Season Ending Reports: Portland Sea Dogs

Cuzittt

Bouncing with Anger
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Nov 20, 2001
20,301
Sinister Funkhouse #17
Final Record: 63-76
Final Position: Last Place (Eastern Division - 15.5 Games Back of Trenton)

As we move up the ladder in out season ending reports, we eventually his a point where the hopes and dreams of the next great prospect hit the reality of the cruel world of baseball. While, for any individual, the end may appear much earlier, I always hit an inflection point when we get to AA. Below this level, I feel as if every player could make it if they mature, if they continue to improve, if they stop getting injured. For me, Single A and Rookie Ball is really a Dream Theater where we just kind of ignore the bad signs and lean on the hopeful. AA? It can become a Nightmare Cinema.

However, AA is also the last step of the ladder which can be considered primarily a development stop... with AAA being utilized more as a large extension of the major league roster. So, let's keep our dreams alive as we look north to Portland and find some prospects whose dreams have not been crushed to dust.

Team Offense:

The first thing we have looked at throughout our series is how old the team is relative to the league, and the Portland offense slides in as slightly older than the median at 24.5 years of age (24.2 average). At least they were in the upper half of the league in total offense (.718 OPS ranked in a tie for fourth) as opposed to the Richmond Flying Squirrels who were the oldest offense in the league and the worst (via OPS).

The team as a whole put up a triple slash of .254/.329/.389 which were all between fifth and seventh in the league. They produced 647 runs (5th) on 1174 hits (4th), 466 walks (8th), and 66 HBPs (5th). The team his 224 doubles (t-7), 25 triples (9th), and 116 homers (5th). Their 85 stolen bases were in the middle of the pack while their 90 GiDPs were in the bottom quartile.

Team Pitching:

The pitching staff was on the younger side of the ledger, falling in as the third youngest staff in the league at 23.9 years (24.4 League average). However, they fell down the charts when looking at performance, being second worst to Bowie with a 4.52 ERA and last in the league in WHIP at 1.407. Their defense as a whole did not help, as they also rated last in R/9 at 5.17. Portland gave up the third most hits (1209) as well as the third most home runs (137). They were fifth in walks allowed (474), third in HBPs (66), and uncorked the fifth most wild pitches (81). They were midpack in the league with 1068.

But, as is always the case, the team numbers are only relevant in this grand overview... it is the individual prospects that make a difference in the long haul. So, let's get to it.
 

Cuzittt

Bouncing with Anger
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Nov 20, 2001
20,301
Sinister Funkhouse #17
Offensive Players:

I usually tend to go down the list of players in highly specific fashion... but given the nature of AA I'm going to jump some players to the top of the line and then circle back.

Josh Ockimey: 22-year-old first base prospect continues to steadily claw up the system with continued small improvements as he goes. In 90 games with the Sea Dogs, Ockimey compiled a line of .254/.370/.473 with 19 doubles, 15 homers, and 59 walks. By OPS, it was his best single season performance at any level in large part due to his steady increase in power. Was promoted to AAA for the final month where he compiled a .215/.305/.398 line with five more homers. It was his first time in his five season career that he hit the 20 homer mark.

Michael Chavis: After an 80-game suspension for a PED and a five game rehab assignment in Lowell (five hits, all for extra-bases), Chavis continued his apprenticeship in Portland. And, he didn't miss a beat; hitting .303/.388/.508 with seven doubles, six homers, and 13 walks in 33 games. Got a brief tour of Pawtucket to end the season, hitting four singles, three doubles, and two bombs in eight games. Added first base to his defensive resume as well. Almost certainly the undisputed #1 prospect for the Red Sox heading into the offseason.

Esteban Quiroz: "Somewhere, like a scene from a memory, there's a picture of a thousand words..." Oh, sorry. Lost myself for a second. Somewhere, in an alternate universe, the Red Sox never need to trade for Ian Kinsler or sign Brandon Phillips because Esteban Quiroz came up from the minors and took over the job. Alas, in this universe, Quiroz started out in his first season in America like gangbusters (.302/.413/.604 with four doubles and four homers in 15 games), and then got hurt. In 17 games between the GCL and Portland in August and September, batted .264/.400/.491 with a double, a triple, and three more homers. Committed only one error at second base in his 23 outings.

Danny Mars: Led the team with 125 games played, but was unable to duplicate the offense he brought in 2017... with all components of his slash going down (.255/.333/.343 with 21 doubles, 3 triples, and three homers). Did see an increase in walks (45 from 33) and a rise in stolen bases (19 of 24). Played a nearly flawless outfield (mostly right with a bit of left) with one error in 253 chances while knocking out eight runners on the base path.

Jeremy Rivera: Primary shortstop for the Sea Dogs, played 120 games with a .262/.304/.328 with 16 doubles and five bombs. Arguably his best offensive season to date with his best BA and OBP of his career.

Tate Matheny: Primary centerfielder for Portland, Tate provided his worst full season offensive numbers with a .254/.326/.342 with 19 doubles, five triples, and two homers (his worst homer season since his debut in Lowell in 2015). Matheny also had his worst season on the basepaths (only 12 steals in 22 attempts after going 21-for-28 in 2017), grounded into 11 double plays, and committed five errors in the field.

Luke Tendler: 26-year-old former Texas Rangers prospect put up a steady season with a .273/.335/.441 line with 18 doubles and 15 dingers. Corner outfielder (mostly left) committed two errors (and had three assists) in 70 games in the field. Useful filler.

Chad De La Guerra: Utility infielder was good in his 80 games in Portland, batting .266/.343/.462 with 13 doubles and a career high 15 homers. Started the year in Pawtucket which was a humbling experience, batting .137/.158/.205 in 22 games. If his new-found power stroke is real, could be an interesting MLB bench warmer.

Jantzen Witte: An organizational mainstay, Witte spent most of his time this season in Maine after two seasons in Rhode Island. Witte hit .277/.356/.457 with 18 doubles and 10 homers over 75 games in Portland. Also played in 29 games for Pawtucket (over three stints) with a decent line of .252/.313/.408 with six doubles, two homers and two triples. Probably doesn't have any real path to relevance in the Red Sox organization due to both age (28) and prospects in front of him (Ockimey, Chavis, Devers, Dalbec).

Austin Rei: Best offensive season for the catcher in his fourth season, with a .249/.355/.392 line. Hit 13 doubles, two triples, and seven homers in his first AA season. Caught 29 % of baserunners attempting to steal... also committed 11 errors and 10 passed balls.

Jhon Nunez: Played second fiddle to Rei behind the plate, seeing 70 games of action (55 behind the dish) with a .241/.315/.323 line with 12 extra-base hits. Also played in 13 games for Salem with a .693 OPS.

Jordan Betts: Started and ended the season in Portland... but played in Pawtucket for all of May (and a bit of April and June). Was objectively better in 36 games in AAA (.264/.328/.413) then in AA (58 games – .223/.281/.365). Hit 15 doubles and 11 homers over 94 games. Has the same issues as Witte being a 1B/3B in an organization with a bunch of 1B/3B prospects. Also pitched in two games... because sometimes that needs to happen.

Nick Lovullo: Had a great 27 game stretch in Greenville in 2017. Was objectively worth very little this season in 76 games between Portland (58) and Salem (18) with a combined line of .203/.284/.270 with 11 extra-base hits... although, with Quiroz on the shelf, someone needed to play second.

Johnny Bladel: Independent League veteran played in 49 games for Portland after signing midseason. A second season for Bladel seems dicey after batting only .170/.293/.213 with six doubles in 49 games. Has a great name, so he has that going for him.

Deiner Lopez: 24-year-old utility guy shot around the minor leagues like a pinball, seeing 60 games in Portland, Salem, and Pawtucket. Batted a combined .236/.279/.385 with 21 of his 49 hits going for extra-bases. Played every position except CF, Catcher, and Pitcher.

Josh Tobias: Started season in Portland, putting up a line of .228/.265/.285 over 34 games before going on the DL. His return came with rehab in the GCL in July and then he finished the season in Salem, batting .308/.368/.462 with four doubles and four dingers. Played almost exclusively at 3B this season after being utilized at 2B most of his career.
 

Cuzittt

Bouncing with Anger
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Nov 20, 2001
20,301
Sinister Funkhouse #17
Pitching (Starters)

Teddy Stankiewicz: Stank started the season with two poor starts (13 runs in 8 1/3 innings). Placed into the pen as a long reliever, objectively pitched better over six games (3.24 ERA over 33 1/3 innings). Returned back to the starting rotation in late May... had some fantastic starts (7/19 8 IP, 3 H, 5 K, 0 R - in the middle of a run of six straight starts of at least seven innings) and some horrible starts (6/8 for Pawtucket - 2 IP, 6 R, 7 H). Went less than five full innings in only three appearances all season... so he ate innings. Led team with 148 1/3 innings; compiling an 8-13 record with a 4.67 ERA and a 1.315 WHIP. Extremely gopher ball prone (24 for the season). He's flashed talent... but damned if I know how he is best utilized.

Matt Kent: If I were to say I had a minor league binky (and I am not saying that I do... as I love everyone equally as any good prospect hound should), it would be Matt Kent. The left-handed pitcher put up a total line this season of 11-8 with a 3.69 ERA and a 1.251 WHIP with 129 strikeouts and 36 walks in 148 2/3 innings (28 appearances/24 starts including one in Pawtucket). That being said... the numbers don't necessarily showcase how good Kent can be at his best. In his first six appearances (two spot starts/four relief stints), he put up an ERA of 1.29 with a OPS against of .494. Could he, should he be in the bullpen? Once put into the rotation in earnest, he went less than five full innings ONCE in 22 starts. In 10 of those 22 starts, he allowed two or fewer runs 10 times (including five where he allowed none at all). His overall numbers suffer since he was kept out on the mound to take the hit a few times... a four inning, 10 earned run affair at the end of June, a couple of five earned run outings and a seven earned run shellacking in August/September. In fact, he final two starts of the year bumped up his ERA by four-tenths of a run. Deserves a thorough run in Pawtucket next season.

Kyle Hart: In his first full season in 2017, Hart put up an impressive 2.15 ERA while splitting time in Greenville and Salem. His first run at AA was not as good, but the lefty put a decent 3.57 ERA and a mediocre 1.356 WHIP over 24 starts (138 2/3 innings). Although all his peripheral numbers were similar to what he put up in the Salem portion of 2017 (slight increase in hit, slight decrease in walks and a significant decrease in Ks), he did allow a dozen dingers... seven more than his total in 2017 (although less than every starter not name Mike Shawaryn). Like both Kent and Stankiewicz, was able to stay in the games with only four of his 24 starts lasting less than five innings (and three of the four were easily his worst games with 9, 8, and 6 runs given up; the fourth may have been weather related). Final eight starts saw Hart with a 2.06 ERA and a .601 OPS against (48 innings).

Dedgar Jimenez: The third lefty in the Portland rotation (after Kent and Hart), the 22-year-old Jimenez went 10-7 with a 4.39 ERA and a 1.303 WHIIP over 137 1/3 innings. Also had a successful six inning start for Pawtucket in April. Was slightly less capable than the three named starters above in always making it through five (with six of his 25 starts ending below that mark - he also went five innings in his sole bullpen appearance), but was also never completely blown out (with only one game above five runs allowed). Went 6-1 with a 2.06 ERA and a .542 OPS against in his final nine starts.

Mike Shawaryn: With Jalen Beeks out of the system, Shawaryn is now likely the top starting pitching prospect in the system. Put up a 3.28 ERA with a 1.127 WHIP over 19 starts in Portland before getting the bump to Pawtucket, where he put up a 3.93 ERA and a 1.118 WHIP over six appearances (five starts). Struck out 132 in a combined 149 1/3 innings while walking only 138. Was slightly more gopher prone in AAA as he gave up six in his short stint after only seven for the Sea Dogs. Failed to go at least five innings in only two of his 25 starts (4 2/3 on 4/8 (his first start of the season), 3 1/3 on 8/24).

Daniel McGrath: Australian Lefty got the bump up to AA after three full seasons in Salem and spent most of the season in the bullpen before finishing the season in the starting rotation (taking over for Shawaryn). Put up a 3.18 ERA over his final four starts with 18 Ks in 22 2/3 innings; with all four starts going at least five innings. Overall, put up very similar stats as a starter (3.99 ERA/1.437 WHIP in 11 starts (47 1/3 innings)) and as a reliever (3.21 ERA/1.357 WHIP in 22 relief appearances (42 innings)).
 

Cuzittt

Bouncing with Anger
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Nov 20, 2001
20,301
Sinister Funkhouse #17
Pitchers (Relievers)

Trey Ball: I really really really wanted Ronald Eugene Ball to figure out how to be a good pitcher. Alas, the move to the pen didn't change the equation as he put up an unfathomable 7.58 ERA and a 1.883 WHIP over 65 1/3 innings in 34 appearances (1 doubleheader start in August). And, it started off so well with six strikeouts and no runs in his first three appearances (6 2/3 innings). He had one other strong period, allowing one run over nine innings and five appearances between 6/24-7/13. But after 97 hits (11 homers) in 65 1/3 innings, it appears Ball is no longer going to be a pitcher. He ended the season going 1-for-9 (with a game-winning RBI double) as a DH in the final two games of the year.

Adam Lau: The 37th round draft pick from 2015 was pretty decent in his first bite at the AA apple, with a 4.13 ERA and a 1.500 WHIP. Over 56 2/3 innings, Lau struck out 59... which gave him a K/9 over 9 for his fourth consecutive season. Hit HARD in May (8.10 ERA, 1.053 OPS against despite a .219 BABIP) with 10 of his 14 hits going for extra bases (1 2B, 2 3B, 7 HRs). Gave up only 2 HRs the rest of the year. Did not allow a run in 18 of 36 appearances. Went at least one full inning in every outing except one (an extra inning loss on 6/1).

Jordan Weems: Former Portland Catcher (2015) made it back to Portland three years after beginning his pitching conversion. Went 4-3 with 5 saves and a 4.04 ERA and a 1.559 WHIP. Struck out 45 in 42 1/3 innings and yielded only three homers in AA. Also spent time in Salem and Pawtucket. Put up a 1.64 ERA and a .623 OPS against in his nine August appearances. Yielded seven of 31 total runs given up in one outing. Gave up only 14 extra-base hits (of 50 total hits given).

Travis Lakins: Converted to the bullpen after six starts (4.76 ERA/1.471 WHIP/17 IP). Was dominant in a largely one inning relief role, putting up a 1.21 ERA and a 0.830 WHIP with 37 Ks in 37 1/3 innings over 30 relief appearances in Portland (20) and Pawtucket (10). Has the official distinction of pitching in relief in Hartford (AA) and in Rochester (AAA) on July 5th (thank you suspended game rules).

Jake Cosart: Last year's rising relief ace fell flat on his face in 2018. Was demoted to Salem after beginning the season with a 8.41 ERA and a .917 OPS against in his first 11 outings. Was generally better in Salem over 18 relief appearances (3.65 ERA and a .721 OPS against) which included nine consecutive (and 12 of 13) scoreless mound visits. Gave up no earned runs in seven of his nine appearances back in Portland to end the season. Struck out 77 in 61 innings. Did not give up a home run after May 25 (his final appearance in Portland before his demotion) after giving up six in his first 11 outings.

Josh Taylor: Josh started the season in the California League (A+) in the Arizona organization before being sent to Boston as the PTBNL for Deven Marrero. The tall lefty gave up six runs in his first two outings for Portland (3 innings, 7 H, 1 BB, 3 K, 1 HR)... And had to slowly bring his 18.00 ERA down to something reasonable. Put up a 2.48 ERA with a .687 OPS against in his final 31 outings with 34 Ks and no homers allowed. Pitched two scoreless innings for Pawtucket to end his season. Only allowed two extra-base hits (both doubles) in his final 26 games.

Trevor Kelley: Picked one round before Adam Lau in 2015 (36th/37th round college relievers are the new market inefficiency), Kelley put up a 2.88 ERA and a 1.314 WHIP over 41 games and 56 1/3 innings between Portland (28G/33IP) and Pawtucket (13G/23 1/3IP). Had a 1.74 ERA over his final 13 games despite bouncing back and forth between Rhode Island and Maine. Has mediocre peripherals (45 Ks, 22 BBs).

Matt Gorst: Pushed his way from Salem to Pawtucket with an 21 game streak where he did not give up an earned run (and only three runs total). Put up a .382 OPS against over 37 2/3 innings during the streak which began in Salem on May 19 and ended in Pawtucket on August 10th and encompassed his entire 9 game Portland career. Put up a 1.84 ERA and a 0.980 WHIP with 58 Ks over 68 1/3 innings for the entire season.

Harrison Cooney: Injured the first half of the year, pitched in 20 games from Mid-June to the end of the season. Put up an ERA of 6.67 and a WHIP of 1.704 while hurling for Lowell, Salem, and Portland. Allowed runs in six of 10 appearances for the Sea Dogs.