On Deck Podcast: Minor League Season Preview

Welcome back to the second season of the Red Sox On Deck Podcast, a monthly review of the notable stories at each level in the minor league system. On this episode, Bob Osgood is joined by Jake Devereaux and Matt Collins.

(Important note, this podcast was recorded on Thursday night, April 21. It is being released a few days later.)

We opened the show discussing the undisputed top three in the system on just about all prospect lists: first baseman Triston Casas, shortstop Marcelo Mayer, and second baseman Nick Yorke.

At Triple-A Worcester, we broke down several players, including outfielder Jarren Duran’s trek back to Boston, starting pitcher Josh Winckowski’s odds of debuting in 2022, shortstop Ryan Fitzgerald’s new approach, second baseman Jeter Downs’ continued struggles, and relief pitcher Durbin Feltman.

At Double-A Portland, the pitching staff reigns supreme. We discussed Brandon Walter, Brayan Bello, Jay Groome, and Chris Murphy from this staff, as well as reliever Frank German and recently acquired David Hamilton.

At High-A Greenville, shortstop Matthew Lugo is off to a blazing start. Outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela is as well, and we discuss how he projects compared to fellow outfielder Gilberto Jimenez. Starting pitcher Chih-Jung Liu has thrown well in the early going as well.

Finally, at Low-A Salem, we reviewed corner infielder Blaze Jordan, starting pitcher Wilkelman Gonzalez who has carried over his exciting stuff to full-season ball, and an extended spring training outfielder Miguel Bleis who is shooting up the Sox list.

If you enjoy the podcast, please leave us a five-star review on whichever podcast platform you listen on. On Twitter, you can follow Bob at @BobOsgood15, Matt at @OverTheMonster and Jake @DevJake.