Red Sox prospects Zach Penrod, Corey Rosier selected to 2023 Fall Stars Game

Red Sox prospects Zach Penrod and Corey Rosier have been selected to the 2023 Fall Stars Game, the Arizona Fall League announced earlier Friday evening.

Penrod, a left-hander, and Rosier, an outfielder, will represent the American League in the 17th annual Fall Stars Game at Mesa’s Sloan Park this coming Sunday. The game, which is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. eastern time, will be broadcasted on MLB Network and streamed on MLB.com.

Penrod owns the second-lowest ERA (1.29) among qualified pitchers in the AFL this fall. To go along with that sparkling ERA, the 26-year-old southpaw has struck out 14 and walked eight in four starts (14 innings) for the Glendale Desert Dogs. He has put up those numbers while holding opposing hitters to a .184 batting average against.

The Red Sox signed Penrod out of the independent Pioneer League in August and assigned him to High-A Greenville. Having last pitched in affiliated ball as a member of the Texas Rangers organization in 2018, Penrod impressed with the Drive down the stretch this season by posting a 2.18 ERA with 20 strikeouts to 11 walks in four starts spanning 20 2/3 innings of work.

Listed at 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds, Penrod throws from a high-three quarters arm slot and operates with a four-pitch mix that consists of a 92-94 mph that tops out at 96 mph, a 90-91 mph cutter, an 84-87 mph changeup, and an 85-87 mph slider, per his SoxProspects.com scouting report.

Penrod, who does not turn 27 until next June, is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 49 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks 17th among pitchers in the organization. The Idaho native is signed through the end of the 2024 season, but he could be an intriguing target for pitcher-needy clubs in December’s Rule 5 Draft if he is not added to the Sox’ 40-man roster by the protection deadline later this month.

Rosier, meanwhile, comes into play Friday slashing a solid .303/.391/.382 with four doubles, one triple, eight RBIs, 14 runs scored, a team-leading eight stolen bases, 10 walks, and 14 strikeouts in 19 games (87 plate appearances) for Glendale. Among qualified AFL hitters, the speedy 24-year-old ranks 12th in batting average, 20th in on-base percentage, 16th in runs scored, 12th in stolen bases, and eighth in strikeout rate (16.1 percent), according to MLB.com’s leaderboards.

Capable of playing all three outfield positions, Rosier was acquired from the Padres alongside veteran first baseman Eric Hosmer and fellow minor-leaguer Max Ferguson in the August 2022 trade that sent pitching prospect Jay Groome to San Diego.

After a rough go of things with Greenville last summer, Rosier bounced back nicely in his first full season as a member of the Red Sox organization. In 116 games between Double-A Portland and Triple-A Worcester this year, the left-handed hitter batted .285/.351/.431 with 25 doubles, six triples, seven homers, 41 RBIs, 70 runs scored, 49 stolen bases, 37 walks, and 96 strikeouts over 444 trips to the plate. He also recorded seven outfield assists and was named Boston’s Minor League Base Runner of the Month on three separate occasions.

Rosier, who is currently ranked by SoxProspects.com as the No. 44 prospect in the system, is projected by the publication to return to Worcester for the start of the 2024 season next spring.