On Sunday, the Red Sox expanded their pool of pitching prospects through a minor trade with the Pirates.
The Red Sox traded infielder/outfielder Enmanuel Valdez, who was designated for assignment on Wednesday after acquiring catcher Carlos Narvaez from the Yankees, to the Pirates in exchange for right-hander Joe Vogatsky.
Joe Vogatsky, who will turn 23 later this month, was drafted by the Pirates in the 19th round of this past July’s draft out of James Madison University. A native of Virginia, he signed with the team for $25,000 but did not pitch for any of Pittsburgh’s minor-league affiliates, leaving him yet to make his professional debut.
Joe Vogatsky was drafted by the Blue Jays in the 14th round of the 2023 draft after posting a 3.34 ERA in 21 appearances (29 2/3 innings) for James Madison and a 1.42 ERA in four outings (6 1/3 innings) with the Cape Cod Baseball League’s Bourne Braves. However, he chose to return to JMU for his senior season. In 2024, the right-hander recorded a 3.49 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP across 27 relief appearances (49 innings), striking out 48 while walking 23. Opponents hit just .232 against him.
Standing 6 feet tall and weighing 215 pounds, Joe Vogatsky is described by Baseball America as having “a reliever delivery with effort and a sidearm slot that adds deception to all of his pitches.” His arsenal features a fastball that averaged 93 mph and topped out at 96-97 mph this spring, along with a low-80s slider noted for solid spin rates and modest break. Vogatsky also mixes in a mid-80s changeup and an upper-70s curveball.
SoxProspects.com projects Joe Vogatsky to begin the 2025 season in the bullpen for Low-A Salem. It will be intriguing to see if he can take advantage of the Red Sox’s revamped developmental system, spearheaded by chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and director of pitching Justin Willard.;s