Already this season, the Red Sox have been the beneficiaries of an unexpected contribution from their minor league system.
Back in March or early April, few envisioned Michael Chavis having the sort of impact he's had in the last five weeks. And yet, Chavis has filled the void at second left by Dustin Pedroia, hit more home runs than anyone else on the team since he was promoted from Pawtucket, and brought energy to the lineup and clubhouse.
If it's too much -- or too soon -- to suggest that Chavis saved the Red Sox' season, he certainly has made an enormous (and unexpected) impact on the team. Surely, the Sox don't want to contemplate where they'd be without him.
Now that Chavis has made himself a permanent roster fixture, are they any more like him? That is, are there others in the Red Sox minor league system who might be factors on this season -- either soon, or later in the year?
We checked with a major league scout who's seen a lot of the Boston system for some intel. For our purposes, we focused solely on Pawtucket and Portland, since any players in Single-A are unlikely to make the jump to the big leagues this season.
PAWTUCKET
RHP Jenrry Mejia: Mejia, of course, is hardly classified as a "prospect'' -- he's a 29-year-old former major league closer attempting to work his way back from multiple PED suspensions.
SCOUT: "His velocity isn't as good as it was with the Mets, when he was 96 mph. He's not that now, more like 92 mph. But the cutter is good. I wouldn't be surprised if he pitches a game or five...he threw good for me. He's all cutter, cutter, cutter now. That's about all he's throwing, but it's an effective pitch. If (Heath) Hembree or someone like that goes down, he can pitch (in the big leagues). I see him as an 'up-and-down' guy.''
1B Josh Ockimey: Ockimey, in his first year at Triple-A, has shown power (not unexpected) with 12 homers in 41 games. But he's also struggling to make consistent contact (43 strikeouts), though, encouragingly, he's also drawn 37 walks, which indicated more disciplined at-bats.
SCOUT: "To me, he's really got to hit and hit for power. I don't know if he's ever going to be a good enough hitter. He'll hit some mistakes. The time's I 've seen him, he hits mistakes; it's not like he's doing damage on a pitcher's pitch. He's strong, but I don't see it. The Triple-A pitchers, most of are all these up-down guys -- and they're not that good. He's really limited defensively, so he's got to be able to really hit, really crush righthanded pitching to make an impact.
RHP Mike Shawaryn: The work of Ryan Weber and the expected return of Brian Johnson soon should provide improved starting pitching depth. But if the Sox need other options over the final four months, Shawaryn has been Pawtucket's best pitcher.
SCOUT: "He's always started but his stuff is as good as (Travis) Lakins. I like his breaking ball, but needs better command. He could be a swingman who could give you a couple of innings at a time. Teams need those low leverage guys who could give you multiple innings. Could he do what (Hector) Velazquez is doing? Sure, I think that's his value.''
PORTLAND
3B Bobby Dalbec: It may be something of a longshot to expect Dalbec to reach the majors this season - until you consider that both Rafael Devers and Andrew Benintendi made the same Portland-to-Boston jump in recent seasons (technically, Devers made a very brief pitstop in between at Pawtucket).
SCOUT: "I'm lower on him than most. His balance is better, he has unbelievable power and he's strong enough to hit it out to all fields. But there are times -- and I don't know if it's (lack of pitch) recognition or what -- that I don't see him making consistent, hard contact. It's very pull-heavy and I just don't see him hitting enough. There's a lot of swing-and-miss on stuff that isn't quality. He's very streaky and can get hot. For me, is he Wily Mo Pena? He's a huge, physical guy, and he can throw. But if he doesn't start hitting, the defense isn't good enough to carry him. They're higher on him than I am, and maybe I'm wrong. He'll get there (to the big leagues), but I'm not sure about the impact. He's very streaky -- he hit five homers in three days, but then he'll go another couple of weeks before he hits another.''
LHP Darwinzon Hernandez: Hernandez has already contributed to the big league team, chipping in with 2.1 explosive innings of relief as part of a doubleheader back in April. He has wipeout-quality stuff, but has also had difficulty throwing strikes (25 walks in 31 innings).
SCOUT: "I've got him as a bullpen guy for now. He's big and strong and if they don't go out and get one at the deadline, he could be their bullpen lefty. He's got velocity and his breaking ball is good and so is the changeup, but he but doesn't command well enough. I don't think he (projects as a starter) unless he polishes his command.''
(Note: the scout has yet to see reliever Portland reliever Durbin Feltman this season, so was reluctant to offer an evaluation.)
_________________
_________________
_________________