Among the deluge of prospects filing through Portland last year, Sean Coyle might have been overlooked. Coyle, after all, did not get a promotion to Triple-A last year.

But the Boston Red Sox thought enough of Coyle to place him on their 40-man roster. He’s that much closer to the big leagues.

“That cookie is in front of you, metaphorically,” Coyle said. “It definitely makes you hungry.”

Cookie? Hungry?

“I didn’t mean to do that,” Coyle said, laughing over the pun.

Coyle is hardly diving into the cookies this offseason. He’s staying in shape – actually trying new ways to get in better shape.

Coyle, 23, is a hard-working, hard-playing infielder. There have been Dustin Pedroia comparisons ever since 2010, when the Red Sox drafted the 5-foot-8 Coyle out of high school in the third round.

Last year Coyle batted .295 with a .883 OPS – one of the highest marks among Red Sox minor leaguers.

Yet there is another statistic: Coyle played only 97 games. In 2013 he played only 54 games in Class A ball. He has had issues with his knee, elbow, hamstring and fingers.

“The big question mark is: Can he stay healthy?” Sea Dogs Manager Billy McMillon said last year. “When he stays healthy, he’s a real exciting guy out there.”

Coyle missed three weeks to start the 2014 season but still became the team’s home run leader (16). But in the deciding Game 5 of the first playoff series, Coyle sat out with a bruised left wrist, the result of being hit by a pitch the day before.

Maybe Coyle can’t avoid such bruises. But he is still trying to prepare his body better for the rigors of a long baseball season.

“I changed my workout routine pretty significantly,” Coyle said. “I do a lot of things based around functional movement. I do yoga every day.

“Focusing on moving more efficiently and trying to incorporate that into my training.”

Any results?

“My body feels healthier since I’ve been playing professionally. I’m extremely pleased.”

The Red Sox also will be pleased if Coyle can produce over a long season in Triple-A. Then Boston will have another problem. Where to put him on the major league team?

FOR NOW, Pawtucket’s lineup has a decidedly Sea Dogs look to it – Travis Shaw (first), Coyle (second), Deven Marrero (short) and Garin Cecchini (third base) in the infield, Jackie Bradley Jr. and Bryce Brentz among the outfielders, and Blake Swihart catching.

ANTHONY RANAUDO won’t be a part of Pawtucket’s rotation after being traded to Texas last week, but the PawSox still have depth.

And maybe that’s the point of the trade. Boston has five starters for 2015, and Ranaudo was dropping down the depth chart and, therefore, expendable.

The Red Sox sold low. They dealt their prized 2010 pick ($2.5 million bonus) for a left-handed reliever (Robbie Ross) who had a 6.23 ERA last year.

Boston hopes Ross can return to his 2012 and ’13 seasons (combined 2.62 ERA), while Texas hopes to tap into Ranaudo’s potential.

Ranaudo was a respectable 4-3 in seven major league starts. But in 391/3 innings he allowed 10 homers and 16 walks, striking out 15.

TRAVIS SNIDER was a hot prospect at Hadlock Field in 2008, playing for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. Snider was 20 at the time, two years removed from being a 14th overall pick by Toronto.

He hit a career-high 14 homers in 2010, but injuries and poor production followed. Toronto traded him to Pittsburgh in 2012. He hit 13 homers last season.

Now he’s back in the AL East. The Orioles obtained him in a trade for a minor league pitcher.

RYAN FLAHERTY will be one of Snider’s teammates. Flaherty, 28, the Portland native who is entering his fourth major league season, re-signed with the Orioles for $1.075 million.

PETER HISSEY played for the Sea Dogs for three seasons and is now a free agent. He’s also a happy man.

We wrote about Hissey last year, and how he met a young woman during a missionary trip to Ecuador. Since then it’s been a long-distance courtship.

On a recent tweet, Hissey showed a picture with three baseballs, each with one word on it: She. Said. Yes. Congratulations to Pete and Grace.

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