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IL Worcester Red Sox

WooSox Set to Begin Second Half with Clean Slate

June 25, 2024 - International League (IL)
Worcester Red Sox News Release


The Worcester Red Sox wrapped up the first half of the 2024 Minor League Baseball season on Sunday with a 9-7 loss to the Columbus Clippers. The club finished tied for seventh place in the International League East division with a record of 35-40--15 games back of Ryan Fitzgerald and the Omaha Storm Chasers. As the winners of the first half, Omaha will host the International League Championship Series in late September. The WooSox hope they'll be the ones flying to Omaha at seasons end.

With the second half of the season beginning on Tuesday, the WooSox and every Triple-A club will start with a brand new, 0-0 record. The fresh slate might be just what the WooSox need, as their underlying numbers do not correlate with their 35-40 record over the season's first 75 games.

Worcester ended the first half with a plus-34 run differential--ranking third best in the International League. Additionally, the team led the league in walks (395) and OBP (.369) while sitting in the top five in runs scored (423) and OPS (.797). Of seven WooSox hitters who have appeared in 30 games or more, five ended the first half with an OPS over .800.

While the WooSox pitching hasn't been as stellar as the offense, the staff ended the first half middle of the road in most statistical categories. Yet, the club finished with a .467 winning percentage--sixth worst in the International League.

A possible explanation for Worcester's first half woes is their 2-11 record in one-run games. Another is their league-leading 575 runners left on base.

No matter the reason, a new season starts on Tuesday.

The WooSox highly anticipated second half should be one filled with plenty excitement. Three of the Boston Red Sox top prospects--Marcelo Mayer, Roman Anthony, and Kyle Teel--are all knocking on the doorstep of Triple-A, with each having excellent seasons at Double-A Portland. Brian Abraham, the Boston Red Sox Director of Player Development, spoke at Polar Park on Saturday regarding their progress and provided positive updates on each prospect.

"Double-A is having a really strong season this year," Abraham said. "I think what is exciting about this group is that there is a lot of talent on that Double-A team, and they are very close to becoming Worcester Red Sox in the near future."

When Mayer, Anthony, and Teel arrive, they'll join a lineup that has the potential to be one of the International League's best.

Chase Meidroth, the WooSox leadoff man, has been the tone setter for the offense. The 22-year-old ranks second in all of baseball--MLB and MiLB--with 59 walks and ranks in the top five in MiLB with a .452 OBP. Meidroth enters the second half with a 31-game on-base streak and has been kept off the base paths just three times this year. One of those games was the second leg of a double header (April 24) and another was a pinch-hit opportunity (May 11).

Fellow infielder, Nick Sogard, has also been superb at the plate this season. The utility man leads the team in runs (49), hits (74), doubles (15), batting average (.298), and average with RISP (.361). Though he hit just .250 with a .701 OPS through April, Sogard has been the team's most consistent hitter since, slashing .327/.439/.558 since May 1. Entering Tuesday's game against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Sogard has been on base in 35 of his last 36 games and has posted a 1.087 OPS during that span.

Niko Kavadas--the WooSox most prolific power hitter this season--is fourth in the International League with a .972 OPS. In 63 games, the first baseman leads Worcester in home runs (14), RBIs (49), and SLG (.556) while ranking in the top three in runs (43), hits (54), doubles (14), walks (42), and OBP (.416).

Nick Yorke and Mickey Gasper, two of Worcester's newest offensive contributors, have exceeded expectations since their promotions in early June. In 16 games, Yorke is hitting .355/.459/.532 while collecting 22 hits and scoring 12 runs. Gasper has been equally impressive, posting a .424 average and a 1.264 OPS in 10 games.

When Double-A Portland's trio makes their way down Route 95 to Worcester, they'll look to meet the standard that Yorke and Gasper have set.

On the pitching side, Richard Fitts has been a force at the top of Worcester's rotation. In 60.2 innings, the Alabama native ranks in the top 10 in the International League in ERA (3.86), opponents' batting average (.239), and WHIP (1.29). Jason Alexander and Grant Gambrell round out the WooSox top three, each compiling 67 and 65 first half innings, respectively.

Though the WooSox finished the first half five games under .500, their record does not tell the full story. With a clean slate to begin the second half, the club will look to rebound and book a flight to Omaha.

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