Top Talents Dazzle in the “Spring Breakout” Exhibition.
The Boston Red Sox took care of business against the Atlanta Braves in a 7-2 victory in MLB’s “Spring Breakout” game.
Boston’s top prospects took advantage of the showcase opportunity and played up to potential. From timely hitting to quality defense, one of baseball’s farm systems was on full display at JetBlue Park. 2024 is an incredibly pivotal year for Nick Yorke.
The 2020 first-round pick for Boston won minor league awards during his debut 2021 season in the system, batting .325 with a .928 OPS. He bounced back in 2023 after an injury-riddled 2022 season, though he can still do more damage at the plate in order to boost his stock.Saturday was a refreshing performance from Yorke in that regard. The infielder went 2-for-2 at the plate with an RBI. On his run-scoring single, Yorke stayed patient and drove the ball to the opposite field to get the run home. Later in the game, Yorke powered a ball off of the center field fence for a double to close out his afternoon. For a player whose offensive upside was based on patience and working quality at-bats, Yorke returned to his roots on Saturday.
Two young arms lead the way on the mound
While Boston’s system is top-heavy with position players, the Red Sox should have intrigue after another solid day for Wikelman Gonzalez.
The Venezuelan right-hander got the start on Saturday and worked efficiently, tossing three no-hit innings without surrendering a run while striking out a batter. He did walk three hitters, which will be an area to watch in 2024 as the strikeout artist looks to hone his command of the plate.
Gonzalez posted a 2.42 ERA in 10 starts in Double-A last season, including the first six innings of a combined no-hitter. He’ll likely rejoin Portland to start the season with intentions of putting his plus stuff to use on a more consistent basis.
The Red Sox also got a good look at right-hander Richard Fitts, who came over in December from the New York Yankees during the Alex Verdugo trade. The righty allowed two runs on two hits over three innings with three strikeouts. Fitts has a solid fastball and shared with NESN’s Tom Caron on the broadcast that he is working on a new changeup to pair with his breaking ball. Already fitting in with Garrett Whitlock and Cooper Criswell, Fitts could pitch his way to the big leagues at some point for the Red Sox.
The “Big Three” shows strengths
Marcelo Mayer, Roman Anthony and Kyle Teel have been built up to be at the center of the Red Sox future. All three showed positive signs in Saturday’s victorious effort.
Teel moved well behind the plate and drove in a run on a pair of hits. Anthony lived up to his patented patience at the plate with a pair of walks. Mayer looked strong at shortstop on an improving left side of the infield with Chase Meidroth.
The future looked strong for the Red Sox with those three on the field. Mayer has emerged as the face of that group with immense respect from Alex Cora. Saturday’s opportunity confirmed to him just how good the next core can be.
