The Boston Red Sox are building up their minor league depth before attacking their major league roster. According to Alex Spier of the Boston Globe, the Red Sox have re-signed a bunch of their minor league free agents.
Jantzen Witte, Domingo Tapia, Auston Maddox, Daniel McGrath, Jhon Nunez, and Andrew Schwaab are the names being reported by Spier (Speier, Alex. “Red Sox Re-Sign Six Minor League Free Agents - The Boston Globe.” BostonGlobe.com, The Boston Globe, 9 Nov. 2019). At this time the organization has not officially confirmed the signings but all six are currently listed on their minor league rosters.
Out of the bunch, the name that likely stands out to many Red Sox fans is Maddox. Maddox, 28-years-old, has been dealing with a right shoulder injury for the past two years and wasn’t able to play at all in 2019. But Maddox proved he has the “stuff” to be a Major League reliever. In 2017 Maddox broke into Boston appearing in 13 games, 17.1 innings pitched posting a 0.52 ERA. The former third-round pick landed on the injured list in March of 2018 and attempted a comeback at the end of 2018 but was shut back down. He spent the entirety of 2019 on the injured list but is a pitcher to watch out for if he is good to go in 2020.
A name that Red Sox fans should keep an eye on is McGrath. McGrath, 25-years-old hails from Australia and had a lights out 2019 for Double-A Portland. McGrath posted a 1.68 ERA for the Sea Dogs in 112.1 innings pitched in 2019. He appeared in 27 games, 15 starts. In his 15 starts, he owned a 1.24 ERA. McGrath had brief stints in Triple-A in 2019 and is expected to be in Pawtucket on Opening Day.
Tip of the Cap to Witte
The 29-year-old corner infielder cemented himself as an everyday player at the Triple-A level in 2019 hitting .277 in 393 at-bats. Witte has now spent parts of four seasons in Pawtucket and turned into a consistent presence both on the field and in the lineup in 2019. Defensively Witte is essentially flawless, just eight errors all year with the bulk of his time coming at third base.
Tapia has the Flash
Domingo Tapia is an interesting name. Tapia, 28-years-old, can touch triple-digits on the radar gun consistently In 2019 for Pawtucket he posted a 5.18 ERA in 66 innings pitched across 44 outings. He signed as a minor league free agent with Boston prior to the 2019 season and given his velocity bringing him back is a no-brainer. See if he can put it all together.
Best Hitting Catching Prospect Since Swihart
When Nunez was added to the PawSox roster earlier this off-season his return was essentially a lock. The 24-year-old is coming off a 2019 season where he hit .280 for Portland in 211 at-bats. Nunez has battled injuries and is a long-term projection as being a catcher is sort of up in the air. He is expected to start the 2020 season in Pawtucket.
Schwaab Bounced Around
Andrew Schwabb entered professional baseball signing as a minor league free agent with the Yankees in June of 2015. Since then he has moved from the Yankees system to Detroit, and then to Boston in December of 2018. The 26-year-old posted a 5.50 ERA in Portland in 2019 across 18 innings. Still interesting though and posted a 2.01 ERA for Salem in 40.1 IP in 2019.
More to Come
Despite these six signings the Red Sox still has a number of free agents still on the market. Most notably is starter Teddy Stankiewicz.
Full list of minor league free agents for Boston: Teddy Stankiewicz, Bryce Brentz, Jordan Weems, Deiner Lopez, Jenrry Mejia, Tony Renda, Jake Romanski, Juan Centeno, Zach Putnam, Chris Owings, Gorkys Hernandez, and Dedgar Jimenez.
