Red Sox Minor Lines: Praising Danny Mars

Pawtucket W 6-1

Rusney Castillo: 1-5, 1 2B, 1 R, 2 RBI

Ryan Court: 2-5, 2 2B, 1 R, 1 RBI

Blake Swihart: 1-4, 1 K

Hector Velazquez: 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K

Court has probably been the best hitter in Pawtucket this year, so I thought it might be worth highlighting him here. He isn’t a prospect by any stretch of the imagination and I’d be shocked if he has any sort of major-league career, but he’s hitting very well in Triple-A, getting his batting average up to .297 after this two-hit game. The infielder might get a call if the Red Sox suffer more injuries this season, but at the very least he’s a top contributor for the PawSox and that’s more than what most of us can say about our baseball careers. Meanwhile, a really nice day for Velazquez as he tries to fight for another chance at the big-league level.

Portland L 6-14

Danny Mars: 4-5, 1 R, 1 K

Rafael Devers: 2-5, 1 R, 1 RBI, 2 K

Josh Tobias: 0-4

Luis Ysla: 2 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 1 K

Jake Cosart: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

So, I’m all-in on Mars as someone who has a major-league future. He’s not going to be a star, but this guy just hits line drive after line drive and that is my favorite type of player. Combine that with solid speed on the bases that will allow him to leg out a few extra doubles and triples along with the ability to play all over the outfield and you’re looking at a solid bench piece on a good team. On the other end of the spectrum, one has to imagine Ysla is at or near the top of the list for players that could be removed from the 40-man roster. He just hasn’t been able to take the next step in 2017.

Salem W 9-8 (F/11)

Tate Matheny: 1-6, 1 2B, 1 R, 1 RBI, 3 K

Michael Chavis: 2-5, 1 3B, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 K, 1 E

Josh Ockimey: 1-5, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 3 K

Trenton Kemp: 2-4, 1 2B, 1 BB, 1 R

Austin Rei: 0-4, 1 BB

It hasn’t been the most encouraging of seasons for Rei, but there are at least reasons to look for silver linings. Mostly, that has been his ability to draw walks. After drawing one free pass on Thursday the catcher has a .322 OBP for the year, which doesn’t sound great until you pair it with his .227 AVG. If this kind of offense is paired with good defense, there’s a solid enough player here. Meanwhile, it was a solid day for the rest of the Salem lineup.

Greenville W 3-2

Lorenzo Cedrola: 1-4, 1 R

Tyler Hill: 2-3, 1 2B, 1 RBI

Another solid day for both Cedrola and Hill, both of whom I’ve already said most of what I can say about them at this point. Get well soon, Bobby Dalbec and C.J. Chatham.