Boston’s overlooked infield prospect showcasing elite discipline
Chase Meidroth is ranked 19th in the Red Sox system but has performed like a foundational piece in 2023
The Boston Red Sox have a plethora of infield talent in their minor league system. One trip to Portland will show you just that, as Sea Dogs fans have been treated to a middle infield duo of prospects Nick Yorke and Marcelo Mayer for the past few weeks.
Mayer (MLB.com’s #5 overall prospect) was promoted to AA Portland on May 30th, a reward for the .290/.366/.524 line (140 WRC+) he posted in A+ Greenville. Yorke, the #5 prospect in Boston’s system, began the season with the Sea Dogs and has been one of the top hitters in the Eastern League this season (141 WRC+).
The Red Sox #13 prospect, Matthew Lugo, has also donned the Portland uniform for the entirety of the 2023 season, and fellow infielders Eddinson Paulino (#8), Blaze Jordan (#10), Brainer Bonaci (#16), and Cutter Coffey (#17) have provided depth at the levels below.
Bonaci, in particular, had shown impressive progression in the power department prior to a hamstring injury that sent him to the injured list. The 20-year-old prospect had a .184 ISO (12 XBH) in just 113 PA with Greenville (152 WRC+) after a .123 mark (31 XBH) in 494 PA with Salem last season.
Considering ten of the top 20 prospects in Boston’s system are infielders, it’s easy to get lost amongst the more highly touted players. Mayer and Yorke, along with #4 prospect Mikey Romero (nearing rehab games), have garnered much of the attention, and rightfully so – they’re first-round draft picks.
But in the distraction of the big names, the infield prospect having perhaps the best season hasn’t even been named yet.
Keep an eye on Meidroth
Chase Meidroth is the #19 prospect in the Red Sox system per MLB. Much like Mayer, he began the season with Greenville before earning a promotion to Portland thanks to his impressive performance at the plate.
Meidroth walked more times (21) than he struck out (20) en route to getting on base almost half the time (.495 OBP). A .442 batting average on balls in play with the Drive suggested that the performance was unsustainable, but, after his promotion, Meidroth combatted the inevitable regression by cutting his K-rate by five percent (20.6% to 15.1%).
Thus, even though his BABIP has dropped to .333 in AA, his average has only gone down 22 points (.338 to .306).
His slight dip in walk rate (21.6% to 15.1%), along with the natural BABIP adjustment, has dropped the AA on-base to just… .434 — still exceptional.
Meidroth has showcased exciting plate control across both levels this season. He is one of just six MiLB players 21 or younger that has walked more than he has struck out (1.03 BB/K) with an ISO greater than .150 (min 200 PA).
The only player out of the aforementioned group with a higher WRC+ than Meidroth (164) is Jackson Holliday (191) – the #3 overall prospect in baseball according to MLB.
Meidroth spoke to Christopher Smith of MassLive back in April, sharing that this offseason he made an emphasis on ‘recognizing pitches in the areas of the strike zone where he does damage’.
The work has paid off, as Meidroth has combined an elite knowledge of the strike zone with an ability to create some strong results when he puts the ball in play. While he’s predominantly a singles hitter, Meidroth does have 13 XBH this season including four doubles and four home runs with Portland.
Meidroth Batted Ball Profile from Greenville (.122 ISO) to Portland (.188 ISO):
Ground Ball Percentage: 58.5% ➡️ 39.1% 📉
Fly Ball Percentage: 22.6% ➡️ 44.9% 📈
There seems to be a concerted effort for Meidroth to hit more balls in the air since his promotion to Portland. Though his stature is probably best suited for more of a line-drive approach, getting the ball off the ground is a positive trend.
Despite some scouts believing Meidroth best fits at second base due to his size (5’10”) and ‘fringy’ arm strength, the Sea Dogs have played him exclusively at the hot corner with Mayer and Yorke manning the keystone. He’s played well at third so far, making just one error this season across 21 games.
Chase? He does not
Boston drafted Meidroth in the fourth round of the 2022 MLB Amateur Draft out of the University of San Diego. 2023 is just his second year with the organization and he’s already succeeding at the AA level.
“He’s just an intelligent overall player, he understands his strengths, he understands his hot-cold zones, where he hits the ball hard, where he doesn’t,” Brian Abraham, the Red Sox director of player development, told Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald. “And I think he just has a really good eye. Not everyone has that necessarily, I’m not going to say vision but his ability to see pitches, his ability to take pitches in the shadow on the edge of the plate when they’re close, he has a really strong ability to do that.”
While Meidroth’s prospect status may be limited due to his largely one-dimensional profile, not many players show such an exemplary command of the zone at 21 years of age.
Based on Meidroth’s performance thus far, this fourth round selection may have been a steal.
