Red Sox Prospect Roundup: Kyle Teel, Pitching Drive Progress In May

The Boston Red Sox start the first week of June at .500 while battling several injuries. Around the organization, the enhanced production of several key prospects should be a breath of fresh air.

Some prospects built on a hot start in April. Others truly flipped a switch to make an impact in May.

As the calendar flips to June, these storylines stood out across the Red Sox farm system in May.

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Big Three Report: Kyle Teel Finds His Swing
Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer and Kyle Teel remain as the center of attention in the Red Sox system.

In May, no one turned up the heat up like Teel.

The 2023 first-round pick hit just .208 in April with Double-A Portland. Teel certainly turned it around in May, jumping up to a .357 clip while posting a 1.003 OPS for the month. Teel didn’t just light up the box score. He produced time after time with the game on the line.

In Portland’s last series against the Altoona Curve (Pittsburgh Pirates Double-A affiliate), Teel turned the game upside down on back-to-back days, hitting a game-tying three-run homer and a go-ahead grand slam in consecutive games. That performance led the Red Sox prospect to win Eastern League Player of the Week to close out the month.

The Red Sox catching prospect starts his first series in June hitting .307 with a .908 OPS in 2024, doing everything he can to earn a Triple-A promotion in the coming weeks.

Mayer just keeps hitting for extra bases, leading the Eastern League with 19 doubles through the season’s first two months. Boston’s top prospect starts June hitting .295 with a .838 OPS, taking steps forward at shortstop and leading by example.

Anthony did not play during the final series of the month against Altoona. His numbers may not stand out for the season as a whole (.243 AVG, .757 OPS), but Anthony did make adjustments for a better month in May. His walks went up and his strikeouts went down from April. The one area to watch particularly for the left-handed-hitting Anthony is his reverse splits, having far greater success against left-handed pitching (.313 AVG) than right-handers (.224 AVG).

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Pitching Prowess
Boston’s organizational pitching helped add another boost to Andrew Bailey’s status in redirecting the Red Sox’s future on the mound from the top through the minor leagues.

Richard Fitts, the main pitching prospect acquired in the Alex Verdugo trade, took a step forward and flirted with a perfect game in a recent start for Triple-A Worcester. Fitts improved to 4-1 with a 3.72 ERA through the first two months of the season. The right-hander should make sense eventually should the Red Sox need starting depth in Boston.

Additionally, another pair of pitching prospects tossed their way to well-earned promotions within the Red Sox system.

Promising Promotions
— Zach Penrod
Penrod features one of the more uplifting stories in the Red Sox system. A year ago, he took the mound in independent ball in the Pioneer League, pitching for his next affiliated opportunity.

The Red Sox signed the southpaw last August and he’s rewarded them thus far in 2024. Penrod went 4-0 with a 2.80 ERA, striking out 53 hitters in 35 1/3 innings for Portland before getting the call to Triple-A Worcester.

Penrod impressed for the WooSox in his first start, tossing four scoreless innings with five punch-outs. Penrod’s stuff remains impressive and he continues to eat up lefties with a deep arsenal.

— Luis Perales
Arguably Boston’s most talented arm in the system took his next step in May. Perales made the jump from High-A Greenville to Portland. Like Penrod for Worcester, the right-hander performed well in his debut at the next level.

Perales looked sharp through five innings, allowing just an unearned run on two hits with a walk and seven strikeouts. The Sea Dogs had plenty of talent in the lineup. Now, there’s a headlining starter on the mound to watch at Hadlock Field.

— Jhostynxon Garcia
The outfielder, along with his brother Johanfran, made noise with Low-A Salem in April.

That production continued for the Red Sox outfield prospect as he joined High-A Greenville for the final series of May. Garcia made an immediate impact, going 5-for-16 with a homer to kick off his High-A tenure. His name should draw more attention in development as the season continues.

— Matthew Lugo
Lugo may just be the biggest surprise within the Red Sox system so far in 2024. The 2019 second-rounder burst out this season with 11 home runs in 43 games for Portland, hitting .315 with a 1.067 OPS for the Sea Dogs. His defense improved as he gained comfort in the outfield and now takes his talent to Worcester.

— Kristian Campbell
Boston’s fourth-rounder in 2023 is rising up with Teel to spark continued excitement in the class.

Campbell shined for Greenville to start the year, hitting .306 with eight homers and a .976 OPS. Headlined by a four-hit game in early May, the versatile Red Sox prospect joins more talent in Portland.

Campbell could likely fill in where Lugo produced with Portland, having the ability to play the infield and outfield with a busy group of position players for the Sea Dogs.