Ex-Red Sox Slugger Latches On With New Team After Electing Free Agency

Boston lost a quality depth piece to start the month

Scott Neville | Jun 11, 2023

Ex-Red Sox Slugger Latches On With New Team After Electing Free Agency /

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The Boston Red Sox recently lost some organizational depth by refusing to call up an offensive-minded catcher who quickly became a fan favorite in spring training.

Many veterans around the league who sign minor league deals seek opt-out clauses early in the season to ensure they will be in a position to get called back up to the big leagues.

Boston signed a few of these deals, one of which was with catcher Jorge Alfaro. The 30-year-old impressed with his bat in Triple-A Worcester but was trapped behind Connor Wong and Reese McGuire. There were also many concerns about his abilities behind the plate.

After a couple of months with the WooSox, Alfaro accepted his June 1 opt-out and now has a new club.

Alfaro signed with the Colorado Rockies on Saturday and was placed in a familiar position -- Triple-A.

Alfaro hit .320 with 21 extra-base hits including six home runs, 30 RBIs and a .886 OPS in 43 games for the WooSox this season. His production warrents an opportunity in Major League Baseball but the Rockies were an odd choice.

The Rockies currently roster three catchers -- Elias Díaz, Brian Serven and Austin Wynns -- on the 26-man roster. Alfaro does not appear to be on the 40-man roster either, meaning he might have placed himself in an even less advantageous positon than he was in with the Red Sox.

Alfaro was not on Boston's 40-man roster but was seen as a fringe player and the third catcher in the organization. In Colorado, he's fourth at best.

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Published Jun 11, 2023

SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the Boston Red Sox for Sports Illustrated's new page "Inside The Red Sox." Before starting "Inside The Red Sox", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer. His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join the Sports Illustrated Media Group in his current endeavor as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Red Sox" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu