Red Sox power-hitting prospect Alex Binelas led Double-A Portland in homers (16) last season

After posting a .633 OPS across 55 games in his first exposure to competition at the Double-A level in 2022, Binelas saw those struggles carry over to the start of the 2023 campaign last spring. Through the end of May, the 23-year-old found himself slashing just .180/.246/.342 with three home runs and 15 RBIs in his first 29 games. He then began to turn a corner offensively as the calendar flipped to June and wound up enjoying an extremely productive July (.986 OPS in 17 games) as well.

While his production dipped a bit again in August (.658 OPS in 16 games), Binelas ended the season on a high note by going 7-for-23 (.304) with one double, one homer, six runs driven in, seven runs scored, one stolen base, seven walks, and seven strikeouts in seven September contests.

Altogether, it was a year of ups and downs for Binelas, who proved far more effective against right-handed pitching (.237/.304/.494, 15 home runs in 270 plate appearances) than left-handed pitching (.157/.259/.294, one home run in 58 plate appearances). He also evidently enjoyed hitting at Portland’s Hadlock Field more than anywhere else, as his home OPS of .955 was more than 400 points higher than his OPS on the road.

Among the 75 hitters in the Eastern League who made at least 300 trips to the plate in 2023, Binelas produced the 12th-highest slugging percentage, the 29th-highest OPS (.755), the sixth-highest isolated power mark (.236), and the ninth-highest speed score (7.0). On the flip side of that, however, he also ranked 54th in walk rate (9.1 percent) and dead last in both strikeout rate (35.1 percent) and swinging-strike rate (19.4 percent), per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Binelas mainly split time between both corner infield spots for the Sea Dogs last season. The sturdy 6-foot-1, 225-pounder logged 291 1/3 innings at first and 229 2/3 innings at third, committing a total of just two errors (one at each position) in 289 total defensive chances. He also made 20 starts at DH.

Binelas, a Wisconsin native, was originally selected by his hometown Brewers in the third round of the 2021 amateur draft out of Louisville. Less than four months after making his professional debut, Binelas was traded to the Red Sox alongside fellow prospect David Hamilton and old friend Jackie Bradley Jr. in exchange for outfielder Hunter Renfroe that December. The deal was met with shock, as it was made right before the old collective bargaining agreement expired and a three-month long lockout began.

Since then, Binelas has shown that he has plenty of power by clubbing 41 homers in 195 games dating back to the start of the 2022 season, tying Ceddanne Rafaela for the second-most by a Red Sox minor-leaguer in that same time frame.

With that being said, though, Binelas has also shown that he is vulnerable to striking out at high rates, especially since graduating past A-ball a few years ago. As such, Binelas will need to continue working on reducing the number of times he punches out, which is something he did down the stretch last season, if he is intent on reaching his full potential.

Binelas, who turns 24 in May, is no longer regarded by SoxProspects.com as one of the top 60 prospects in the organization. He is, however, projected by the site to once again return to Portland for the start of the 2024 minor-league season. To that end, hese next few months could prove to be quite meaningful for Binelas, as he can become Rule 5-eligible for the first time in his career next winter.