Fall/Winter League Roundup: Travis, Castillo lead Caguas in slugfest

We continue our weekly roundups of the Fall and Winter Leagues, highlighting performances from players in the Red Sox organization. Coverage will continue every Monday into January. For the full list of Red Sox prospects participating in these leagues, check out our Fall & Winter Leagues page, which will be updated continuously through January. This week's roundup covers the period of December 9 through 15.

Most of the action in the system this week comes out of the Puerto Rican league. Sam Travis (pictured) and Rusney Castillo combined for six hits as they helped Caguas to a wild 18-15, 11-inning win last Tuesday. Travis got things started with a first-inning grand slam before finishing 3 for 6 with six RBI in his only game action of the week. Castillo scored thrice as part of his 3-for-7 effort. Overall, he was 5 for 18 on the week with three RBI. Jantzen Witte got into three games, going 3 for 10 with a pair of doubles and pair of walks. After Alan Marrero broke out of his deep 0-for-28 slump last week, he came back with a triple as part of a 1-for-4 showing in three games. Josh Tobias got back into action, appearing in three games and going 2 for 10 with a homer and pair of runs scored.

After getting starts in his first two appearances of the fall, Hector Velazquez has been getting steady work out of the Navojoa bullpen. He was unscored upon in three innings of work across three appearances this week, allowing just one hit, walking one, and striking out three. 

Marco Hernandez was the only player to see action this week in the Dominican, and it was minimal. After a strong start to December, the infielder did not play between December 7 and December 13. He returned to go 0 for 4 on the 14th.

Panama Winter League
The Red Sox selected Jonathan Arauz from the Houston organization in last Thursday's Rule 5 draft, making him the newest entry in the roundup. He has appeared in 14 out of 15 games for Aguilas, going 10 for 49 with a double and a triple. One positive has been his consistent contact, with only three strikeouts in 53 plate appearances. 

Colin Willis, signed out of the independent leagues in October, continues to get regular playing time for the Melbourne Aces. He appeared in three games this week, twice as a starter and the other in a pinch-hit role. Willis was 2 for 7 with a run scored, bringing his line to .407/.467/.481 through 12 games.