Boston Red Sox: Full Scouting Report on Each September Call-Up
The MLB season is winding to a close, but the Boston Red Sox still have an opportunity to evaluate many of their intriguing young players thanks to September call-ups.
With Portland and Pawtucket both playing deep into their respective league’s playoffs, the Red Sox have been somewhat conservative with who they’ve summoned to the majors at this point. Players like Rusney Castillo and Garin Cecchini remain in the minors for now, though they do figure to see MLB playing time before the season is over.
Yet even with that caveat, the Red Sox have called up no shortage of interesting players—mostly pitchers—since rosters expanded on September 1. With that in mind, we’ll take a look at the seven players Boston has promoted, detail their triumphs and failures in 2014 and provide a glimpse into what lies ahead.
Matt Barnes, RHP
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Halfway through the 2014 season, it looked quite unlikely that Barnes would be worthy of a September call-up. In fact, it looked like he may be headed toward a transition from the rotation to the bullpen after struggling mightily in Pawtucket.
On July 12, Barnes had a 5.06 ERA in 74.2 innings of work in Triple-A, allowing an opposing hitters to put up a line of .297/.366/.422 against him and giving up six homers in that span. But after making an adjustment following a rough outing against the Toledo Mud Hens, a light seemed to go on for Barnes, who sustained a 2.38 ERA with a .197/.232/.237 line against him from July 22 onward.
That improvement led to the Red Sox giving Barnes the call at a time in which they could use any good news from their stockpile of young pitching.
Despite the struggles of Allen Webster, Brandon Workman and Anthony Ranaudo in the rotation, Barnes is going to be used primarily as a two-inning reliever in Boston this September, as The Providence Journal’s Tim Britton wrote earlier this week. But if Barnes can continue to impress, as he did in his big league debut where he held the Orioles scoreless for three innings, he can position himself well for next season.
Jackie Bradley Jr., CF
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Bradley Jr.’s struggles this year are well documented. The 24-year-old was hitting just .216/.288/.290 in 387 plate appearances in the majors this season before a demotion to Triple-A in mid-August. Bradley proved to be largely devoid of power, looked utterly helpless against left-handed pitching and, aside from a two-week stretch in early July, never really had any sustained success.
Bradley’s demotion didn’t serve as cause for much optimism. In 69 plate appearances in Pawtucket, Bradley hit just .212/.246/.273 with one homer and no steals. And in early September, Over The Monster’s Joon Lee and Marc Normandin reported that Bradley Jr.’s “stubbornness” was a big part of the reason the team ultimately decided to give Mookie Betts a trial run in center field.
The Red Sox summoned Bradley back to the majors on September 5; he’s gone hitless in eight plate appearances since and is finding playing time difficult to come by. That’s something Bradley might need to get used to, as he’s played his way out of a starting spot in the Red Sox’s outfield with his performance this year.
It makes little sense to trade Bradley at the nadir of his value, but neither can he be trusted with a prominent role on the 2015 team. Instead, expect “JBJ” to start next year back in Pawtucket, where the Red Sox hope he will hit his way back into relevancy.
Drake Britton, LHP
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When the season began, Britton figured to see significant time in the majors at some point in 2014 thanks to his solid performance in the MLB bullpen in 2013. But the 25-year-old left-hander suffered through a fairly disastrous campaign in Triple-A, posting a 5.86 ERA in 58.1 innings and burying himself on the depth chart in the process.
Fortunately for Britton, Boston’s litany of trades has left it with ample playing time to dole out, and so he received the call on September 5. And in a season in which the Red Sox have nothing left to lose, Britton figures to get a chance to rectify his mistakes in Pawtucket with another solid showing in Boston.
There’s no single factor we can pinpoint to determine why Britton struggled in Triple-A: he was just all-around lousy. He walked 13.7 percent of all batters he faced while striking out just 13.3 percent—significantly worse than his career average in both regards—and gave up eight homers to boot.
On the bright side, Britton performed significantly better against left-handed hitters (.263/.359/.425) than right-handers (.339/.427/.518). Obviously neither line is likely to inspire much confidence, but the disparity helps to emphasize that Britton could at least still have a future as a lefty specialist in the bullpen.
With somewhat of a 40-man roster crunch facing Boston this off-season, Britton will likely need to perform well to guarantee himself a spot in the organization for 2015 and beyond.
Dan Butler, C
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As a 27-year-old catcher with pedestrian minor league numbers, Butler is more of an organizational depth piece than he is a prospect. But Butler finds himself on the roster as Boston’s third catcher nonetheless, and while he doesn’t figure to see much playing time, reaching the majors is a testament to Butler’s patience and hard work.
As The Providence Journal’s Tim Britton wrote in August when Butler was first called up, Butler is a very well-liked player within the organization. While he’s not a significant part of Boston’s future, stories like Butler’s are part of what makes September baseball so fun to watch.
With Christian Vazquez starting, David Ross on the roster and Blake Swihart poised to reach the majors at some point in 2015, there’s little chance Butler will see playing time unless something goes terribly wrong. We can still be happy for Butler, however, and root for him to remain in the organization in 2015.
Anthony Ranaudo, RHP
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Ranaudo’s first stint in the majors hasn’t gone quite according to plan. The 25-year-old has allowed 16 earned runs and eight homers in just 26.2 innings through five starts, leaving pitches up in the zone and getting hammered as a result.
Still, Ranaudo’s bumpy introduction to the majors shouldn’t completely change what he accomplished in Pawtucket this season. Ranaudo put up a 2.61 ERA in 138 innings in Triple-A, striking out 19.5 percent of batters faced while walking under 10 percent of his foes. He was utterly dominant in June and July, and did much to elevate his prospect status.
Now, Ranaudo finds himself immersed in the battle for Boston’s No. 4 and 5 spots in the rotation, fighting Allen Webster, Brandon Workman and, to a lesser extent, Rubby De La Rosa for playing time. But with Henry Owens, Brian Johnson and Matt Barnes all potentially factoring in to the playing-time equation in 2015, Ranaudo’s window to make a good impression is fairly small.
Contingent on Boston’s offseason moves, expect Ranaudo to start 2015 back in Triple-A and serve as the first pitcher up should the Red Sox need additional starters.
Brandon Workman, RHP
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2014 has not been kind to Workman. The 26-year-old has allowed a 5.27 ERA in 82 MLB innings, walking too many batters, giving up lots of hard contact and surrendering 10 home runs. Even in his 61.1 Triple-A innings this year, Workman was less than stellar, allowing a 4.11 ERA after pitching much better a season ago.
Workman’s last three major league starts have been especially rough, as he’s given up 15 earned runs in 12.1 innings. The Sox are in a position to give a long leash to Workman, but he’s stretching the boundaries of what’s acceptable from a big league starter, even one in a sort of trial run.
Workman started the year ahead of Allen Webster, Rubby De La Rosa and Anthony Ranaudo on the depth chart, but those three fellow right-handers have either matched or surpassed him as the season has progressed. Now, Workman looks like one of many candidates for a full-time move to the bullpen, where he’s impressed in previous stints.
Steven Wright, RHP
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Just as there must always be a Stark in Winterfell, it would seem there must always be a knuckleballer in the Red Sox's system. Wright currently occupies that role, and while his ceiling as a player is quite modest, he still has a chance to carve out a major league career.
Wright pitched to a 3.41 ERA in 95 innings in Pawtucket this season, striking out 68 batters and issuing 22 walks in that span. All of his appearances came as a starter, but he’s more likely to be used as a long reliever in the majors, such as he was on Sunday, September 7, when he threw five scoreless innings of relief.
With the likes of Barnes, Ranaudo, Webster, Workman and De La Rosa ahead of him and Henry Owens and Brian Johnson bringing up the rear, there’s no room for the 30-year-old Wright to factor in as a starter with the Red Sox. But he’s certainly earned his spot on the 40-man roster, and the Sox should retain him as a depth starter in Triple-A or as a swingman in the bullpen next season.
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