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Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Farm Report: Which Double-A Portland players could make their way to Triple-A Worcester this year?
PORTLAND, Maine — The Password is walk-off. Times two. Over the weekend, Portland Sea Dogs slugger Jhostynxon Garcia secured not just one — but two game-winning hits to lift his team to a pair of back-to-back, walk-off victories at Hadlock Field. Advertisement Double the pleasure, double the fun for the Red Sox prospect who calls Double-A Portland home, and who coaches, fans and teammates call 'The Password.' 'It's a good one. It's cool to see it kind of take on a life of its own, and (Garcia has) embraced it as well,' Red Sox senior director of player development Brian Abraham said. 'He's got T-shirts. I'm sure there are probably plenty of Red Sox fans who use his name as a password. 'You don't get nicknames if you're bad,' Abraham added. 'To see him earn the right to get a cool nickname is pretty sweet.' Portland Sea Dogs slugger Jhostynxon Garcia celebrates a walk-off hit during a Double-A game at Hadlock Field on May 10, 2025. With Triple-A Worcester on the road for two weeks, the T&G traveled to Maine to check out some of the organization's top prospects in Double A who may call Polar Park home soon. Advertisement Let's take a look at some of Portland's top players: Portland pitcher Connelly Early sits inside the Sea Dogs dugout during a game earlier this season. Connelly Early A left-handed pitcher taken by Boston in the fifth round of the 2023 MLB Draft, Connelly Early hasn't wasted any time rising through the Red Sox ranks. After starting in 16 games for Class-A Salem (2023-24) and being called up to Double-A Portland at the end of last season for eight starts, Early added strength and weight to his 6-foot-3, 195-pound frame in the offseason. The 23-year-old also added velocity to his fastball — that hit 97 mph in spring training but sits in the mid-to-low 90s — to pair with a quality changeup and evolving sweeper. He is currently listed as the Red Sox' No. 9 prospect, according to 'He embodies a lot of what we're trying to do on the development side and pitching side,' Abraham said. 'You're looking at a really exciting left-handed pitching prospect (and) they don't grow on trees, so we're really lucky to have that.' Advertisement In 2022, Early was named the Patriot League Pitcher of the Year while at West Point. The lefty then transferred to the University of Virginia, where he recorded 12 wins and took home Most Outstanding Player honors at the Charlottesville Regional in 2023. Portland Sea Dogs left-hander Connelly Early throws a pitch during a Double-A game earlier this season. After splitting time between Salem and Portland last year, Early has impressed in his five outings (just two starts as poor weather has played a factor) with the Sea Dogs. He has a 2.41 ERA with 30 strikeouts and nine walks in 18⅔ innings. 'The confidence this young man takes out with him to the mound, he knows he's good, and you know he's winning the race to strike one,' Portland manager Chad Epperson said. 'He feels very comfortable to get a quick (at-bat from opposing hitters), and I think he's done that early on, and as long as he continues to get ahead of hitters, he stands a pretty damn good chance to win that battle.' Jhostynxon Garcia The player coined 'The Password' — because his first name is hard to spell — has been a fail-safe for the Sea Dogs this spring. Advertisement Garcia, who played 30 games for Portland last year, is hitting .286 with 2 home runs, 15 RBIs and 18 walks to go along with 23 strikeouts in 28 games this season. Add that with added weight, range in the outfield and bat speed, while learning English, and the Venezuelan-born Garcia has gained plenty of fanfare. Portland Sea Dogs slugger Jhostynxon Garcia (second from right) celebrates a walk-off hit with teammates following a Double-A game at Hadlock Field on May 10, 2025. 'He's developed a lot the past year plus,' Abraham said. 'He's really just become a complete player. He's a good example to show what hard work and dedication and trust in the program does for you.' Boston signed Garcia for $350,000 in 2019, and although the COVID-19 pandemic delayed his debut with the organization, and he struggled in his first two seasons of pro ball, Garcia broke through last year. The right-handed hitter (and thrower from the outfield) slashed .286/.356/.536 with 23 home runs and 17 stolen bases in 107 games between Class A (Greenville, Salem) and Double A. Portland Sea Dogs player Jhostynxon Garcia gets doused with water from a cooler following his second straight game with a walk-off hit on May 11, 2025 at Hadlock Field. Now he's one of the best power bats in the farm system — ranked the Red Sox' fifth-best prospect by — that has earned a spot on Boston's 40-man roster. Advertisement 'All of the sudden you're looking at a five-tool player who can eventually make an impact in Boston in a few years for a long time,' Abraham said. Mikey Romero Facing a few curveballs on and off the field the past few years, Mikey Romero is currently finding his stride with the Sea Dogs. Selected No. 24 overall by the Red Sox in the 2022 MLB Draft, Romero dealt with back issues during his first two seasons of pro ball — and the loss of his father — before returning to full health in 2024 and working his way up to Double A. 'He's in such a good spot,' Epperson said. 'This is like the first spring training that I think he came into healthy. ... This is a really good player. He's a competitor that comes and wants to get better and wants to win ball games.' Shortstop Mikey Romero makes a throw during a Portland Sea Dogs game earlier this season. A shortstop by trade, Romero has added weight to his 6-foot, 175-pound frame while cutting down on his chase rate at the plate and adding second and third base to his fielding repertoire. Advertisement The 21-year-old left-handed hitter is slashing .280/.368/.898 with 5 homers, 14 RBIs and 21 runs in 100 at-bats for Portland. He's listed as Boston's No. 11 prospect, according to Portland Sea Dogs player Mikey Romero looks on from Hadlock Field during a game earlier this year. 'He's done a lot of growing up,' Abraham said. 'I think now being a healthy player, being someone who can physically come out and play day in and day out is his calling card, and it means a lot to him. 'It's not just being healthy, it's performing optimally. It's hitting the ball hard throughout the ballpark and being a good defender. He has a very clear understanding of what he needs to do to get better.' Often lost in the shadow of Boston's 'Big 3' in Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer and Kristian Campbell, Romero is starting to look like a player who can live up to his billing as a former first-round pick — and be part of the next wave of Sox prospects headed to Worcester. Advertisement 'He's a special player,' Epperson said. Portland Sea Dogs pitcher David Sandlin gets ready to throw a pitch during a Double-A game earlier this year. David Sandlin A pitcher with a penchant for watching anything 'Star Wars' related before he pitches; David Sandlin finally channeled his inner Obi-Wan Kenobi — after a self-described slow start to the season — in his latest outing for Portland last weekend. 'This guy brings electric stuff to the mound every single time, and you know he's going to continue to get better,' Epperson said. 'He knows what he's got to work on, and I know the competitor and the work that he has put in, and he's going to get right, and when he gets right, he's going to go on one hell of a role.' Advertisement The 24-year-old righty, acquired by Boston last year for pitcher John Schreiber in a trade with the Kansas City Royals, generated 20 swings and misses (which on Sunday led all Double A) in his latest start for the Sea Dogs. Portland Sea Dogs pitcher David Sandlin gets ready to throw a pitch during a Double-A game earlier this year. The 6-foot-4 righty reached 99 miles per hour on his fastball and struck out nine in five innings. Despite a 4.78 ERA over 26⅓ innings, Sandlin and Co. believe Boston's No. 8-ranked prospect is close to turning the corner. 'Adversity provides a chance to make some changes and challenge himself,' Abraham said. 'Velo has always been there. That's been something that's been a big key to his success over the years. Advertisement 'Something we need to continue to focus on with him is get him in the zone. When you have that kind of stuff, you want to challenge these hitters.' With these four prospects improving their craft in Double-A Portland, there is a good chance fans will get to see them play at some point in Triple-A Worcester later this season. —Contact Tommy Cassell at tcassell@ Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @tommycassell44. This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Red Sox prospects Jhostynxon Garcia, Connelly Early, Mikey Romero and David Sandlin
Boston Globe
14-03-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Red Sox ready to see pitching pipeline start to flow through farm system
The stuff evident from pitchers across the system this spring suggests that the team's pipeline is starting to fill. The electric arsenals of pitchers in early spring have looked unlike anything in the Red Sox system in years. Advertisement Among the eye-opening glimpses: ⋅ Connelly Early, a lefthander who said his fastball averaged '90 on the dot' as a junior at the University of Virginia in 2023 before the Red Sox took him in the fifth round, regularly touched 96-97 m.p.h. in live batting practice sessions with a far-reaching mix that he can use all over the strike zone. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up He has emerged as the pitching parallel to fellow 2023 draftee Kristian Campbell, 'He's the goal crusher,' said Sox director of pitching Justin Willard. 'Literally, every time you set a new benchmark for him, he's like, 'OK, cool, I got that one.' And then you move it again.' ⋅ 'It's different, funky, maybe unique,' said Tolle. ⋅ 'He's been incredible,' said Willard. Advertisement Juan Valera limited batters to a .125 average last year in 18 appearances in rookie ball and Single A Salem. Brent Butler/Salem Red Sox ⋅ While 'He can make the ball do anything he wants,' said former American League Rookie of the Year Michael Fulmer, who worked out with Sandlin in Fort Myers last year and over the offseason in Oklahoma. ⋅ Lefthander Brandon Clarke, a 2024 fifth-rounder, sat at 97-99 m.p.h. and touched 101 in live batting practice. 'He's fully bought in on, 'Hey, I need to throw it over the white thing in the air and really attack hitters with my elite stuff,' ' said Willard. That incomplete list of head-turning developments this spring highlights the efforts of the organization to shed its reputation as one that struggles to develop pitching. The presence of homegrown starters Tanner Houck, Brayan Bello, and Kutter Crawford in the rotation last year represented a starting point in that effort. But the goal for the Sox is to make that trio a starting point rather than an island, and the team feels it's made meaningful strides in turning pitching into a renewable resource in their organization. 'There are just a lot of dopamine hits for everybody [this spring], like, 'Yeah, let's go. This is exciting. Guys are getting better,' ' said Willard. 'The group has kind of really progressed forward. I would say the average player this year is exponentially better than the average player last year, and I thought the average player last year was pretty good. So it's really cool to see and be part of.' Advertisement The coalescing talent reflects some of the purposeful changes that occurred following the hiring of chief baseball officer Craig Breslow, formerly the Cubs' director of pitching, last offseason. The Sox were already in the middle of overhauling some of their offseason training for pitchers (the 2023-24 offseason was the first in which the team offered year-round instruction for dozens of prospects in Fort Myers). Two of Breslow's first hires – pitching coach Andrew Bailey and Willard – reflected the organization's effort to push its pitching program forward, with a general emphasis on adding big pitchers with big stuff. The team leaned into the notion of its ability to develop certain traits such as velocity through structured training, and based on that belief, loaded up on pitching in the draft. Related : The Sox took Tolle in the second round, making him their 'We were sitting in the locker room with the front office guys who'd just drafted us. We were talking and were like, 'Did we draft a basketball team or baseball team?' ' said Clarke. 'Pretty much all the pitchers we'd gotten were 6-foot-4 plus, a bunch of big guys with pretty good stuff and a lot of projectability.' That towering draft class will represent a fascinating first marker of the Sox' ability to develop pitchers in the coming years. Advertisement The Sox only sent two of the 14 pitchers out to affiliates to make their pro debuts last summer. They kept the other 12 drafted pitchers in Fort Myers through the remainder of the minor league season to get on a professional strength and conditioning program and to introduce them to educate them in the team's approach to training. 'We let them build a foundation for the offseason, which is even more important [than the first pro summer],' said farm director Brian Abraham. Most of the pitchers remained in Fort Myers for the vast majority of the offseason, getting stronger, following velocity training programs, and adding other goals such as refining pitch shapes or command. It will take time to discern the sort of impact the current group of Red Sox pitchers have on the big league team. For now, the most promising pitchers in the minors have not yet positioned themselves as the first line of big league depth. There is more promise than polish, explaining why most of the team's top pitching prospects will start the year in Double A or below, while the team's three top big league depth starters — Richard Fitts (trade), Quinn Priester (trade), and Cooper Criswell (free agent) — all arrived from outside the organization. Quinn Priester made one appearance for the Red Sox last season after being acquired in a trade with the Pirates. Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff But at the least, the Red Sox' backfields look completely different than they have in recent years, with high-octane stuff evident nearly everywhere — a fact that will likely be ratified frequently with a specific form of apparel. Last year, Willard estimates that he gave out five or six of the prized 'I throw fuego' T-shirts to members of the organization, and none to big leaguers. This year, the club expects to double or triple that distribution. Advertisement 'They'll be handing them out left and right like candy,' Abraham grinned. But the organization is believes that this year will yield more than a growing number of pitchers who reach triple digits. 'My hope is that it's going to be an organization that has been able to develop players versus just position players. I think we have a lot of young arms that are really exciting, that are starting to reach the upper levels,' said Abraham. 'I think there's some really interesting arms that, I think, have a chance to make an impact in the rotation and in the big leagues, more so than we've had the past.' Alex Speier can be reached at
