Stock Up, Stock Down for Boston Red Sox's Top 10 Prospects for Week 3

With the 2015 Major League Baseball season nearing its second month, it's time to take an early look at how the Boston Red Sox's top prospects are faring down on the farm.  Here is a brief glimpse at what Boston's 10 highest-rated minor leaguers have done so far and whether it raises or lowers each player's "stock value."

The rankings listed below are those set forth by SoxProspects.com.

No. 10: Michael Kopech

The Red Sox chose Michael Kopech in the first round of the 2014 draft.  After three starts with the Single-A Greenville Drive, Kopech is 1-1 with a 1.98 ERA, a 0.59 WHIP and 11 strikeouts in 13.2 innings pitched.  In each of his past two outings, the 19-year-old threw five innings without allowing an earned run.

His back-to-back impressive showings earned Kopech South Atlantic League Pitcher of the Week honors for April 20-26.  In that time, Kopech surrendered just four hits and zero walks while striking out seven batters in 10 innings.

Stock: Up

No. 9: Michael Chavis

Another 2014 first-round pick playing for the Drive, Michael Chavis is struggling at the plate this season.  Through 14 games, the 19-year-old infielder is batting .214 with a .279 on-base percentage in 56 at-bats.  Chavis has, however, slugged three home runs and driven in nine.

As a high school senior in Marietta, Georgia, last year, Chavis hit .580 with 13 homers in 28 games.  

Via Mandrallius Robinson of Greenville Online, Chavis said the following about the difficulty of adjusting to the pros: "It was definitely something that hit me in the face, and I was a little unsure of how to handle it. … It's a game set up for failure. Understanding that is going to help me a lot during the season, because I've learned how to fail and how to handle those failures and how to move past them."

Chavis is hitting better of late—he recently went on a 7-for-20 stretch after seeing his average fall to .148.

Stock: Down

No. 8: Matt Barnes

After beginning the season in Triple-A Pawtucket, Matt Barnes was called up to Boston on April 25.  Barnes pitched two shutout innings of relief against the Baltimore Orioles that evening, yielding two hits and no walks with one strikeout.

The 24-year-old righty was immediately sent back down to Pawtucket the next day.  His demotion had nothing to do with his performance, but simply the fact that the Red Sox needed fresh bullpen arms to support a starting staff struggling to go deep into games.

In two Triple-A appearances, Barnes has allowed eight hits and five earned runs in eight innings.  However, his successful stint on the major league level is of much greater consequence.

Stock: Up 

No. 7: Brian Johnson

A first-round pick in the 2012 draft, Brian Johnson spent the majority of last season with Double-A Portland.  Over his first four starts in Triple-A, Johnson has been nothing short of spectacular this year.  The lefty is 3-1 with a 0.86 ERA, a 1.00 WHIP and 24 strikeouts in 21 innings pitched.  He's also holding opposing hitters to a .164 batting average.

Boston.com's Braden Campbell calls Johnson "the least-heralded, but possibly most major-league ready of Boston’s pitching prospects."  Campbell writes:

"

Already boasting a four-pitch mix after three years of college ball, Johnson was a near-finished product on draft day, and his minor league results have borne that out.

His pitches graded as average to above-average, capping his ceiling as a back-of-the-order guy, but Johnson has been making scouts and batters alike look silly since he entered the system. He’s allowed two or fewer runs in 24 of his last 25 starts split between High-A, Double-A and Triple-A, boasting a sterling 1.46 ERA in that span.

"

On April 21, Johnson hurled a seven-inning shutout against the Buffalo Bisons, allowing just two hits and one walk in the shortened first game of a doubleheader.  

Stock: Up

No. 6: Eduardo Rodriguez

Like Johnson, Eduardo Rodriguez is off to an outstanding start for Pawtucket in 2015.  The 22-year-old has given up only four earned runs, boasting a 1.93 ERA and a 0.70 WHIP to go with a 2-0 record.  From The Boston Globe's Alex Speier, Pawtucket catcher Humberto Quintero recently pronounced Rodriguez nearly ready for the majors:

"

He attacks with fastballs. Against righties, he’ll throw sinkers and four-seamers in. He’s working with everything. He’s throwing everything for strikes. That’s why he’s having success. … He’s really good. He’s going to do well. I think he’s close [to big league-ready].

"

Rodriguez is showing exceptional control with the PawSox to this point—over 18.2 innings, the Venezuelan left-hander has walked just one batter. 

Stock: Up

No. 5: Rafael Devers

The Red Sox signed Rafael Devers out of the Dominican Republic in 2013.  In 16 games with Greenville, the 18-year-old is hitting .295 with a .323 OBP and a .344 slugging percentage.

During a 3-2 loss to the Kannapolis Intimidators this week, Devers' youth and inexperience took center stage.  Writes Speier:

"

Devers went 1 for 4 with a double. In a reminder of the nature of player development, he got thrown out trying to stretch the double into a triple with no outs, the second time this season he’s been gunned down in an inadvisable effort to seek three bases. Such moments underscore the fact that Devers, at 18, remains very young, very moldable clay whose progress will be measured by more than his proximity to what is viewed as one of the highest ceilings as a hitter in the Sox system.

"

Known for his power, the third baseman has no home runs and just six RBI in 61 at-bats.

Stock: Down

No. 4: Manuel Margot

Another product of the Dominican Republic, Boston landed Manuel Margot in the summer of 2011.  The 20-year-old is currently patrolling center field and batting leadoff for the High-A Salem Red Sox of the Carolina League.

After 17 games, Margot is hitting .323 with a .361 OBP and a .523 slugging percentage.  He's also stolen eight bases in 10 attempts.  Most impressive of all is the fact that Margot owns just a single strikeout in 65 at-bats.  The lone punch-out came in his 70th plate appearance of the season on Wednesday.

As Baseball America's Josh Norris notes, going back to last year, Margot went 87 consecutive plate appearances without striking out.  He was also the last professional baseball player this season to record a strikeout.

Stock: Up

No. 3: Henry Owens

Henry Owens has been considered the Red Sox's top pitching prospect for some time now.  Through four starts with Pawtucket in 2015, Owens is 1-1 with a 4.29 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP.  The 22-year-old has 19 strikeouts in 21 innings but also 17 walks.

Via Christopher Smith of Mass Live, PawSox pitching coach Bob Kipper offered an explanation for Owens' high walk rate, citing his lanky 6'7" height and size 17 shoes:

"

I think there's a greater margin of error. (With) delivery we're talking about working parts working together: rhythm and timing. And I'm not saying it's easy for anybody but I think it's a little more difficult for a guy who's taller, has the longer legs and longer arms to get all that stuff working together. 

Henry Owens went through a similar circumstance last year and through tireless work and on a daily basis you ultimately put yourself in a better position.

"

Despite Owens' lack of control, opponents are hitting only .178 against him.

Stock: Down

No. 2: Yoan Moncada

Boston inked a deal last month with 19-year-old Cuban Yoan Moncada that included a record-setting $31.5 million signing bonus.  SoxProspects.com calls the switch-hitting second baseman a "very exciting player" with "true five-tool potential" who likely would've been the No. 1 pick in this year's draft had he been available.

Moncada has yet to make his minor league debut, although he did hit a triple in his first at-bat during extended spring training.

Stock: Even

No. 1: Blake Swihart

Blake Swihart is proving why he's generally regarded as the top catching prospect in all of baseball. Through 17 Triple-A games this year, Swihart is batting .333 with a .371 OBP.  Speier points out that although the switch-hitter is a natural righty, Swihart is actually having more success from the other side of the plate, hitting .368 left-handed.  The 23-year-old has also reached base 12 times in his last six games.

In addition, Swihart has cut down three of 10 runners attempting to steal, a solid 30 percent clip.

If there's a knock on Swihart in the early going, it's a distinct lack of power.  Of his 25 hits, 22 of them were singles, and he does not yet have a triple or a home run. 

Stock: Up

Mark Vandeusen is a Featured Columnist covering the Boston Red Sox for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @LucidSportsFan. Unless otherwise noted, all statistics via MiLB.com.