Minor Lines, 8/24: Big Days From Some Big Names

Worcester, W, 4-3

The “let’s just put Bobby Dalbec anywhere” experiment continues apace, as the slugger once again found himself starting in right field. He seemed to take to it, too, with three walks and a stolen base. Believe it or not, that was Dalbec’s sixteenth stolen base of the season so far. In light of the fact that he has all of six stolen bases at the big league level for his entire career, let this serve as a reminder that minor league stolen base numbers can rarely be trusted.

Meanwhile, Ceddanne Rafaela has fallen into something of a rut, as he’s gone 5-24 with no extra base hits over the last week, and his batting average has fallen 20 points in August. That happens, of course, but hopefully he can pull himself out of it before September call-ups. It would be a real shame if he makes his MLB debut in the middle of an extended slump.

Regardless, his glove aint slumping:

Portland, W, 6-4

Not a bad little AA debut for Angel Bastardo. Lord knows there isn’t much pitching promise in the upper minors right now; maybe he can make some strides as a late-bloomer.

Greenville, W 5-2

There is just no stopping Kyle Teel right now. The home run power hasn’t showed up yet, but he and Roman Anthony both had doubles on the day. It seems like a near-lock that both players will begin 2024 in AA Portland; is it possible that one of them (Teel being the far more likely candidate) beats Marcelo Mayer to the majors?

Salem, W 2-1

A lot of exciting things going on in this one. First, another great start for Yordanny Monegro, showing off his swing-and-miss stuff. And Nazzan Zanetello and Anthony Anderson — the second and third Red Sox picks in this year’s draft, respectively — both made their Low-A debuts. Zanetello didn’t take long to show off his athleticism: