcester this year.
Just like Matt Dermody, it was a great move for Bloom to sign 28 year old career minor leaguer Joe Jacques from the Indianapolis Indians in December. He was 4-1 with a respectable 3.62 ERA in Indianapolis last year and once again, that's the kind of guy you want on your AAA team. Someone who can get guys out and keep the team in the game, even if they're not projected to get called up to the big leagues.
One of the only legitimate pitching prospects the Sox have is 23 year old right handed pitcher Bryan Mata. The current Number 5 ranked prospect was a 17 year old phenom for the Dominican Sox in 2016 and took his lumps as a 20 year old for the Portland Sea Dogs in 2019. Unfortunately Covid in 2020 and Tommy John Surgery in April 2021 derailed his promising career. Mata came back last June and dominated Portland and Worcester after that. He may be one of the only guys that could crack the Boston Red Sox this year on talent rather than an emergency injury call-up. If he's any good and guys like Josh Winckowski and Brayan Bello show improvement over last year, they could have a good corps of youngsters moving forward.
Mata's tag team partner is fellow 24 year old Venezuelan left handed pitcher Oddanier Mosqueda. Mosqueda also came up with the Dominican Sox in 2016 and he was arguably one of the Lowell Spinners' best pitchers in 2018. He was mediocre for the Sea Dogs last year going 5-3 with a 4.30 ERA but good lefties are hard to find. He and Mata are a good right/left punch and it'll be interesting to see if he can make it himself.
Like Durbin Feltman, the 24 year old lefty Chris Murphy is one of the remaining holdovers from the Dombrowski era. After starting the 2022 season strong in Portland, Murphy took his lumps in Worcester going 3-6 with a 5.50 ERA. Still, he got some much needed experience and it'll be interesting to see if he bounces back from it. He's the Number 17 prospect in the system and hopefully he proves that last year was just a fluke.
Hey look, he's back! The 26 year old right handed pitcher Politi was actually chosen by the Baltimore Orioles in the Rule 5 Draft on December 7th but was returned to the Sox on March 28th after being designated for assignment. The Sox are still hurting from losing Thad Ward and Noah Song but getting Politi back bolsters the WooSox. Last year Politi was a perfect 4-0 with a 2.41 ERA for Worcester and its easy to see why Baltimore signed him. Hopefully AJ makes the Dirty Birds pay by having another good season for Worcester and a possible call-up.
The 22 year old right handed Santos is a big crapshot for the WooSox this year. He came up as a 17 year old Dominican in the Phillies organization before being traded to Boston for CJ Chatam on July 17th 2021. He had mediocre season both in Portland and Worcester last year but at only 22 there's time to see if he can figure it out. Having him, Mosqueda and Mata shows that the Sox could have some talent if they develop this season.
Just like Jake Faria, when 32 year old Ryan Sherriff came up with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2017, seeing him as a future Sox would have been a good thing. Instead, he's been mostly an AAA pitcher ever since. He's had injury issues as he was having a good season last year for the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs before missing the rest of the season with injuries. If he can stay healthy he'd be a good addition to the WooSox....if he stays healthy.
Just like Feltman and Murphy, the 26 year old right handed pitcher Chase Shugart is a Dombrowski guy. The 12th round pick in 2018 did well enough for Portland last year to earn a call-up to Worcester but unfortunately he fell flat on his face, going 3-3 with a 6.82 ERA. Still, 12th round picks aren't supposed to be sure fire MLB all-stars so if the WooSox can get anything out of him this season, that's better than nothing.
The 28 year old right handed pitcher Jake Thompson is the elder statesman of all the prospects. He was Boston's 4th round pick in 2017 and has been perfectly mediocre ever since. He didn't do well in Worcester last year so this could be the last year for Jake in the organization, especially with some of the Bloom drafted pitchers on the way in the lower levels.
The last of the pitchers on this list is 26 year old left handed pitcher Brandon Walter. He's currently the Number 9 prospect in the Red Sox system. He dominated Salem in 2021 before having a respectful end of the season in Greenville. Last year he had 9 good starts in Portland before ending the year with two bad ones in Worcester. His Portland run has him ranked 9th for a reason and if he can put it all together, we may see him in Boston even before Mata. Time will tell.
One of the early fan favorites of the Woo-Sox is shaggy haired 29 year old catcher Jorge Alfaro. Alfaro was the Miami Marlins starting catcher in 2019, slamming 18 home runs and hitting .262. As a backup catcher, he did pretty well in San Diego last year hitting 7 home runs and hitting .246. With Reese McGuire having trouble throwing people out and Connor Wong not the best hitter, Alfaro may see Boston at some point this season. Why not? Can't be any worse than the other two....right?
If Alfaro does get called up to Boston or traded, the 28 year old Caleb Hamilton could replace him behind the plate. Offensively Hamilton is career .215 hitter in the MINORS but gets by on keeping runners off base. With Nathan Hickey rising through the ranks, Hamilton is going to have to hit better than .215 if he wants to stick around. He's another guy they got from the St. Paul Saints, let's see if he can help Worcester this year.
Who would have thought in February 2021 that when the Tampa Bay Rays traded Nick Sogard and the now 25 year old catcher Ronaldo Hernandez for Chris Mazza and Jeffrey Springs that they would have won the trade? Springs was a borderline all-star for Tampa last year while Hernandez and Sogard may not ever make it to MLB. Hernandez did have an impressive 2021 for Portland and Worcester but hit just .261 last year. He did crack 17 home runs last season so if Connor Wong's bat is too toxic to keep him in Boston, Hernandez may get the call to replace him. For Worcester's sake, having Alfaro and Hernandez for now is definitely a good thing.
The last of the catchers is 24 year old right handed hitting Oscar Rangel. He just can't seem to stay healthy as he's only played in 35 games since he came up as a Dominican rookie (out of Venezuela) in 2018. With Alfaro and Hernandez most likely to see MLB time if McGuire or Wong get hurt or suck, Rangel needs to stay healthy to show the organization ANYTHING. If not, like I said, Nathan Hickey is on his way and Sox brass would be more than happy to replace Oscar with him.
What a waste of talent. Back in the Covid shortened 2020 season the Sox traded the aging Mitch Moreland to Texas and brought up then 25 year old first basemen Bobby Dalbec to replace him. Bobby responded by clubbing 8 home runs in the final 23 games to show promise. Given the starting first baseman job in 2021, Dalbec sucked in the first half of season so much the Sox brought back Travis Shaw and traded for Kyle Schwarber. Dalbec responded with a fire under his ass, hitting 25 home runs while raising his batting average to .240 by the end of the season. That fire was mostly gone last year as he hit just .215 with 12 home runs. This year Triston Casas jumped ahead of him in Spring Training and Dalbec is back in Worcester at age 27. Still, this could be temporary because it would be absurd for the Boston Red Sox to go with Yu Chang off the bench for too long, however, if Dalbec doesn't hit....he's finished. Ask Michael Chavis how a good rookie year doesn't translate to prolonged success.
One of the biggest enigma's of the WooSox is 28 year old infielder Ryan Fitzgerald. He was an undrafted rookie free agent in 2018 who rose through the ranks by putting up Trot Nixon numbers from 2018 to 2021. Last year he hit just .219 but belted 16 home runs and drove in 72 runs. With other power hitters such as (on paper) Enmanuel Valdez and Bobby Dalbec, this could be a fun season offensively depending in health and how long guys are around. Its unlikely Fitzgerald sees MLB, but hitting some bombs in Worcester will be fun to watch.
Lots of people scoffed when the Red Sox let superstar Xander Bogaerts walk to the San Diego Padres and signed 31 year old utility infielder Niko Goodrum to a minor league contract after he hit just .116 in 15 games for the eventual World Series champion Houston Astros. For Worcester purposes, he'd be a great mentor to guys like Fitzgerald, Nick Sogard and Enmanuel Valdez who haven't made the big leagues yet. Hopefully he can find success in Worcester he hasn't found in MLB the last couple of years.
Sox GM Chaim Bloom rolled the dice when he traded Hunter Renfroe to the Milwaukee Brewers for Jackie Bradley Jr, 25 year old David Hamilton and Alex Binelas before the start of last season. It seemed like a totally lopsided trade when JBJ flopped in his return to Boston while Renfroe hit 29 home runs for the Brewers. Hell, Binelas hit just .166 after a call-up to Portland while Renfroe was hitting bombs. Hamilton, on the other hand, has become one of the most exciting players to watch since Tommy Harper in the 70's. Hamilton had a reputation as a speedster when he swiped 52 bags for the Rangers organization in 2021 and topped it by setting a Sea Dogs record with SEVENTY stolen bases in 2022. Old timers remember guys like Mickey Rivers and Rickey Henderson getting on first and being on third before anyone could blink, that's the kind of element the Red Sox need. He could be the next Dave Roberts if he can hit consistently. The Sox are desperate for outfield depth so he could be in Boston this year if he can keep his steals pace going.
Remember how I said this team could be exciting offensively with Hamilton's speed and the power of some of the others? Add 31 year old left handed hitting first baseman Daniel Palka to that list. Back in 2018 the 26 year old hit 27 home runs and drove in 67 runs for the Chicago White Sox, taking 5th place in American League Rookie of The Year voting. He flopped in 2019 and got sent back to AAA where he's hit 71 home runs since then. He may not crack the BoSox with Casas and Dalbec in the way, but his power bat combined with Dalbec and some of the others this year could be fun to watch in Worcester.
As mentioned earlier, the Sox looked to have been fleeced when the Rays got Jeffrey Springs and Chris Mazza from the Sox for Ronaldo Hernandez and the now 25 year old switch hitting infielder Nick Sogard. Sogard has been perfectly mediocre in the two years since the trade while Springs was one of the better starters in the American League last year. Sogard isn't expected to be the next Dustin Pedroia but hitting .250 in Portland and Worcester just isn't going to cut it. Nick Yorke and Christian Koss down in Portland would be more than happy to replace him if he's hitting .250 by June again.
Of the relentless lineup of sluggers Worcester has put together, the 24 year old left handed hitting Valdez could be the most prolific of them all. When the Sox traded Christian Vazquez to the eventual champion Astros, they got Wilyer Abreu and Valdez in return. Enmanuel had hit 21 homers between Double and Triple A before smashing another 7 with Worcester to end the season. If he can continue to hit bombs out of Worcester, he might get the call to come up to Boston this season. If only he was a second baseman instead of third, he might already be on the bench instead of Yu Chang.
Speaking of Abreu, the 23 year old left handed hitting right fielder will start this season on the Injured List unfortunately. While not as powerful as Valdez, he still hit 19 home runs combined last year in Double A for Houston and Boston. Another element he brings to the table is speed as he stole 31 bases as well. He's yet to hit against AAA pitching so it'll be interesting to see if he has success doing it this season when he's ready.
Just like Caleb Hamilton, the Sox went for depth when they signed 30 year old switch hitting centerfielder Greg Allen. Allen was a backup for the Cleveland Indians from 2017 to 2019 before becoming a 4A player since. He hit just .186 in 46 games for the Pittsburgh Pirates last year but got 6 hits in 14 at-bats for the Indianapolis Indians. Just like Matt Dermody on the pitching side, this is the kind of guy you want to tutor the youngsters in AAA.
Here's another guy signed for depth. The 27 year old right handed hitting outfielder Narciso Crook has only 8 at-bats in MLB. He's been a career minor leaguer recently hitting .260 in 101 games for the Iowa Cubs last season. He did manage to hit 19 home runs for Iowa so the Sox will most certainly take that kind of output this year in Worcester.
Not since Greg Blosser and Izzy Alcantara has a Sox prospect crashed and burned as fast as the 26 year old left handed hitting Jarren Duran has. Going into 2021 he was one of the top ranked prospects who could hit for average and run like the wind. Then in 2022 he looked completely lost by lollygagging after fly balls, getting thrown out on the bases and hitting just .221. The fact Raimel Tapia made the Opening Day roster over him in Spring Training was another indictment of how the mighty have fallen. The Sox could have used him as a valuable trade piece in 2021 but now have to live with him possibly never seeing MLB again. He'd have to hit .400 in Worcester to even think about getting another look again.....or a catastrophic injury to someone.
The 27 year old right handed hitting outfielder Devlin Granberg quietly rose through the ranks of the Sox system since being drafted in 2018. Granberg hit .279 between Portland and Worcester last year and may not be good enough to sniff MLB but in case Duran flames out in Worcester or gets called up, he's there to pick up the slack. A guy who can get on base is still useful in AAA for sure.
Rounding out the team is 26 year old career minor league centerfielder Marcus Wilson. He's had quite the journey as he came over in the trade for Blake Swihart in 2019 only to be claimed by Seattle in August of 2021. Bloom signed him back after hitting just .218 for Tacoma last season, who knows why other than familiarity maybe? Either way he's got no chance to make MLB so in essence he's a stop gap until some of Portland's outfielders are ready to make the jump.
That's gonna wrap it up for Worcester's roster as the AAA season has just begun. Some of these guys are gonna get hurt, traded, released, called up or sent down but there's definitely something to look forward to with the offense. Valdez, Hernandez, Palka, Dalbec and Fitzgerald should hit the cover off the ball and Hamilton should be all over the bases. Just like the Boston Red Sox, the Worcester Sox will try to outslug everyone this season. At least the games will be entertaining if nothing else. Maybe Bryan Mata will be Worcester's top pitcher this year. Come on down to Worcester this year and find out. There isn't another off-day until April 27th so that'll be the Portland Sea Dogs preview. The BoSox are back in action tomorrow afternoon in Detroit when Tanner Houck (1-0) takes on Joey Wentz of the Tigers. The game begins at 4:15 PM at Comerica Park.
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