Ball getting new life as two-way prospect
By his own admission, Red Sox prospect Trey Ball's offseason work as a hitter amounted to "none at all" after being selected with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2013 First-Year Player Draft. So, it was no surprise that in his first at-bat as a professional -- five years
By his own admission, Red Sox prospect Trey Ball's offseason work as a hitter amounted to "none at all" after being selected with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2013 First-Year Player Draft. So, it was no surprise that in his first at-bat as a professional -- five years removed from his last as an amateur -- against Binghamton's Franklyn Kilomé in September, the 24-year-old was overmatched by the Mets No. 3 prospect.
"I had fun with it. Obviously, I was a little nervous getting in the box for the first time in five years," Ball said with vivid memories of Kilome's mid-to-upper 90s fastball in that first bout, which did not come with a happy ending. "I got 1-2, and then he threw me a back-foot slider and I was like, 'Oh God, I'm not ready for that.'"
After impressing scouts on the mound and at the plate in high school, the New Castle, Indiana, native entered the Draft with even more uncertainty than most of his counterparts. Boston decided the best path to the Majors for the 6-foot-6 left-hander would be as a pitcher.
"Whatever the team wanted me to do, I'm all for it," Ball said. "Of course, coming out of high school, everyone wants to do both if they're doing both. Five or six years ago, that wasn't the case."
Ball went from Indiana Baseball Player of the Year to a tumultuous tenure as a pitcher in the Red Sox system. He posted a 3.84 ERA with Class A Advanced Salem during his second year at that level in 2016, his best mark by nearly a full run in 75 professional starts. A shift to the bullpen seemed to make sense after he went 7-12 with a 5.27 ERA and 103 strikeouts over 124 2/3 frames for Double-A Portland in 2017, but his numbers continued to slide.
The lanky southpaw pitched to a 5.98 first-half ERA over 43 2/3 innings, and although he notched nearly a strikeout per inning (43), he was unable to convert any of his three save opportunities. During a routine visit with the Double-A club in June, the Red Sox brass, headed by vice president of player development Ben Crockett approached Ball with a new assignment, contributing to a developing trend in baseball.
Crockett noticed the change in the game and told Ball that he saw value in a player than can contribute both as a hitter and a pitcher. Ball began taking on-field batting practice after the All-Star break through the end of the season.
"I think the main focus right now is outfield and hitting," Ball said. "I think the pitching side, I would be the guy to come in every few days. Little extended time off on the pitching side and a little more outfield and hitting."
Ball got one hit in nine at-bats over the final two games of the season, a go-ahead double in the seventh inning of his first game against Kilome, a day removed from his final pitching appearance of 2018. He finished the season with a 7.58 ERA and 56 strikeouts over 65 1/3 innings.
"It comes down to consistency," Ball said of his pitching woes. "There's games that I can go out there and shut everybody down, and there's games where I can't get out of an inning. … Being able to mix things up and keep hitters off-balance and not get to a set routine.
"I just wasn't able to stay consistent."
Following the season, Ball was available in the Rule 5 Draft but was not selected. By remaining with the Red Sox, he was able to take his next steps toward becoming a two-way player. He jumped back into a position that he'd left behind five years ago in the instructional league, playing mostly left field while gaining invaluable experience getting at-bats against live pitching.
In past offseasons, Ball would return to New Castle High School just as the fall baseball season started. He would go to one practice, participate in a few rounds of batting practice, then put his bat into hibernation.
Angels outfielder Shohei Ohtani and Rays second-ranked prospectBrendan McKay have blazed a trail for two-way players over the past few seasons. Ohtani was named American League Rookie of the Year in his first campaign stateside, and McKay has continued the play that earned him three John Olerud Awards - an annual prize given to the best collegiate two-way player - to the Florida State League.
Ball knows what he has to follow.
"Just seeing that and being able to use different athletic abilities for pitching and hitting … that allows you to open up and be a better and complete athlete," he said. "I think that'll definitely come into play."
The lefty-swinging Ball is now listed at 185 pounds, much sturdier than he was five years ago. His new offseason workouts put an emphasis on upper-body strength, and he's gained confidence in his timing at the plate, but his biggest hurdle isn't physical.
"Getting my eyes back," Ball explained. "I feel my body can time it up, it's just seeing with my eyes. I've really been focused on that this offseason."
Ball described a drill that involves setting up a pitching machine in a batting cage roughly 40 or 50 feet in length. He places three different plates in a line separated by four feet. Without picking up a bat, Ball will map and chart the speeds of the pitches, simply tracking the ball at all three plates to work on his timing and get his eyes to see the ball.
Rays' Brendan McKay providing ironman blueprint
Extended work like this is in store for Ball in the days ahead. He's already looking forward to an early spring schedule, taking batting and fielding practice before the pitchers begin their stretches. With McKay, the Rays decided to mirror his old schedule from the University of Louisville. Ball does not have that luxury.
"I think [the schedule] will be something to transition to for sure. I think going to instructs really helped me adapt to that," Ball said. "My goal right now is to just focus on the hitting, go down to spring ready to hit and show them what I've got and put the ball in their court."
Though he has struggled as a professional, Ball has only moved up the organizational ladder after repeating tours in the Carolina and Eastern Leagues. He's now back in audition mode, unsure of where he will start the season.
"I think just [the Red Sox] opening up the opportunity for me to swing a bat again and get to the outfield, that's big," he said. "Obviously, my struggles with pitching the last few years have been there. I think them coming to me and allowing me do this and try this is really an opportunity for me, and I'm going to take advantage of it."
Gerard Gilberto is a contributor to MiLB.com. Follow and interact with him on Twitter, @GerardGilberto4.
Debating best Minor League home caps on podcast
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
The Omaha Storm Chasers' 'Take Meow-t' cat night included a Litter Box Sundae
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from the Baseball Traveler newsletter, presented by Circle K, is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
Boston's Triple-A affiliate throws birthday bash for Roman Anthony
With all the hype that has surrounded Roman Anthony over the past two seasons, it’s easy to forget how young he really is. MLB's No. 1 prospect played 70 games at the highest level of the Minors before he could order a beer. But he can now. Roman Anthony turned
Friendly foes, 2024 first-rounders Moore and Caglianone trade first Triple-A homers
For years, Christian Moore and Jac Caglianone laced up their cleats against one another in the SEC. A rivalry that spanned Florida, Tennessee and other landmarks across the South moved to Salt Lake City this week as the Royals and Angels' top prospects got simultaneous Triple-A promotions. So it was
Phillies' Moore, Fausnaught join MiLB podcast
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Red Sox prospect rips double THROUGH Fenway-esque scoreboard
Red Sox No. 4 prospect Franklin Arias, an infielder for High-A Greenville, REALLY didn’t want to let visiting Asheville score any runs in the top of the eighth inning on Friday night. With runners on first and second base in the bottom of the fourth, Arias showed he apparently held
April's hottest hitting prospects -- one for each organization
The Minor League season is a month old and several of the game's best hitting prospects are off to fast starts. Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony is tearing up Triple-A (just like he did at the end of last year), Padres shortstop Leo De Vries is leading the High-A Midwest
Check out the best -- and wackiest -- Minor League promos happening in May
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from the Baseball Traveler newsletter, presented by Circle K, is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
Orioles' Honeycutt joins The Show Before the Show
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
MiLB podcast coming LIVE to a Somerset this June
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
New ballparks highlight 2025 MiLB road trip stops
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from the Baseball Traveler newsletter, presented by Circle K, is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
Minor League Baseball partners with TruGreen
FRANKLIN, Tenn. -- TruGreen, the nation's leading lawn care treatment provider, is proud to announce a groundbreaking partnership with Minor League Baseball that includes activations across all 120 clubs, a makeover of the home dugout in each market, sponsorship of select MiLB team grounds crews, and a new initiative called
Podcast explains why the Syracuse Mets are looking for Jim Morrison
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Dash im-prom-tu promo and Mets' Suero joins the podcast
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Minor League Baseball partners with Circle K
Minor League Baseball announced a new national partnership with Circle K, which will see the convenience store giant become the “Official Convenience Store of Minor League Baseball.” During the 2025 season, the Circle K brand will be integrated into the MiLB in-stadium experience through in-game video board assets at most
These 15 moments led to season No. 15 of Minor League road trips
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from his newsletter is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
MiLB podcast crew makes Opening Day predictions
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Everything you need to know for Triple-A Opening Day
First, there was big league Opening Day. Now it's Triple-A's turn to take the spotlight. The Minor League season opens Friday when the Triple-A International League and Pacific Coast League seasons get underway for the first of MiLB’s two Opening Days. And right out of the gates, several of baseball's
Top prospects to watch at Triple-A -- one for each organization
It’s Triple-A’s turn up to bat on Friday. The regular season begins for the Minor Leagues’ highest level one day after the action starts on the Major League side. Fun fact: it’ll be the earliest start to a Minor League season since 1951 (March 27). Double-A, High-A and Single-A will
Here's where every Top 100 prospect is expected to start the season
The 2025 Opening Day prospect roster announcements began last week when the Cubs informed Matt Shaw (MLB No. 19) he was making the trip overseas to compete in the Tokyo Series. Roki Sasaki (No. 1) also received the good news, but his assignment was much less of a surprise. Now
Nationals prospect King joins MiLB podcast
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Here are the 2025 All-Spring Breakout Teams
Fifteen games, several jersey swaps and countless highlights later, the second edition of Spring Breakout has officially concluded – and it lived up to its billing. Of the 16 contests sprinkled across four days, only one game (Dodgers vs. Cubs) was rained out. Coincidentally, the Cubs were one of two
Rox young sluggers aim to bring pop back to Coors Field
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Coors Field may provide the best run-scoring environment in Major League Baseball, but the Rockies haven’t taken advantage of it in recent years. Even without adjusting for Coors, they have fielded offenses worse than the league average the past three seasons, and they scored the fewest runs
Astros brass sees potential in consistently 'underranked' farm system
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The last time the Astros landed in the top 10 of MLB Pipeline’s farm system rankings was before the 2019 season. Since those rankings expanded to all 30 teams ahead of the 2020 season -- 11 lists in total -- they’ve never ranked higher than
Complete results and highlights from Spring Breakout
The second edition of MLB Spring Breakout is complete, and there was no shortage of highlights from the future stars of Major League Baseball over the four-day showcase. Here's a complete breakdown of the 16-game exhibition: