Zach Penrod was nearing the end of his rope.

The 26-year-old left-hander had spent his entire career toiling in the baseball wilderness. The 6-foot-2 Idaho native went undrafted after playing NAIA and Division 2 college ball and saw his early opportunities derailed by Tommy John surgery and the pandemic. He then spent two years playing for independent Pioneer League clubs based out of Idaho and Montana, and coming into 2023 he decided that if nothing changed this season would be his last.

“I’d already kind of come to grips with that, that it was going to be over, so it left me with the option of enjoying what was left of the year and seeing where that took me,” Penrod said. “And it brought me here.”

With the finish line almost in sight, Penrod’s career took on new life as the Red Sox came calling and signed the lefty to a minor league deal in mid-August. Since then Penrod has emerged as one of the organization’s most intriguing prospects, leading the High-A Greenville Drive to the South Atlantic League championship before emerging as one of the top arms in the Arizona Fall League.

This past week Penrod was named to the AFL’s Fall Stars Game after posting the best ERA of any starting pitcher heading into the weekend (1.29), and on Sunday night he threw a scoreless inning in the nationally televised showcase, allowing one hit with one strikeout.

“It’s been a whirlwind, it feels like things keep getting thrown at me and I’m just along for the ride,” Penrod said. “It’s crazy to think I was in Montana and all of a sudden I find myself in Arizona pitching in the Fall League, I’ve realized how quickly things can speed up on me and meeting those challenges is enjoyable.”

Penrod said the Red Sox signing him came completely out of the blue, saying they initially called to ask for some information on a Saturday and offered him a job two days later. Behind the scenes, however, the Red Sox had been keeping an eye on him for a while.

After two unproductive seasons of indy ball, Penrod took big strides in 2023. He posted a 2.98 ERA for the Missoula PaddleHeads, and Red Sox director of player development Brian Abraham said the organization’s pro scouting team — led by department leaders Harrison Slutsky and Mark Heil — identified him as an arm to monitor. Eventually, when a series of injuries and promotions opened up an opportunity in Greenville’s rotation, the club pulled the trigger.

“Whenever you have someone with a pitch mix, the power, the fastball velo with some interesting secondaries, you try to find a spot for them,” Abraham said.

Penrod boasts a fastball that tops out at 97 mph along with a power slider that can draw swings-and-misses against lefties and a changeup that can hit 91 and get righties out as well. He also has a unique arm slot, and while he’s often struggled with his command, the Red Sox believed those issues were fixable.

“We felt we could make some immediate adjustments and hopefully see some results and we saw that very quickly in Greenville,” Abraham said.

Upon his arrival in Greenville Penrod said he felt completely out of place and that the facilities at Fluor Field were “immaculate,” but you wouldn’t have known it by the way he handled business on the mound. In four starts down the stretch Penrod went 2-1 with a 2.18 ERA, and once the postseason began Penrod emerged as the team’s ace, earning the win in two of the club’s four straight playoff victories, including five innings out of the bullpen in the championship-clinching win over the Hudson Valley Renegades.

Penrod then learned he’d be heading to the Arizona Fall League, which presented both an opportunity to test himself against a higher level of competition as well as a curveball — he and his fiancé had planned their wedding for after the Pioneer League season, but now their big day was set to fall during the time he’d be away.

“She wasn’t upset but it was definitely a bit of a longer pause than I was expecting after I told her about the Fall League,” Penrod said, adding that he was able to take four days off for the wedding and plans to take his wife on a nice honeymoon once things quiet down.

Where it once looked like his baseball journey was almost over, now it feels like anything is possible for Penrod. Abraham said the Red Sox see him as a starter who has the tools to succeed at the upper levels, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if Penrod earned a promotion to Double-A to start next season.

Still, as amazing as the past few months have been, Penrod acknowledges that he still has a long way to go if he wants to make the most of this newfound opportunity.

“There’s a lot of room for improvement,” Penrod said. “So I think this offseason just tackling my weaknesses and trying to round those off so I can make a run at it next year.”

Mayer, others on track for spring training

While many of Boston’s top prospects took big steps forward in 2023, several notable names saw their progress disrupted by injury. Three in particular, Marcelo Mayer (shoulder), Miguel Bleis (shoulder) and 2022 first-round pick Mikey Romero (back), had their seasons significantly impacted if not completely derailed, but Abraham said all three are on the road to recovery and should be full-go in time for spring training.

“All progressing well,” Abraham said. “You never know when it comes to injuries but I think they’re progressing as we hope and we’re expecting them to be fully healthy and ready to go.”

Since the season ended the Red Sox have hosted around 50 prospects for offseason workouts in Fort Myers, among them most of this past summer’s draft class. Though first-round pick Kyle Teel has garnered much of the attention, Abraham said the club’s other top picks, including Nazzan Zanetello, Antonio Anderson and Kristian Campbell, have made a strong impression as well.

“A lot of excitement, a lot of athleticism, just really young and exciting ballplayers that we’re excited to get to see more in game action,” Abraham said.