Up first is one of the last of the Venezuelan guys signed by Dombrowski, 20 year old right handed pitcher Angel Bastardo. He has been a disaster after Covid wiped out his 2020 season. He allowed 29 runs in 29 innings for the Florida Complex in 2021 and went 3-4 with a mediocre 4.50 ERA in 22 starts last year for the Salem Red Sox. Still, at only 20 years old he's one of the youngest guys on the team and people are hoping he matches his talent as the years go by. So far this year he's 0-3 with a 6.65 ERA so he's going to have to pick up the pace if he wants to keep a spot on the roster with Bloom's 2021 and 2022 draft picks coming up.
Up next is injured 22 year old right handed pitcher Bradley Blalock. Blalock was a mediocre 3-6 with a 4.27 ERA in 2021 for Salem before Tommy John Surgery wiped out his 2022 campaign. He won't pitch until later in the year and at only 22 years old, he's got plenty of time to show what he's got. Get well soon, Bradley.
Up next is 23 year old right handed pitcher Maceo Campbell. He was an undrafted rookie free agent signed during Covid and pitched well in the Complex in 2021. Unfortunately last year he was batting practice for Salem and Greenville. This year so far he's allowed 6 runs in 10 innings which isn't good enough. Still, he might have been a later round pick if the 2020 season went on uninterrupted so it would be unfair to expect him to perform as well as guys that were drafted ahead of him.
Next up was another undrafted rookie free agent in 2020, 26 year old right handed pitcher Casey Cobb. After graduating from Alabama in 2020, he had a strong showing in 2021 going 4-0 with a 1.95 ERA in Salem and Greenville. Then he fell flat last year in Greenville going 3-4 with an ERA of 6. This year so far he's allowed 9 runs in 12 2/3 innings so hopefully he can turn it around. Still, if he's struggling to get batters out in Single A, how is he going to survive Double A if he ever makes it?
Up next is 22 year old right handed pitcher Isaac Coffey. Isaac was the 10th round pick of last year's draft out of Oral Roberts and is currently 1-1 with a 3.71 ERA. He's a junkballer that relies on command and it'll be interesting to see how he does in Greenville with so many flamethrowers around, something he's not. Still, let's see what the 10th round pick is made of.
Up next is 25 year old right handed pitcher Jordan DiValerio. He was another undrafted rookie free agent in 2020 and he's been mediocre since the Sox signed him. He was 9-4 but with a 5.72 ERA in 2021 for Salem and posted an ERA of 5.32 last year in Greenville. So far this year he's 2-2 with a 3.68 ERA but once again, undrafted rookie free agents in baseball rarely make an impact at any level, let alone the pro's. Its not like football. If he makes it past Portland, it'll be a feather in his cap.
Up next is 23 year old right handed pitcher Hunter Dobbins. Hunter was Bloom's 8th round pick in 2021 and didn't pitch that year due to injury. He was 0-5 with a 5.22 ERA in 17 starts for Salem last year and has allowed 2 runs in 4 innings since coming off the Injured List this year. It was a crapshot to draft him given his injury history and so far he's been broken more times than healthy. With Bloom hoarding 2021 picks through trades the last two years, its a wonder he hasn't traded for someone else from the 8th round in 2021 who could be better.
Up next is 22 year old right handed pitcher Juan Daniel Encarnacion. A Dave Dombrowski Dominican pick, he was 0-5 for the Dominican Sox as an 18 year old back in 2019. He did have a strong 2021 for the Complex and went 10-5 with a 4.09 ERA last year for Salem. This year so far he's 2-1 with a 6.17 ERA and it'll be interesting to see if he blows through the ranks like Brayan Bello or climbs slowly....if at all.
Up next is 25 year old right handed pitcher Grant Gambrell. He was infamously one of the PTBNLs the Sox got in the Andrew Benintendi trade and has been horrible since they got him. He was 1-6 with a 7.16 ERA for Greenville in 2021 and missed the entire 2022 season with injury. This year so far he's 1-2 with a 5.18 ERA and it doesn't look good. Just another case of Bloom looking at a bum and thinking the Sox staff could fix him. It happens too much around here.
Up next is newly 23 year old (happy birthday yesterday) right handed pitcher Jaret Godman. He was Bloom's 19th round draft pick last year out of Oklahoma University and just like Wyatt Olds in 2021, he sucked his senior year at Oklahoma. This year he's, surprise surprise, 0-1 with a 8.22 ERA. I don't know why Bloom looks at Oklahoma University and thinks he can fix their pitchers, so far he's proven that he can't.
Up next the 14th ranked prospected in the system, 21 year old right handed pitcher Wikelman Gonzalez. He was another Venezuelan teenager signed by Dave Dombrowski who broke out in 2021 with 4 strong starts to end the year in Salem after being mediocre in the Complex. He repeated the same thing with 4 strong starts to end last year with Greenville after a mediocre year in Salem. This year he's sticking to the script by going 1-2 with a 10.54 ERA so far this year. He'll be Portland's best pitcher by the end of the season it sounds like.
Up next is 24 year old right handed pitcher Graham Hoffman. He was an undrafted rookie free agent out of South Florida in 2020 and spent 2021 injured. Last year he was 2-2 with a 3.44 ERA out of the bullpen between Salem and Greenville. Once again Bloom looked at an injured pitcher in college (he missed the 2019 season with TJ surgery) and thought he could fix him. So far this season he's allowed 8 runs in 5 1/3 innings. What does that tell you? He's a junkballer that relies on command and he's not projected to advance very far. Hope he can at least help Grenville win a few games.
Up next is 24 year old right handed pitcher Alex Hoppe. Taken in the 6th round in last year's draft out of UNC Greensboro, he can throw heat but doesn't have command of his secondary pitches yet. So far he's allowed 9 runs in 9 innings but its his first professional season. He may go down to Salem if he struggles in Greenville but he'll be given a year or two to figure it out.
Next up is 27 year old reclamation project Joe Jones. Jones played in the Independent League before signing with the Arizona Diamondbacks prior to the 2021 season. He was released by the Amarillo Sod Poodles in August of 2021 and was back in the Indy League in 2022. For some reason Chaim Bloom took a flier on him and so far this year he's 2-0 with a 0.96 ERA. A 27 year old in Single A is not a good thing in terms of the majors but maybe he'll get some guys out in Greenville or Portland if he gets that far.
Up next is 25 year old right handed pitcher Robert Kwiatkowski. He was an undrafted rookie free agent from Marshall University in 2020 and had a strong showing for Salem going 6-0 with a 3.58 ERA in 2021. Then he fell flat on his face in 2022 going 2-4 with a 6.75 for Greenville last year. He's a sinkerballer that doesn't miss too many bats and when sinkers don't sink, you post a 6.75 in Single A. So far this year he's allowed 11 runs in 11 innings so time may be running out unless he learns command.
Up next is 24 year old left handed pitcher Nathan Landry. He was drafted in the 15th round last year and allowed no runs in 10 innings in Salem before being called up to Greenville this year. He's allowed 3 runs in 2 1/3 innings so far and as a junkballer, he's going to have to show better command if he wants to get guys out at higher levels.
Up next is 23 year old right handed pitcher Aaron Perry. He's one of the last of the Dombrowski boys as he was drafted in the 14th round back in 2017. He's been an injury case as he had TJ surgery in 2018 and pitched in just 3 games last year. He's yet to make his season debut this year so it may be a while since we see him again. Can't blame Bloom for this one, he didn't draft him.
Speaking of injuries, up next is 22 year old left handed pitcher Jorge Rodriguez. He was a breakout star for the Gulf Coast Red Sox and Lowell Spinners in 2019 as a 19 year old phenom but injuries and Covid ruined the momentum. He had a bad year for Salem in 2021 and had Tommy John Surgery in June of 2022, pretty much ending his 2023 season as well. Its a shame how things turn out sometimes.
Up next is 24 year old right handed pitcher Joey Stock. Stock was an undrafted rookie free agent signed out of Saint John's in 2020 that broke out in 2021 by going 2-0 with a 2.39 ERA between the Complex and Salem. Last year he pitched well between Salem and Greenville going 5-4 with a 2.85 ERA. This year so far he's 0-1 with a 5.63 ERA and ironically one of the only pitchers with a bright future. The fact he and Gonzalez are the only two with upside is a bad sign for Greenville.
Up next is local hero, 24 year old right handed pitcher Nate Tellier. He was an undrafted rookie free agent signed in 2020 out of Umass Dartmouth who throws 95. As with everyone else he had a strong 2021 but crashed in 2022. So far this year he's 1-0 with a 1.13 ERA so we'll see how he turns out. The whole organization had a down year in 2022 so hopefully this year is different, especially for Tellier.
Up next is 24 year old right handed pitcher Christopher Troye. Drafted in the 12th round back in 2021, he had a mediocre season for Salem last year going 1-4 with a 4.86 ERA. Troye throws gas but doesn't know where its going most of the time. So far this year he's allowed 2 runs in 10 innings so if he learns control, he'd be dangerous moving forward. Like Stock and Gonzalez, he's one of the only few with upside.
Up next is injured 23 year old right handed pitcher Tyler Uberstine. Drafted in the 19th round back in 2021, he was a bum his senior year at Northwestern in 2021 and mediocre in Salem last year, but turned it around at the end of 2022 for Greenville. Unfortunately he hasn't pitched yet this season but you can't expect much out of a 19th round pick. Still, he's got a 94 mph fastball that moves. That's good for something when he comes back.
Up next is injured 23 year old left handed pitcher Jeremy Wu-Yelland. He's a tragic case as he was drafted in the 4th round back in 2020 and had a strong 2021 by going 2-4 with a 3.91 ERA between Salem and Greenville. He had Tommy John Surgery last April and might be back by July this season. Hopefully he can do well when he comes back.
If the pitching leaves a lot to be desired, the offense is the strength of this team. Up first is 23 year old Dominican catcher Jonathan Diaz. Signed as a Dominican teenager by Dave Dombrowski in 2017, Diaz only played in 8 games in 2022 after playing in just 17 in 2021. He hits well when he plays and so far this season he's got 2 hits in 6 at bats. Who knows how he'll turn out.
Up next is 25 year old switch hitting catcher Alex Erro. He was a 17th round pick back in 2019 and he was a solid .277 hitter for Lowell that year. Erro had a strong 2022 as a backup catcher and looks to be a backup this year as well. He's currently hitting .273 in 10 games and he may not be primed for the majors, but he's been solid in the role he's been given. That's good for something.
Up next is the team's starting catcher, 23 year old Nathan Hickey. The number 19 ranked prospect was drafted in the 5th round of the 2021 draft and he had a solid year last year. He slammed 16 home runs and drove in 62 runs between Salem and Greenville in 2022 and so far in 2023 he's hitting .294 with 4 homers so far. He's the top ranked catcher in the system and it'll be a few years before he's in Boston, if he can make it. Having a good 2023 in Greenville and Portland will help.
Up next is the 22nd ranked prospect in the system, 20 year old infielder Brainer Bonaci. Bonaci was signed as a 17 year old teenager out of Venezuela in 2019 and last year hit .262 with 6 home runs and 28 steals. This year he was activated on April 28th and has 5 hits in 23 at-bats. A strong start to this year could have Bonaci in Portland by June. The sky is the limit for Bonaci.
Up next is 23 year old centerfielder Max Ferguson. Ferguson came over in the trade with the San Diego Padres along with Corey Rosier and Eric Hosmer for Jay Groome. He was drafted in the 5th round of the 2021 draft by the Padres 24 picks after the Sox chose Nathan Hickey. So far this year he's hitting just .224 with one home run and needs to improve big time. Bloom traded for a lot of the 2021 picks so he's banking on some of them working out.
Up next is 20 year old first baseman Blaze Jordan. The third round pick back in 2020 went viral as a teenager for tape measure home runs and lived up to his billing in 2021, batting .324 with 6 home runs. Last year he hit .286 with 8 home runs for Salem and so far this year he's hitting .289 with 4 home runs. He's not putting up eye popping numbers but he's not bad either. He could be in Portland by June or July at this pace. He's also the number 18th ranked prospect in the system. Good luck Blaze!
Up next is the star of the team, number 1 ranked prospect 20 year old shortstop Marcelo Mayer. The chosen one was drafted 4th overall in 2021 and lived up to his billing in 2022 as a 19 year old. He hit 13 home runs and stole 17 bags for Salem and Greenville. This year he's hitting .337 with 4 home runs so far and the sky is the limit for Mayer. He doesn't turn 21 until after the season so he has plenty of time to get to Portland.
Up next is the 30th ranked prospect in the system, 21 year old second baseman Chase Meidroth. Chase was drafted in the 4th round out of San Diego last year and finished strong with 4 homers for Salem to end the season. This year he's hitting .338 with 2 home runs and looks headed to Portland sooner rather than later. Funny how Mayer is the chosen one but Meidroth hit Portland first. That's definitely the good kind of competition.
Up next is 23 year old utility infielder Tyler Miller. Miller was the ninth round pick back in 2021 and hit .219 last year for Salem although he did hit 13 home runs. If he's another launch angle guy, he fits right in. So far he's hitting .333 with 2 home runs so if he's sacrificing average for power, least he drives runs in. Keep up the good work.
Up next is the number 10 ranked prospect in the system, 20 year old third baseman Eddison Paulino. Paulino was a 17 year old phenom for the Dominican Sox in 2019 and was the best player for the Gulf Coast Sox in 2021 hitting .336 in 36 games. Last year he hit .266 with 13 home runs for Salem and is currently hitting .234 with 2 home runs. At just 20 years old, he's got plenty of time to show what he's got and a strong season would have him in Portland sooner rather than later.
Up next is 23 year old outfielder Nick Decker. Decker is one of the last of the Dombrowski era as he was the second round pick back in 2018. Turns out it was a waste of a pick as Miller crapped out in 2022, hitting just .122 in Greenville last year. This year so far he has just 5 hits in 44 at-bats. It looks like he's not going to make it and know what the worst thing is? Two picks after Decker the Cleveland Guardians took Nick Sandlin, currently one of the best bullpen arms for the Guardians in the majors. Nice job Dombrowski!
Up next is 23 year old outfielder Tyler Esplin. He was a 7th round pick back in 2017 and hit just .245 with Greenville last year with no homers. Just like Decker, it doesn't look like Esplin's going to make it if he's still in Single A after 6 years in the minors (he did have a cup of coffee with Portland last year). So far he's only hitting .246 with no home runs. Another sad fact, one pick after the Sox took Esplin, the Washington Nationals took Jackson Tetreault who made his ML debut with the Nationals in 2022. Whoops!
Up next is 21 year old outfielder Bryan Gonzalez. Gonzalez was signed as a Dominican teenager in 2019 and hit just .201 last year between Salem and Greenville. So far this year he's hitting .224 with 3 home runs. If he doesn't pick it up they'll be plenty of guys from Salem and this coming draft that can take his place. He still has time to turn it around though.
Up next is 22 year old centerfielder Gilberto Jimenez. Talk about a shooting star, back in 2021 he was arguably Salem's best player hitting .306 with 114 hits. Last year he hit just .268 for Greenville with not much power. This season so far he's hitting .241 with one home run and has been leapfrogged by Cedanne Rafaela up in Portland. Still, it would be unwise to give up on a 22 year old so let's see if he can rediscover the form he showed in 2021.
Up next is 20 year old left fielder Eduardo Lopez. Lopez was yet another Dominican teenager signed in 2019 and hit just .225 in 2021 and .234 in Salem last year. This year so far he's hitting .291 with 2 home runs so its nice to see some improvement. Like I said with Jimenez, it would be unwise to give up on a 20 year old so let's see what he does moving forward.
Up next is the team's underdog, 23 year old outfielder Kier Meredith. He was an undrafted rookie free agent out of Clemson signed after the 2021 draft. He hit .265 with 25 stolen bags last year and this year he's got 2 hits in 7 at-bats. From going undrafted to hitting almost .280 in Single A is a feather in Kier's cap. Let's see if he can keep up the momentum.
Last but not least is 20 year old outfielder Miguel Ugueto. The Venezuelan burst on the scene hitting .311 in the final 22 games of the season for Salem to end 2022. This year he's only got 10 hits in 66 at-bats but its early. If Ugueto can tear up Greenville like he did Salem, he'll be in Portland either this season or next.
The Drive are relying on a ton of ex-Dominican Sox, the last of Dombrowski's trash and the 2020-21 draft picks of Bloom to get by. The pitching is a nightmare but the offense is definitely exciting to watch with Mayer, Jordan and Jimenez. The organization is in transition and the Drive are caught in the same flux Worcester is. It'll be another year before the draft picks of last year and this coming draft make their mark. Still, if you want to see guys like Mayer, Jordan, etc come to Fluor Field and catch the action. So far their record is 12-14 so we'll see where they stand come June or July.
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