Up first is 25 year old right handed pitcher Brock Bell. He's one of the last of the ex-Sox GM Dave Dombrowski picks drafted in the 7th round back in 2019. He had some seriously bad luck as he looked impressive for the Gulf Coast Sox and Lowell Spinners but his 2020 season was wiped out by Covid. Tommy John surgery took 2021 and 2022 away. This year so far he's 1-1 with a 4.91 ERA with command issues. If he learns how to control his 95 mph fastball, they might get something out of him.
Up next is last year's 7th round pick, right handed pitcher Caleb Bolden. Drafted last year out of Texas Christian University, he's currently 1-1 with a 2.93 ERA. The knock on him was he's already 24 and should have went pro out of high school in 2017, but hey....better late than never.
Up next is last year's 8th round pick, right handed pitcher Jonathan Brand. He was one of Miami Ohio University's best starters and has allowed 2 runs in 6 1/3 innings so far this year. He's a junkballer with a nice curve, but let's see if he can get pro bats out as well as he did college.
Up next is 22 year old right handed pitcher Felix Cepeda. Cepeda was one of Dombrowski's Dominican teenagers back in 2018 and he was straight batting practice from 2019 to 2022. This year so far he's 1-0 with a 0.79 ERA so hopefully he's figured things out. The good news was he went from throwing 91 in 2019 to 93 now, that's a major difference.
Up next is 20 year old right handed pitcher Nathanael Cruz. A Chaim Bloom Dominican teenager, Cruz got hammered last year but already throws 93-95. Just like Cepeda, Cruz is going to need some time to figure things out. So far this year he hasn't allowed a run in 2 1/3 innings so let's see how he turns out.
Up next is 20 year old right handed pitcher Luis De La Rosa. He was one of the players to be named later in the Andrew Benintendi trade and struggled out of the bullpen last year for Salem. He throws 93 consistently and is currently 1-2 with a 3.00 ERA. Like Cruz and Cepeda, he's going to need time to develop and he just might.
Up next is 22 year old left handed pitcher Noah Dean. Drafted in the fifth round last year out of Old Dominion, Dean can throw gas but doesn't have the best command. So far this year he's 1-1 with a 5.27 ERA but its his first professional season. Not everyone gets it right their first year. If he learns command, he could be good down the road.
Next up is the team underdog, 24 year old right handed pitcher Jhonny Felix. Felix was signed as an undrafted rookie free agent after the 2021 draft and has been straight batting practice since. He was a shortstop at West Oklahoma State and pitched on occasion. Maybe he's better off as a shortstop because this year he's 0-1 with a 7.53 ERA. Keep fighting Felix.
Up next is 21 year old right handed pitcher Gabriel Jackson. He was a signed as a Dominican teenager back in 2019 and was lousy in Salem last year going 7-8 with a 5.25 ERA. He has a 93 mph fastball but the breaking stuff has little movement. If he improves his breaking stuff, he may have potential. This year so far he's 2-0 with a 3.50 ERA.
Up next is 22 year old right handed pitcher Marques Johnson. Drafted in the 11th round last year out of Long Beach State, Johnson has a lively fastball but his breaking stuff isn't good yet. So far this year he's 2-2 with a 12.00 ERA but also its his first professional season. Someone needs to teach him a better curveball.
Up next is injured 24 year old right handed pitcher Matt Litwicki. Drafted in the 10th round in the 2021 draft out of Indiana, he hasn't made his organizational debut yet due to various injuries. He only threw 31 career innings in college due to injuries but he throws absolute gas. If he ever makes his debut, the 97 mph fastball he has may come in handy.
Up next is injured 22 year old pitcher left hander Hayden Mullins. Drafted in the 12th round last year, he had Tommy John surgery during his senior year at Auburn and isn't expected to make his debut until later this year. What's with Bloom and injured pitchers?
Up next is the team youngster, 19 year old right handed pitcher Jedixon Paez. Signed as a Dominican teenager, he looked good for the DoSox and the Florida Complex last year. He's a junkballer but is still filling out so he may add more speed to his pitchers down the line. This year so far he's 0-1 with a 7.88 ERA but at only 19 years old, its going to take a while for him to develop.
Up next is the number 8th ranked prospect in the system, 20 year old Venezuelan right handed pitcher Luis Perales. Last year he allowed 11 runs in 35 innings between the Complex and Salem but this year he's 0-2 with a 6.75 ERA. He can throw 98 mph and is being stretched out to see if he can handle a full workload. It'll take some time but he could be a stud down the road.
Up next is 21 year old right handed pitcher Railin Perez. Another Dominican teenager signed by Dombrowski, he allowed just 3 runs in 23 innings for the Complex last year. This year he's 0-1 with a 9.75 ERA and needs some serious work done on his pitches if he hopes to get Single A batters out this year.
Up next is 22 year old right handed pitcher Jose Ramirez. Signed as a Dominican teenager by Dombrowski in 2018, he was straight batting practice for the Complex and Salem last year. He throws a 94 mph fastball and is currently 0-1 with a 0.50 ERA. If he's figured it out, that would be great.
Up next is the 16th ranked prospect in the system, 19 year old right handed pitcher Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz. Drafted in the 4th round back in 2021 out of high school in Puerto Rico, Cruz made his debut last year by posting a 1.88 ERA in 13 games between the Complex and Salem. This year so far he's 2-1 with a 2.60 ERA. He's still filling out so he definitely could add life to his fastball and slider in a year or two. The Sox may have something here if he continues to improve.
Up next is 22 year old left handed pitcher Dalton Rogers. Drafted in the 3rd round last year, Rogers can throw a 95 mph fastball but needs to learn command. So far this year he's 0-1 with a 2.55 ERA. With Shane Drohan having the most potential as a left handed starter, it would be nice for Rogers to be good as well. The Sox haven't had a decent homegrown lefty since Jon Lester, hopefully one or the other will be. Recently he struck out 8 batters in 5 shutout innings.
Up next is 22 year old right handed pitcher Reidis Sena. Another Dominican teenager signed by Dombrowski in 2019, Sena can throw gas but has little control. He was 0-1 with a 5.91 ERA last year in Salem and this year he hasn't pitched yet due to injury. Let's see what he's got when he's ready.
Up next is 21 year old right handed pitcher Luis Talavera. Yet another Dominican teenager signed by Dombrowski in 2019, he showed potential by going 5-1 with a 2.81 ERA last year between the Complex and Salem. He can throw 93 but has horrible command right now. So far this year he's allowed 3 runs in 5 2/3 innings so at least he knows what he has to improve on if he wants to climb the ranks.
Up last for the pitchers is 24 year old right handed pitcher Michael Valera. He made his organization debut as a 20 year old in 2019 for the DoSox and has been straight batting practice since. Last year he went 1-1 with a 6.58 ERA between the Complex and Salem. This year so far he's allowed 10 runs in 10 2/3 innings so it doesn't look like he's going to make it. If you get lit up in the Complex and Salem, what's High A or Double A batters going to do for him?
Now for the catchers. Up first is 19 year old right handed hitting Enderso Lira. He signed as a Dominican teenager in 2021 and hit just .246 for the DoSox that year. Last year he hit .129 in 21 games for the Complex. He's only played in 1 game this year and he's strictly bench material at this point. He's only 19 so let's see what happens.
Up next is the starting catcher, 22 year old right handed hitting Yorberto Mejicano. He was a Venezuelan teenager signed by Dombrowski in 2019 and he hit .262 with 5 home runs last year with Salem as Nathan Hickey's backup. This year so far he's got 12 hits in 10 games and looks to be turning the corner himself. Let's hope he keeps it up.
Up next is 20 year old right handed hitting Juan Montero. He was an undrafted rookie free agent signed in 2020 out of Ed Correa's Baseball Academy. He hit just .258 for the Complex last year and so far this year he's got 1 hit in 6 at-bats as a backup. If he couldn't hit well in the Complex, that's a bad sign. Still, he could just be getting started. We'll know in a year or so.
Now for the infielders, first up is (about to be) 19 year old right handed hitting starting third baseman Cutter Coffey. Drafted in the second round last year as a shortstop, the number 21 prospect Coffey had 4 hits in 32 at-bats for the Complex last year. This year so far he's hitting .219 with 23 walks in 23 games. He's not going to be 19 until May 21st so it would be unfair to judge him already. One year ago he was in Liberty High School and now he's the starting third baseman for the Salem Red Sox. Judge slowly.
Up next is 20 year old starting first baseman, right handed hitting Lyonell James. James tore up the DoSox in 2021 and the Complex last year hitting .340. This year so far he's hitting .244 with a home run in 22 games. Single A is a big leap from the Dominican and Rookie leagues so he's definitely going to need time to adjust.
Up next is 19 year old starting second baseman, switch hitting Ahbram Liendo. Liendo hit just .251 for the DoSox in 2021 and just .219 for the Complex last year but had 6 hits in 6 games for Salem to end the season. This year so far he's hitting just .160 and that's not going to cut it. The Sox have 22 picks in the draft coming up and I'm sure one of them will be a first baseman. He's only 19 but he's going to have to do better than .160.
Up next is 20 year old right handed hitting infielder Daniel McElveny. Drafted in the 6th round back in 2021, he hit just .250 for the Complex and .167 for Salem last year. This year he's hitting just .208 with one home run for Salem. The ultimate kick in the pants is 16 slots after the Sox chose McElveny, the Toronto Blue Jays picked Hayden Juenger who's currently pitching for the Buffalo Bisons, the Toronto Blue Jays AAA team. Still, at only 20 it would be wrong to judge Daniel too soon. Let's see how he does in 2023.
Up next is the number 29th ranked prospect in the system, 19 year old switch hitting starting shortstop Luis Ravelo. Ravelo hit just .187 for the Complex last year but got 6 hits in 25 at-bats for Salem at the end of the season. This year so far he's hitting .267 with 3 home runs. Sounds good so far, just needs to hit the weight room.
Up next is the team's chosen one, the number 7 ranked prospect in the system. Injured 19 year old lefty hitting shortstop Mikey Romero. He was Bloom's first round pick last year and he lived up to his billing, hitting .304 in 19 games for the Complex and Salem to end the year. He's been out with a bad back to start the year but when he comes back, it'll be interesting to see how well he does. With Marcello Mayer as the shortstop of the future, Romero could be a sleeper pick moving forward.
Up next is 21 year old right handed hitting infielder Karson Simas. Simas was one of the last of the Dombrowski picks, taken in the 25th round back in 2019. He hit just .197 in 78 games for Salem last year and if he can't hit Single A pitching, how's he going to make it to Portland? A utility infielder in Single A doesn't really have a high ceiling.
Up next is the number 9th ranked prospect in the whole system, (about to be) 19 year old starting right fielder Roman Anthony. Anthony was a compensation pick for Eduardo Rodriguez signing with the Detroit Tigers and he did not disappoint, hitting .429 for the Complex before finishing with 7 hits in 10 games for Salem. This year he's hitting just .234 in 20 games but it would be unfair to judge a kid turning 19 on Saturday for not hitting well. He's got plenty of time and a lot of chances to turn it around. Let's see what he's made of.
Up next is the Number 2 ranked prospect in the whole system behind Mayer, right handed hitting 19 year old starting centerfielder Miguel Bleis. Bleis smashed 5 home runs and hit .301 for the Complex last year. According to international scouts he has the best swing in the system and it will only improve with age. He's currently hitting .267 with 1 home run so he's not knocking at the door of Greenville just yet. Still with such raw power its only a matter of time.
Up next is the number 26th ranked prospect in the system, switch hitting 19 year old starting DH Allan Castro. Castro was signed as a 16 year old by Dombrowski and hit .279 with the Complex last year before hitting just .188 to finish the season in Salem. This year he's hitting just .185 with one home run and its feared he's only good from the right side. He's turning 20 on the 24th so let's see how he turns out.
Up next is the team's starting left fielder, right handed hitting 20 year old Juan Chacon. Chacon was signed by Dombrowski as a 16 year old in 2019 and hit .311 for the DoSox in 2021. Unfortunately he hit .225 for the Complex and .129 for Salem last season. He has potential but hasn't really shown it yet. This year he's hitting just .240 in 53 games. Still plenty of time to turn it around though.
Last but not least is right handed hitting 21 year old outfielder Albert Feliz. Signed as a Dominican teenager in 2018, Feliz hasn't hit above .250 since his debut with the DoSox in 2019. He hit just .194 with the Complex last year and just .233 so far this year. Normally you don't give up on 21 year olds bust he hasn't hit well ANYWHERE yet. Still, plenty of time to turn it around but there could be other Dominican kids or 2023 draft picks coming that could do better. We'll see how it turns out.
All in all this is a motley mix of Dombrowski's Dominican kids, Bloom's Dominican kids and draft picks from the last few seasons. Mikey Romero hasn't played yet but the pitching needs to improve for sure. Still, the goal of Single A is to teach the kids how to improve. If they win games, that's a bonus. Its going to be a long year for Salem since anyone that shows life will be brought up to Greenville. Still, it'll be interesting to see who does get the call and who stays to be the team leader. Come to Salem Memorial Ballpark to find out how they do.
The Sox are back in action tomorrow night at home against the St. Louis Cardinals. James Paxton makes his long awaited Sox debut against Cards ace Adam Wainwright. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.
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