Red Sox
The Red Sox are already showcasing young, local talent in Boston this season and still have many promising young talents within the pipeline.
Boston's Director of Player Development, Brian Abraham, spoke on Saturday on the “Great Polar Park Authors” Series in Worcester. During his talk, he gave plenty of insight into the long run stars of the Red Sox, namely the “big three” who currently play for the Portland Sea Dogs: Kyle Teel, Marcelo Mayer and Roman Anthony.
“We are excited about the progress they are all making [in Portland],” Abraham said. “They're good guys and they work hard, and I think that can take you far. … Obviously they're incredible baseball players, but what also excites me is that they're going to represent Boston and the fan base really well.”
Teel is arguably Boston's most promising hitter, at the least based on this season's numbers. He has a .313 batting average with eight home runs and 45 RBIs, and his OPS is slightly below .900. Drafted in the primary round of last yr's MLB draft, Teel has worked his way quickly through the pipeline. Given his regular development, it's hard to assume the catcher staying in Portland for all the season.
“It feels like he's been here for 10 years, even though he's only been here for a year,” Abraham said of Teel. “He's an incredible young man, he calls a good play, he's a leader, leads the personnel and scores the ball.”
However, Abraham also noted that with Teel and all the opposite promising talent the Red Sox have, there isn’t any reason to rush them.
“They have opportunities for development, but they are not finished products yet,” Abraham said. “They all have areas where they need to improve, and the Double-A environment currently allows them to improve in those areas.”
Mayer performs very similarly to Teel on offense. He has a .316 batting average with two fewer home runs and just 33 RBIs, but has 25 doubles to Teel's 14.
Mayer is currently playing third base, which, as Abraham notes, “serves to get him more exposure.”
“He's a solid defender with a smooth left-handed swing,” Abraham said. “We want him to improve his swing decisions and zone contact and hit the ball more consistently.”
Anthony has a batting average of .267 with seven home runs and 21 RBIs. He also has the fewest batting appearances of the highest three players.
“He's an incredible kid and an incredible worker … he's everything you want in a young player,” Abraham said of the 20-year-old. “We want to see him throw the ball in the air more, get more power from the ball in the air and get more home runs.”
The Red Sox have several young stars who’re already making waves in the most important leagues. Jarren Duran leads the MLB in triples and is gaining popularity as an All-Star within the outfield.
Ceddanne Rafaela has greater than proven his value, not only as a solid daily center fielder, but in addition as a reliable shortstop in a pinch. Triston Casas was injured for a lot of the season, but his offensive presence is undeniable.
Portland’s Big Three may very well be next to make their mark within the Major Leagues in Boston.
image credit : www.boston.com