Boston Red Sox trade: Who are prospects Enmanuel Valdez, Wilyer Abreu from Christian Vázquez deal?

The Boston Red Sox acquired two prospects, Enmanuel Valdez and Wilyer Abreu, from the Houston Astros for catcher Christian Vázquez on Monday.

Baseball America most recently ranked Valdez the No. 12 prospect in the Astros’ farm system. It ranked Abreu Houston’s No. 21 prospect.

The Red Sox have had a busy Monday. They traded Vázquez to the Astros, Jake Diekman to the White Sox and acquired Tommy Pham from the Reds.

Enmanuel Valdez

Valdez, a 23-year-old from the Dominican Republic, started the 2022 season at Double-A Corpus Christi where he batted .357 with a .463 on-base percentage, .649 slugging percentage, 1.112 OPS, 11 homers, 16 doubles, 40 runs, 45 RBIs, 34 walks and 47 strikeouts in 44 games (205 plate appearances).

The 5-foot-9, 191-pound left-handed hitter then earned a promotion to Triple-A Sugar Land where he batted .296 with a .347 on-base percentage, .560 slugging percentage, .907 OPS, 10 homers, 10 doubles, one triple, 26 runs, 32 RBIs, 11 walks and 29 strikeouts in 38 games (173 plate appearances).

Valdez — who has a 20.1% strikeout percentage and 11.9% walk percentage — has started games at second base, third base, first base and both corner outfield positions this year.

His Baseball America scouting report notes, “Over the last two seasons, Valdez has progressed from an aggressive contact hitter with bat speed-driven raw power to a complete hitter at the plate. He now makes contact at an above-average rate, rarely expands the zone and shows exit velocity data that would rank above-average in the major leagues. He’s a tough out that grinds out at-bats, can hit for contact and punish mistakes. While he’s progressed into a legitimate offensive prospect there are questions around his long-term defensive home.”

Valdez’s MLB Pipeline scouting report notes, “Valdez has done a better job of managing the strike zone since losing a season to the pandemic, and the added discipline has helped him tap more into his power. He’s making more consistent and harder contact with his quick left-handed swing. He’s more of a power-over-hit type but could provide 20 or more homers per season. Most of Valdez’s value will come from his bat because his speed, arm strength and defense are all fringy.”

Wilyer Abreu

Abreu, a 23-year-old left-handed hitter from Venezuela, batted .249 with a .399 on-base percentage, .459 slugging percentage, .858 OPS, 15 homers, 24 doubles, 81 runs, 54 RBIs, 23 stolen bases, 78 walks and 108 strikeouts in 89 games (411 plate appearances) for Double-A Corpus Christi this season.

The 6-foot, 217-pounder has started 44 games in center field, 22 games in left field and 17 games in right field this season.

Abreu’s Baseball America scouting reports notes: “After trading contact for power coming out of the 2020 pandemic, Abreu has found a happy medium this season, showing better bat-to-ball skills allowing him to more consistently access his power in game. He’s an extremely patient hitter with a discerning eye at the plate, leading to high walk totals and some strikeouts due to passivity. Overall it’s high level swing decisions with above-average game power. He has enough bat-to-ball skills to avoid the three-true-outcome label, but his average will fluctuate due to his flyball heavy approach. Defensively he can handle centerfield and tests highly on the Astros internal athleticism measurements. He has an unusual build as he’s a bigger bodied player for centerfield, but he has the ability to hit and provide versatility in the outfield.”

His MLB Pipeline scouting report notes, “While he produces some of the better exit velocities among Houston farmhands, he also struck out at a 29 percent clip in 2021 and will have to prove he can make enough contact against more advanced pitching.”

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