Somebody forgot to tell Anthony Rizzo, Yamaico Navarro and Jose Iglesias that the Red Sox’ farm system is supposed to be down.
Rizzo, the Boston Red Sox’ eighth-ranked prospect (according to Baseball America), was named Eastern League Player of the Week on Monday. Rizzo began the week as a 20-year-old with a 4-for-5 night and four RBIs against the Bowie BaySox on Aug. 3. He finished the week with a 4-for-5 afternoon, four RBIs and an estimated 480-foot home run on his 21st birthday, Aug. 8.
In six games last week (Aug. 2-8), the Portland Sea Dogs’ first baseman hit .444 (12-for-27) with four doubles, three home runs, 12 RBIs, seven runs scored and a .926 slugging percentage.
Rizzo is a 6-foot-3, 220-pounder from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and possesses a great deal of pop in his bat. He joined the Sea Dogs from Single-A Salem on May 10, shortly after Lars Anderson was promoted to Triple-A Pawtucket, and during batting practice that day, Rizzo hit a ball off the video board in right-center field. Many have connected with that video board, but Rizzo had enough power to bring down an electric panel with the ball.
With the Sea Dogs, Rizzo is batting .272 (87-for-320) with 14 home runs and 56 RBIs. Between Salem and Portland, he leads all Red Sox minor leaguers with 19 home runs, and his 76 RBIs rank third.
Don’t worry about the youngster feeling the grind of the long season between Single- and Double-A. Rizzo is batting .327 since the Eastern League All-Star break.
Rizzo’s teammate, Navarro, was called up from Portland to Pawtucket on Aug. 2 and has settled in nicely in his first week with the PawSox.
Hitless in his first two games, Navarro now has a five-game hitting streak to bring his seven-game average to .304 (7-for-23). The shortstop connected with his first Triple-A home run on Sunday against the Scranton Wilkes-Barre Yankees.
Navarro, a native of San Pedro de Macrois, Dominican Republic, began the season as the everyday third baseman for the Sea Dogs. However, he moved back to his original shortstop position after Jose Iglesias went down with a thumb injury.
Iglesias, the organization’s ninth-ranked prospect (according to Baseball America), was hit by a pitch on May 29 from Mike McCardell of the New Britain Rock Cats. In 40 games with the Sea Dogs before the injury, Iglesias hit .306 with 19 runs scored.
The 20-year-old Iglesias was cleared to play on July 31 and sent down to the short-season Lowell Spinners for a rehab assignment.
So far, so good for Iglesias, who has played DH and recorded one hit in each of his seven games with the Spinners for a .368 average (7-for-19).
Ranked the "Best Defensive Infielder" by Baseball America, Iglesias spent most batting practice sessions taking ground balls and practicing glove work during his two-month stint on the disabled list.
