Three Red Sox prospects named to Fall Stars team

The Arizona Fall League has been going for just about a month now, with the seven Red Sox prospects who are participating all playing reasonably well. It can be difficult to judge these performances from afar given the difference of experience and talent throughout the league, and it’s probably better to rely on scouting reports from those who are seeing the game rather than the pure numbers. That said, I have the numbers for you in this handy dandy tracker you can check in on every day.

Of the seven prospects the Red Sox have on the Peoria Javelinas roster, three are positions players and four are pitchers. On Tuesday, the league announced their Fall Stars (the league’s version of the All-Star Game, in case you couldn’t tell) and all three of the position players made the roster. We’ll take a quick look at all three.

Jarren Duran

Duran saw a whole lot of helium in the Red Sox farm system this year, particularly in the first half of the season. He absolutely wrecked High-A pitching before struggling a bit in Portland, though he did look much better after an extended adjustment period at Double-A. The outfielder should be up in Triple-A next season, possibly to start the year, and has a shot at being a late-season contributor at the highest level if all goes well. In the AFL, he has split time between center field and left field and has hit .262/.340/.381 in 47 plate appearances.

C.J. Chatham

Chatham isn’t quite as well-regarded as Duran, but he is still a near-consensus top ten prospect in the system. The ceiling isn’t all that high due to limited power that hinders his potential at the plate, but he is a smooth fielder who could certainly play shortstop every day and has taken to second base as well in preparation for a possible utility role. Throw in a solid hit tool and you have a possible second division starter or, more likely in my mind, a good bench piece for a contending team. In 44 plate appearances at the AFL, Chatham has hit .300/.364/.400.

Marcus Wilson

Wilson was the return in the deal that sent Blake Swihart to Arizona last spring, and thus far it has looked like a very good pick up for Boston. The outfielder struggled mightily when he first arrived in the organization and was placed in Portland. He was subsequently demoted to Salem and that really turned things around. Wilson killed it in High-A then kept it up when he was given another chance in Portland. He is likely a fourth outfielder, but could be ready to serve as a depth piece as soon as 2020. Wilson has come to the plate just 23 times in the AFL (he hasn’t played since September 28, but I’m not entirely sure why) and is hitting .318/.423/.500.

The Arizona Fall League All-Star Game will be played on October 12 at 5:00 PM ET. It will be streamed on MLB.com and Topps.com.