An opposing pitcher's thoughts facing Red Sox top prospects in Portland
The roster in Portland is rather loaded with top prospects right now. Marcelo Mayer, Roman Anthony, Kyle Teel, Nick Yorke, Wikelman Gonzalez, Brainer Bonaci, Chase Meidroth, Nathan Hickey, Blaze Jordan, Hunter Dobbins, and Angel Bastardo are all ranked in the top 30 prospects according to SoxProspects.com.
Ever wonder what it might be like for opposing pitchers facing a lineup with some of the best young talent in the Red Sox system?
I got to pick the brain of Hartford Yard Goats reliever Nick Kuzia who did just that on Friday night in Portland. Kuzia picked up the win for Hartford and improved to 7-1 on the year while facing Yorke, Meidroth, Hickey, Jordan, and Anthony.
“I’ve faced Yorke and Hickey a few times this year, so I had a pretty good approach to face them Friday.” Kuzia said. “I faced Jordan last time we were in Portland and kind of remembered his swing path so I knew what I wanted to do with him. Anthony had been swinging it fairly well the first few games of the series and I fell behind, so I knew I was going to have to make a quality pitch.”
Kuzia ultimately was able to get Anthony to ground out to end the inning. He had some high praise for the one of the youngest hitters in Double-A.
“I would say he blended right in.” Kuzia said of Anthony. “I only faced him one time so it’s tough to tell much from that, but he didn’t chase on two pitches out of the zone and I ended up getting him to ground out on a good changeup. Someone told me he was drafted out of high school last year which was surprising to me. Being in Double-A at his age and blending right in seems pretty good to me.”
It might have been his first time facing Anthony in Double-A, but he kept notes on another top prospect in the Portland lineup that got the best of him earlier in the season.
“Hickey got me for a homer last time we were in Portland on a slider about 6 inches inside off the plate.” Kuzia added. “He hits it well so I knew if I stayed away, I would have a better chance this time.”
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