PAWTUCKET — The majority of Red Sox minor leaguers were out of work this summer.

The 60-man player pool limited the ranks reporting to the club’s alternate site. McCoy Stadium played host to veterans and newcomers alike, and several of them flashed significant ability.

Pawtucket manager Billy McMillon and pitching coach Paul Abbott were charged with balancing readiness and development. Pitchers like Robert Stock, Jeffrey Springs and Chris Mazza were recalled to Boston multiple times while Bryan Mata continued to prepare for the future. Daily simulated games replaced the normal bus rides and grind of the Triple-A schedule.

The consequences were minimal compared to a normal year. There were no statistics to keep. In-game rules were meant to be manipulated. It was the best of a bad situation with COVID-19 ravaging the nation and the world.

“I’m used to being away for periods of time, but never with something as serious as COVID hanging over us,” McMillon said. “The fact that you couldn’t do much outside of the ballpark made it really tough.”

It allowed Red Sox decision makers like chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom and vice president of player development Ben Crockett to engage in a bit of a diamond chemistry experiment. A right-handed pitcher struggling against left-handed hitters? Stack the lineup and force him to adapt. A position player moving between second base and shortstop? Take him out for early work and make him more versatile.

The following lists some of Boston’s top talent in the organization – with rankings courtesy of SoxProspects.com – and impressions from McMillon and Abbott regarding certain players. They spoke with the media in a breakup Zoom conference Friday afternoon. Both are hoping for a return to normalcy in 2021 and a chance to start on time when the top Red Sox affiliate moves to its new home in Worcester.

Triston Casas, 1B/3B, No. 1, 2018 first-round pick

McMillon – “His discipline at the plate was incredible. His approach was a little bit different than what you see with some of the guys today. He’s spread out. He’s choked up. He wasn’t afraid to hit the ball the other way.

“He definitely has an idea at the plate. I liked how intelligent he is at the plate. He was a guy who really benefited coming up and facing Triple-A and four-A type pitching, and he held his own. He had very good at-bats.”

Jeter Downs, 2B/SS, No. 2, February 2020 trade with the Dodgers

McMillon – “He made tremendous strides defensively. There are some things he needs to work on like his makeup and his confidence – things like that. I think those issues affected how he did offensively. I see tremendous upside.

“His track record of offensive performance indicates that at 7:05 (pm), when the lights are on, he shows up at the plate. I’m hopeful his track record he’s shown offensively meshes with the strides he’s made defensively. If that happens, I think you’ve got a pretty good player.”

Bryan Mata, RHP, No. 3, 2016 international free agent

Abbott – “I can’t say enough about this kid. He’s as exciting, I think, as anybody in baseball. Top-shelf fastball, top-shelf slider. Curveball is above average and an excellent changeup, too. It’s hard to squeeze all those pitches in when the first two are so dynamic.

“Young kid, got a little taste of Double-A last year and the Fall League did him well. But this, for him – he got a ton of value out of this situation.”

Jarren Duran, CF/OF, No. 4, 2018 seventh-round pick

McMillon – “He had an unbelievable offensive camp. Stole a ton of bases, hit a lot of home runs, impacted the baseball hard day in and day out.

“I think he continues to get better in the outfield. As that continues to get better, I think that’s going to help clear the path for him. He’s okay, he’s solid, but you can see there’s some room for improvement there. We did some things working on footwork and routes to balls, and he kind of cleaned that up a little bit. Now for me the question is can he do that consistently.”

Jay Groome, LHP, No. 8, 2016 first-round pick

Abbott – “Seeing how some of the older guys worked was of immense value to him, to see how they did it. He made some adjustments in his routines, in his bullpens, that I think will help accelerate him to the higher levels. You guys were talking about where do we slot guys for next year – he’s going to be a tough one to figure out where he starts.

“Three pitches, smooth delivery, everything is there. Now it’s just a matter of getting in a real setting and a real season.”

Jeisson Rosario, OF, No. 11, Aug. 2020 trade with the Padres

McMillon – “Rosario is kind of like a sneaky good player. Very good defensively – he’s very smooth out there. At the plate it wasn’t sexy, but I’d look around and he’d have two hits on the day.

“He hits the ball all over the place. He seems like he’s a fairly aggressive runner. I think almost every time he tried to steal a base the ball was put in play. I liked his aggressiveness.”

Connor Seabold, RHP, No. 12, Aug. 2020 trade with the Phillies

Abbott – “His stuff across the board is probably middle of the road or slightly above average. The changeup is not – the changeup is a top of the food chain type pitch. But his fastball grades out, carries better, looks better than the (velocity).

“He’s got a little deception to him. He’s a grinder out there in the short time I saw him. He competes really well.”

Nick Yorke, 2B/INF, No. 13, 2020 first-round pick

McMillon – “You can see why he was a high-round pick, and he blended in well. He was joking with the guys. He was interacting. I think if somebody walked into the clubhouse or on the bench they wouldn’t have known this guy was drafted in 2020. They would have thought he was one of the guys.

“That’s a testament to the scouts who saw something there. There’s a lot to like about him in a very small sample.”

Hudson Potts, 3B/INF, No. 15, Aug. 2020 trade with the Padres

McMillon – “He would hit a ball to the pull side 400 feet and then hit a line drive to right-center field. Big, strong kid. He showed a little bit of defensive versatility, too. We played him some at second base. The lion’s share of his work was at third base.

“If you look at him – physically, body type – he kind of reminds you of a Will Middlebrooks. That’s the first person I thought about when I saw him.”

bkoch@providencejournal.com

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On Twitter: @BillKoch25