Today's game between the Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals has been postponed due to massive rainfall. Tomorrow will now be a day-night double header with the makeup game scheduled for the afternoon. So since its an off-day, let's take a look at this year's Greenville Drive roster.
Starting the season on the Development List is 21 year old catcher Enderson Lira. He signed as a Venezuelan teenager in 2021 and hit just .142 in 37 games for Greenville last year. He's going to have to do better than that, especially since the Sox are devoid of catching prospects with Kyle Teel gone. Let's see how he does when he's activated.
Remember when the Red Sox drafted Matt Litwicki knowing he was an injury case? Say hello to 24 year old left handed pitcher Hayden Mullins. He was taken in the 12th round back in 2022 out of Auburn University and had Tommy John surgery, costing him most of 2023. Last year he was 3-5 with a 3.94 ERA in 17 starts with the Drive. That's a good start, the problem is he's running out of time since he's only in Single A at 24 years old. Hopefully this year will be the breakout season.
The opposite of Hayden Mullins is 18 year old right handed pitcher Juan Valera. Valera impressed last year posting a 1.79 ERA in 9 starts for the Florida Complex Sox and a 2.35 ERA in 7 starts for the Salem Red Sox. The kid can hit 100 on the gun and could be in Portland by next year with a strong year in Greenville this season.
Also coming from the January 2021 international signing pool is 21 year old right handed pitcher Jedixson Paez. Paez went 5-4 with an ERA of near 3.00 between Salem and Greenville in 22 games. He's mostly a junkballer but its a good sign that he gets guys out rather than the opposite. Hopefully he has a strong year in Greenville.
New Sox GM Craig Breslow did what his predecessor didn't....take a pitcher in the top 50. 22 year old left handed pitcher Payton Tolle was taken in the 2nd round of last year's draft and looked good at Texas Christian U going 7-4 with a 3.21 ERA in 14 starts. He can hit 96 on the gun so it'll be interesting to see how he looks in his professional debut.
Speaking of left handed pitchers, ex-GM Chaim Bloom did manage to take 22 year old left handed pitcher Jojo Ingrassia in the 14th round back in 2023. He was arguably Salem's best pitcher last year going 3-1 with a 1.85 ERA in 21 games with Salem. The only reason he didn't get promoted was he suffered an elbow injury near the end of the year. This could be a big season for him if he stays healthy.
If you want to talk about a scrappy, underdog story then look no further than 25 year old right handed pitcher Danny Kirwin. He went undrafted after four years at Rider University and was playing in the independent leagues when he was signed in April of last year. He went 4-3 with a 3.63 ERA in 20 games with them so Greenville is the next logical step. Getting to High A doesn't seem like much, but when you're undrafted and facing the potential of never playing again, it's definitely an accomplishment.
Ex-Sox GM Chaim Bloom had a habit of taking college pitchers in the draft that totally sucked their senior years and 23 year old right handed pitcher Max Carlson is no different. He posted a 5.45 ERA as a starter for North Carolina and was taken in the 12th round of the 2023 draft. Now he did go 5-1 with a 2.81 ERA in 28 games out of the bullpen for Salem and 1-1 with a 2.31 ERA in Greenville to end 2024. Hopefully this year he can do well in Greenville to get called up to Portland. Would be good to see a bad college pitcher turn out to have a good pro career.
Its not often a scrap heap pickup becomes one of your best pitchers but the Salem Red Sox found that out when they signed 21 year old left handed pitcher Eduardo Rivera after he was dumped by the Oakland A's. He was straight batting practice for the Lansing Lugnuts but turned it around in Salem allowing just 5 runs in 22 innings. Ironically he was taken 22 picks after the Sox chose current Los Angeles Angels infielder Niko Kavadas in the 11th round back in 2021. Let's see if Rivera can make it to the show as well.
What a sad career 25 year old left handed pitcher Jeremy Wu-Yelland had. He was utterly dominating out of the bullpen for Hawaii University when Covid ended the season early. He was taken by the Red Sox in the 4th round of the 2020 draft only for there to no pro-season for the minors. In 2021 he pitched well for Salem & Greenville but suffered a devastating series of injuries that cost him the entire 2022 season and all but 3 games in 2023. Last year he allowed 28 runs in 31 innings for Grenville and the concern his he might never be the same. Its a shame he turned out like this, but he might be able to turn it around.
One of the many fumbles on the resume of Chaim Bloom was drafting 24 year old left handed pitcher Dalton Rogers in the third round back in the 2022 draft. He's been straight batting practice in the pros, posting a 5.52 ERA in 17 starts back in 2023 and a 5.12 ERA in 19 starts last year for Greenville. If he's having this much trouble getting Single A hitters out, what's he going to do if he makes it to Portland? He might not at this rate.
The contrast to Dalton Rogers is 23 year old right handed pitcher Isaac Stebens. Taken in the 16th round back in the 2023 draft, Stebens dominated Salem allowing just 1 earned run in 11 innings before going 3-3 with a 3.68 ERA in Greenville out of the bullpen last year. He might get the call to Portland despite being a 16th round pick, not bad for a walk on at Oklahoma State University.
Its been a struggle for 24 year old left handed pitcher Noah Dean so far in his career. Taken in the 5th round back in 2022, Dean got hammered in 2023 for Salem. He went 2-8 with a 6.29 ERA in 17 starts but started 2024 going 2-3 with a 3.96 ERA in 13 starts. Then in Greenville he allowed 15 runs in 18 innings to end the year. Just like Dalton Rogers, if he can't get Single A batters out, that's yet another Chaim Bloom misfire. Still time to turn it around though.
Speaking of scrap heap pickups, here's 25 year old right handed pitcher Darvin Garcia. He came up with the Pittsburgh Pirates system before the Sox picked him up in the Rule 5 draft in December. He ranged between terrible and mediocre between Bradenton and Greensboro in 2023 and 2024. Maybe a change of scenery will do him well. If not, just another wasted Rule 5 pick in a sea full of them.
Speaking of underdog stories, how about another guy that went undrafted? 24 year old right handed pitcher Cooper Adams posted a 5.03 ERA his senior year at Mt. St Mary's University and wasn't drafted in 2023. He somehow made a pro-tryout in January of 2024 where he was straight batting practice for the Greenville Drive that season. This year might be more of the same but can't expect a guy that sucked in college to turn around and dominate in the pros.
The San Diego Padres took 24 year old right handed pitcher Adam Smith in the 14th round back in 2021 twenty-four picks after the Sox chose Jacob Webb. He's been batting practice ever since, getting released after posting a 5.83 ERA in High A in 2023. The Sox picked him up last April where he posted a 5.83 ERA out of the bullpen for Greenville. The guy simply isn't good but you never know, maybe he figures it out this year.
24 year old left handed pitcher Erik Rivera was an interesting signing. He was drafted in the fourth round back in 2019 by the Los Angeles Angels and pitched in exactly 1 game between 2019 and 2022. In 2023 he pitched in a whopping 7 then made 8 starts for the Tri-City Dust Devils in 2024. He was signed as a minor league free agent in February so it'll be interesting to see if he can show something after appearing in just 28 games in five years.
Another underdog story is 24 year old left handed pitcher Zach Fogell out of Brown & UConn. He got screwed by Covid, missing both his sophomore and junior seasons since the Ivy League refused to play in 2021. He did manage to turn it around for UConn in 2023 going 8-1 with a 1.89 ERA out of the bullpen and he was drafted in the 18th round by Chaim Bloom. He did show some promise by going 6-2 with a ERA just over 3 between Salem and Greenville in 2024. Let's see how he matures this season.
What a difference two years makes. 21 year old outfielder Miguel Bleis was considered a "can't miss" outfielding prospect when he burst on the scene hitting .301 with 5 home runs for the Florida Complex as an 18 year old in 2022. Then in 2023 he battled injuries to hit just .230 in 31 games for Salem and hit just .257 last year before hitting just .190 in Greenville to end the season. Hopefully this season he's fully healthy and can show the same promise he had in 2022.
Desperately needing catchers in the system, Craig Breslow chose 22 year old Arkansas University catcher Hudson White in the 9th round of last year's draft. He hit just .167 for the Greenville Drive to end the season but this year will be the make or break year. He belted 8 home runs for Arkansas so hopefully that power stroke returns in 2025 for Greenville.
22 year old catcher Juan Montero is just one of five players remaining either signed or drafted back in 2020 (Jeremy Wu-Yelland being another). He's been a light hitting catcher ever since he hit .179 for the Complex back in 2021 at 19 years old. Somehow he's still around and he hit just .188 for Greenville last year. If he's making it on defense alone, that's one thing, but at some point you HAVE to hit in the minors. If he doesn't, we'll be down to 4 guys left (Blaze Jordan, Shane Drohan and Brian Van Belle are the others) in no time.
20 year old first baseman Brooks Brannon also needs to learn how to hit in a hurry. Taken out of high school in the 9th round back in 2022, Brannon finished 2023 strong hitting .292 with 3 home runs for Salem. Last year he suffered a serious knee injury but still hit .251 with 6 home runs for Salem. If he stays healthy and at just 20 years old, he might have a breakout year for Greenville this season.
Competing with Brannon will be 22 year old (23 on the 13th) first baseman Albert Feliz. He was one of ex-Sox GM Dave Dombrowski's Dominican teenagers signed in 2018. In 2023 he hit .242 with 10 home runs for Salem but hit a paltry .165 last season. He did manage to hit 11 home runs last year despite the poor average so let's see how he does in a new park in Greenville. At least he might be able to hit the ball out of it.
20 year old infielder Marvin Alcantara might be Greenville's starting second baseman this season. Signed as a Venezuelan teenager in 2022, he hit .248 with an alarming 103 strikeouts in 108 games for Salem last year. He's not much of a power hitter either so he better fix the hole in his bat pretty quick, or else he'll be replaced by another hungry member of the Dominican squad or a draft pick from this coming draft.
Its always amusing to see a guy drafted by the same team twice, but it happened in the case of 22 year old outfielder Zach Ehrhard. He was drafted in the 13th round back in 2021 but chose to go to Oklahoma State. 3 years later, the Sox took him in the fourth round in last year's draft. He hit just .156 for Salem last year but could surprise everyone with a strong 2024. He could be in the starting lineup for Greenville right away.
Speaking of light hitting infielders, here's 20 year old infielder Fraymi de Leon. He was signed out of the January 2022 international pool as a Dominican teenager and he hit a whopping .195 in Salem last year before hitting .234 in Greenville to end the season. Hopefully his glove is made out of gold because if he can't hit Single A pitching, he's not going to get very far otherwise.
Want another light hitting utility player? You got it! 22 year old outfielder Juan Chacon was a Venezuelan teenager signed by Dave Dombrowski back in 2019 and his best hitting season was batting .241 in 2023 for Salem. Last year he hit .203 in 84 games for Greenville with just 2 home runs. Just like de Leon, his glove better be solid gold or else he's not going to make it if he can't hit Single A pitching.
Greenville's starting third baseman looks like it'll be 23 year old infielder Justin Reimer. He's another guy who got screwed by injury as he tore his ACL just 12 games into the season for Wright State University back in 2023. He was drafted in the fourth round by Chaim Bloom and he didn't make his pro debut until last July. He hit .240 with no home runs for Greenville to end the season. Let's see how he does fully healthy this year before writing him off.
Say what you will about Chaim Bloom but he had no shortage of drafted shortstops. 19 year old Nazzan Zanetello was chosen in the second round back in 2023 and played in just 13 games to end the season. Last year at 19 years old he hit a terrible .156 with an eye opening 151 strikeouts but did have 7 home runs for Salem. He better fix the gargantuan hole in his bat really quick or else this will look like a monumentally bad pick when all is said in done.
Now this was an interesting pickup. Back in January the Sox signed 25 year old outfielder Kolby Johnson out of the independent leagues. He played 5 years at Central Arkansas University from 2019 to 2023 then played for the Staten Island FerryHawks the last two seasons. This is a big crapshoot to sign a guy who went undrafted after 5 years of college but hey, stranger things have happened. Morgan Burkhart says hello.
22 year old outfielder Nelly Taylor was drafted in the 11th round out of Polk State in 2023. He hit just .228 for Salem last year but swiped 31 bags and hit 6 home runs. He ended the year with 10 games in Greenville and its clear that this is a speedster. He can definitely run but he better improve on his hitting. At least Jackie Bradley Jr could hit in the minors, hopefully Nelly will this year.
Rounding out the squad is 21 year old infielder Andy Lugo. He missed both the 2021 and 2023 seasons due to injury although he did play in 108 games last year between Salem and Greenville. He swiped 28 bases between the levels and it'll be interesting to see how he does this season. This could be a make or break year for him if he stays healthy.
All in all it looks like Greenville will start the year with a lot of solid pitching arms that have proven to be able to get Single A batters out but a lot of hitters that haven't hit well at all up to this point. The Sox have to hit the reset button after the trades they made between last deadline and the Crochet deal in the winter. Greenville may have to suffer before help comes in the form of Salem's best players or in the upcoming draft. As for the Boston Red Sox, they play a double header tomorrow against the St. Louis Cardinals. Sean Newcomb (0-1, 9.00 ERA) is scheduled to start Game 1 against Andre Pallante of the Cardinals. The game begins at 1:35 PM at Fenway Park.
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