Bryce Brentz Promoted To Triple-A Pawtucket

Have you had enough Bryce Brentz today? He was named to the Arizona Fall League to get more playing time, was part of the most recent Double-A Portland update, and now, to top it off, has been promoted to Triple-A Pawtucket. The 23-year-old Brentz is all of a sudden on the fast track to the majors, as he's one step away from the bigs after hitting .296/.355/.478 for the Sea Dogs.

Brentz has his ruts, but his high points are better than arguably every other prospect in the system. He's not the top farmhand in the Red Sox organization, but when he hits .393/.432/.618 for a month, it's hard to ignore what kind of ceiling he has. He'll be tested at the upper levels, but he needs that, just like Josh Reddick and Will Middlebrooks before him. Neither of those two had excellent plate discipline -- though they were more patient than their walk rates suggested -- and Brentz needs more advanced pitchers to focus his approach at the plate. Failure is good for a prospect. Ask Middlebrooks and Reddick about that.

Brentz gets to extend his season, as the PawSox have the lone wild card in the International League, before heading off to the AFL. It's looking like Boston wants to get him the most at-bats possible, making him the next big prospect in line to come to the Red Sox.