The Portland Sea Dogs are preparing for the expected arrival of Shane Victorino on a rehab assignment Friday and Saturday.
But there’s another outfielder likely to arrive at Hadlock Field this season who’s also creating a buzz.
Waiting for Margot.
Manuel Margot, 20, is the next big-time prospect expected to reach Portland, sometime this summer.
Margot, who received an $800,000 signing bonus from the Red Sox when he was 16, is Boston’s seventh-ranked prospect according to Baseball America. He batted .324 in April for the advanced Class A Salem Red Sox.
“He’s been off to a hot start,” said Boston director of player personnel Ben Crockett. “He’s seeing the ball well and showing a consistent approach, not trying to do too much. Small sample but positive strides being made.”
Margot has cooled off in May, his average down to .292 (.785 OPS) over 24 games. He has 11 stolen bases in 14 attempts.
Defensively, Margot covers lots of ground in center field.
“He can really run,” said Darren Fenster, who managed Margot in Greenville last year. “I never had Jackie Bradley Jr., but everyone talks about the jumps Jackie gets (in the field) off the bat – almost as if he’s moving before contact.
“Manny has that kind of instinct. The ball is hit and he’s there. He can really track the ball down.”
Bringing up Bradley is a reminder that development takes time. Bradley’s glove may nearly be golden but he struggled at the plate when the Red Sox rushed him to the majors.
Boston can take a little time with Margot – but not a lot. He will be eligible for the Rule V draft after this season, so the Red Sox will have to put him on the 40-man roster to protect him.
But Margot, 5-foot-11, 175 pounds, may keep moving up if his maturing approach at the plate continues. He rarely strikes out (four times this season) and did not whiff in his first 69 plate appearances this year.
“He has very wiry kind of strength,” Fenster said. “Right now he’s a line drive guy but I can see him hitting a ton of doubles and triples.
“He’s still a young kid so he still has some growing to do. I see him developing some power, see him as a productive 1-2 hitter.”
Will there be a place for Margot on a team that already has a center fielder (Mookie Betts), a touted corner outfielder in Pawtucket (Rusney Castillo) and Hanley Ramirez in left? And that’s not to mention Bradley, who is hitting well this season in Triple-A.
With the logjam come rumors that Margot will be traded. And fueling that speculation is interest from the Phillies, who sent former manager Charlie Manuel to scout Salem. The Phillies still have that left-handed pitcher named Cole Hamels.
If Margot reaches Portland this year, the scouts will follow, as will the expectations. And the buzz.
WHO MIGHT be the next prospect besides Margot to reach Hadlock Field? First baseman Sam Travis is making noise in Salem in only his first full professional season. Travis, 21, a 2014 second-round draft pick out of Indiana University, began slowly, batting .182 through April 25.
But Travis batted .474 over the last 10 games and has improved his average to .301/.809 OPS. He has two home runs.
Another Salem outfielder, Aneury Tavarez, 23, could be getting a call to Portland. He spent 2014 in Salem and is batting .308/.863 this season.
THIRD BASEMAN Rafael Devers, ranked No. 6 among Red Sox prospects by Baseball America, is not overmatched in Greenville despite being only 18. He’s batting .353/.888. Boston likely wants to see more discipline (15 strikeouts/two walks), but Devers is fulfilling expectations that come with a $1.5 million signing bonus.
IN PAWTUCKET, Jackie Bradley Jr. is batting .347/.872, his best numbers since his Salem days in early 2012. He has played 20 games in center field and two in right.
If Bradley can hit in the majors, he could be a force in Fenway’s spacious right field with his instincts and arm.
While Steven Wright has been called up to the majors twice and Matt Barnes appears headed there again, the best pitching numbers in Triple-A belong to left-handed starter Eduardo Rodriguez (3-0, 1.82 ERA, 0.85 WHIP).
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