Who were the top Red Sox minor league relief pitchers during the month of April?
The 2024 minor league baseball season is back in full swing, and the Red Sox farm system has young pitchers that are making some noise out of the bullpen.
The Portland Sea Dogs are off to a fast start with a 15-9 record entering their series finale on Sunday with the Reading Fightin’ Phils. Their offense has been sizzling, with Matthew Lugo leading the team in home runs (6), RBI (20), and OPS (1.170). Of the Big Three, Marcelo Mayer looks to be on the fast track to Polar Park in Worcester.
With the offense clicking on all cylinders, who are some of the relief pitchers that have been dominant out of the Sea Dogs bullpen?
RP Ryan Zeferjahn, Portland Sea Dogs (AA)
April: 2.61 ERA, 40.3% K%, 4.3% BB% in 10.1 IP, W/L 1-0, 33.3% GB%, 66.7% FB% (6 games)
Zeferjahn is a former third round pick in 2019 out of the University of Kansas and has been piling up strikeouts for the Sea Dogs. He struck out 19 batters in the month of April which was second on the team only to starter Zach Penrod (24).
Zeferjahn is a power arm that offers fastball that has topped out at 98 mph. This pitch is considered a plus offering fastball forcing hitters to miss bats. He also throws a 85-87 mph slider, an 81–83 changeup and a 76-78 mph curveball.
He’s another flame-thrower in the Red Sox system that has pitched well enough to get an opportunity to crack the WooSox bullpen. The right-hander is eligible for the Rule 5 draft in the offseason. Boston would be wise to see what he can offer at Triple-A and see if he can be a piece to the future bullpen in Boston.
RP Jacob Webb, Portland Sea Dogs (AA)
April: 2.61 ERA, 22.7% K%, 4.5% BB% in 10.1 IP, W/L 1-0, 40.0% GB%, 60.0% FB% (6 games)
Webb posted a 2.61 ERA with 1 strikeout while walking only two batters. His main issue was giving up the long ball, surrendering three homers in just 10 1/3 innings of work.
The Ohio native is a big presence on the mound, standing 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds. He throws from a three-quarters arm slot and has a heavy fastball that sits between 94 and 96 mph while topping out at 98 mph. He is another power arm in the Sea Dogs bullpen, shutting down lineups.
RP Jonathan Brand, Greenville Drive/Portland Sea Dogs (AA/High-A)
April: 0.00 ERA, 35.1% K%, 5.3% BB% in 14.2 IP, W/L 0-0, 1 SV, 37.5% GB%, 62.5% FB% (8 games)
Brand tossed 11 2/3 scoreless frames for the Greenville Drive earning himself a promotion to the Sea Dogs. He had three outings where he struck out the side and five strikeout performance in 2 2/3 innings just before his promotion.
RP Isaac Stebens, Greenville Drive/Portland Sea Dogs (AA/High-A)
April: 2.08 ERA, 31.0% K%, 12.1% BB% in 13.0 IP, W/L 0-0, 3 SV, 52.4% GB%, 47.6% FB% (7 games)
Stebens made his professional debut in Salem earlier this month. The right-hander appeared in six games allowing three runs (one earned) on seven hits, four walks, and 14 strikeouts over 11 innings of relief. He held opposing hitters to a .179 batting average against while also converted three of four save opportunities.
Brendan Cellucci and Robert Kwiatkowski have also been strong for Portland, with both players earning promotions to Triple-A Worcester at the end of April.
Kwiatkowski is a power arm whose fastball tops out at 95 mph while also offering an 83–85 mph slider, an 86–88 mph changeup, and a 74–76 mph curveball. In the month of April, he pitched in seven games between Portland and Worcester, posting a 5-0 record with a 1.26 ERA, 13 strikeouts, and two walks while only surrendering two runs.
Cellucci offers the WooSox another power left-hander in the bullpen. He was added to the roster after Joe Jacques was designated for assignment and ultimately claimed by the Diamonbacks. The southpaw struck out 30.8% of batters faced while posting a 2.89 ERA and 0.219 WHIP.
The tall left-hander throws over the top with a four-pitch mix. His fastball also tops out at 95 mph, but he has issues commanding it at times. He also offers an 87-90 mph slider, an 83-86 mph curveball, and an 85-86 mph changeup.
Others that performed well in April were relievers Zach Fogell, Caleb Bolden, and JoJo Ingrassia.
RP Zach Fogell, Greenville Drive/Salem Red Sox (High-A/Low-A)
April: 3.21 ERA, 35.1% K%, 5.3% BB% in 14.0 IP, W/L 2-1, 47.6% GB%, 52.4% FB% (7 games)
Fogell offers a three-pitch mix, throwing from a three-quarters arm slot, offering a 92-94 mph fastball, changeup, and slider that looks more like a sweeper.
SoxProspects scouting report on Fogell lists the Cumberland, RI native as an organization reliever. “Attackers hitters and has shown the ability to miss bats with all three pitches. High-floor, low-ceiling type. As long as he can consistently throw strikes, should be able to move up to the upper minors pretty quickly.”
RP Caleb Bolden, Greenville Drive (High-A)
April: 0.00 ERA, 38.5% K%, 11.5% BB% in 13.0 IP, W/L 3-0, 3 SV, 68.4% GB%, 31.6% FB% (8 games)
Bolden is off to a stellar start, recording a 3-0 record with a 0.00 ERA, three saves, 20 strikeouts, and a 0.92 WHIP over 13 innings. Those numbers have punched his ticket to Portland, where he will join a power bullpen at Hadlock Field.
The Texas native has been in the Red Sox organization since he was drafted in the seventh round during the 2022 MLB Draft. He was the second Horned Frog to get selected during the draft after pitching in high-leverage situations in college.
Bolden throws from a low-three-quarters arm slot and offers a three-pitch mix. His fastball sits between 92 and 94 mph and tops out at 95 mph. He also throws an 80-82 mph slider and an 83-85 mph changeup. All three pitches are considered to be “potential below-average” offerings, according to his SoxProspects scouting report.
RP JoJo Ingrassia, Salem Red Sox (Low-A)
April: 2.25 ERA, 40.8% K%, 4.1% BB% in 12.0 IP, W/L 1-0, 66.7% GB%, 33.3% FB% (7 games)
Ingrassia is pitching his first full year in the Red Sox organization after he was drafted in the 14th round out of Cal State-Fullerton (2023). The athletic lefty throws from a three-quarters arm a lot and offers three pitches. His fastball ranges between 90 and 92 mph while mixing in his slider, which is used primarily against left-handed hitters, and an 82 and 85 mph changeup. The 21-year-old is off to a quick start in the Salem Red Sox bullpen. After another month or two of consistent outings on the mound, he could find himself in the Greenville Drive bullpen.
