Boston Red Sox Top 46 Prospects

Top Prospects Series

Below is an evaluation of the prospects within the farm system of the Boston Red Sox. Scouting experiences had been compiled with info offered by trade sources in addition to my very own observations. This is the third yr we’re delineating between two anticipated aid roles, the abbreviations for which you’ll see within the “position” column beneath: MIRP for multi-inning aid pitchers, and SIRP for single-inning aid pitchers. The ETAs listed usually correspond to the yr a participant needs to be added to the 40-man roster to keep away from being made eligible for the Rule 5 draft. Manual changes are made the place they appear applicable, however I exploit that as a rule of thumb.

A fast overview of what FV (Future Value) means could be discovered right here. A a lot deeper overview could be discovered right here.

All of the ranked prospects beneath additionally seem on The Board, a useful resource the location provides that includes sortable scouting info for each group. It has extra particulars (and up to date TrackMan information from numerous sources) than this text and integrates each group’s checklist so readers can evaluate prospects throughout farm techniques. It could be discovered right here.

Other Prospects of Note

Grouped by kind and listed so as of choice inside every class.

Catching Depth
Johanfran Garcia, C
Ronald Rosario, C
Nathan Hickey, C

Garcia, 18, signed for $850,000 in 2022. He’s a well-rounded catching prospect with a great hit instrument for a teenage catcher. He is, predictably, extraordinarily uncooked. Rosario, 20, is hitting at High-A, however I don’t belief his hit instrument. He has common bat pace (i.e. good for a catcher) and is an efficient receiver/framer with a 40 arm and floor recreation. Hickey, 23, is a lefty-hitting catcher who’s actually hitting to this point in 2023. He has a 20-grade arm and has allowed 63 steals in 66 makes an attempt as of checklist publication.

Spot Starters
Brian Van Belle, RHP
Hunter Dobbins, RHP
Oddanier Mosqueda, LHP
Isaac Coffey, RHP
Victor Santos, RHP

Van Belle, 26, was a 2020 undrafted free agent who throws a ton of strikes and has a great changeup. He’s been profitable up by Double-A. Dobbins in one other current Texas Tech arm (for those who learn all of the prospects lists, you recognize I harp on this) who has popped after getting professional improvement. Dobbins didn’t pitch throughout his junior yr in Lubbock as a result of he had a TJ, and he fell to the eighth around the 2021 draft consequently. He has a vertical fastball/breaking ball combo (and a changeup, too) that’s about pretty much as good because the relievers within the 35+ FV tier, however I’m afraid of his supply. If he can keep wholesome, he’ll have belonged on the primary part of the checklist. Mosqueda is a cross-bodied lefty who throws strikes with 40-grade stuff. Coffey is among the many org leaders in strikeouts. The 2022 tenth rounder from Oral Roberts (aka Mouthbob) has a cool, drop-and-drive, low-slot supply (however his arm motion is tremendous quick, not typical of low-slot guys) that creates huge lateral divergence between his fastball and slider. Santos is presently injured, however he’s thrown strikes at a 70-grade clip his entire life, and when wholesome may very well be referred to as upon as a result of he has bankable command.

Young Bats
Armando Sierra, 1B/OF
Luis Ravelo, SS
Freili Encarnacion, 3B

This group’s high two guys are the hitters who actually fascinating. Sierra is a righty-hitting nook man who repeated the DSL final yr. It’s a troublesome profile, however his really feel for contact and the flexibleness in his decrease half are each very spectacular for a nook bat. Ravelo is a stocky, switch-hitting 19-year-old shortstop presently at Salem. He doesn’t have the everyday construct, however he’s a fairly good shortstop due to his easy actions and plus arm. He additionally has low-ball energy however poor plate protection, and doubts about his bat saved him off the primary part at this juncture. Encarnacion acquired just a little over $1 million in 2022 and is already a 3rd base-only match who has stiffened; he now actually must rake.

Bench Types
Niko Kavadas, DH
Max Ferguson, CF/2B
Christian Koss, SS
Eduardo Lopez, CF
Juan Chacon, CF
Gilberto Jimenez, CF
Matthew Lugo, 3B

Kavadas has enormous energy however lacks really feel for the barrel. He may very well be a bench weapon just like Darick Hall. Ferguson was a favourite of mine whereas he was at Tennessee, a plus-running, plus-gloved 2B/CF who wanted to get stronger. He principally hasn’t, and is swinging and lacking a ton. He should still have long-term worth as a 2B/CF defender. Koss is a viable shortstop with nicely below-average offense. He may very well be a Sergio Alcántara kind who shuttles round when wanted. Lopez has higher really feel to hit than Chacon, however each are tweener defenders. Jimenez was as soon as manner close to the highest of the checklist, however he’s by no means been in a position to parlay his bodily presents right into a viable swing. Lugo has moved off of shortstop and has been error inclined at third base whereas hitting .234/.259/.398 at Double-A.

Relievers
Grant Gambrell, RHP
Rio Gomez, LHP
Theo Denlinger, RHP
Taylor Broadway, RHP
Zack Kelly, RHP
Maceo Campbell, RHP

Gambrell can miss bats together with his slider and changeup however does so much less reliably together with his fastball, which he doesn’t at all times command. Gomez solely sits 89 mph however has a monster slider that ought to thwart lefties in a slim specialist capability. Denlinger and Broadway are typical fastball/slider guys, simply and not using a clear plus pitch. Denlinger tends to throw tougher, however Broadway’s slider is healthier. Kelly, an undrafted free agent who has been launched a number of occasions, lastly made it to the massive leagues after which rapidly acquired harm. He wanted ulnar nerve transposition in May. Campbell has by no means thrown a suitable charge of strikes, however I really like his drop-and-drive supply and breaking ball form. If he can discover a technique to throw just a little tougher, he’ll be nice even with 30-grade management.

System Overview

This system is extraordinarily wholesome. It has a thick layer of impression expertise up high, above-average total depth, and most impressively, it’s balanced and heterogenous within the varieties of prospects that comprise it. There are compact hitters with profiles pushed by their bat-to-ball ability, projectable younger pitchers, big-bonus infielders with flashy instruments, older school arms whose stuff has clearly been designed in a lab — just a little little bit of all the pieces. With two DSL associates, each of which characteristic a really younger contingent of up-the-middle gamers (most of whom are 17 as of publication), there may very well be one other wave on the way in which just like the enjoyable group of place gamers passing by Boston’s A-levels proper now. This is fairly comfortably a high 10 farm system, and the Rays, Orioles and Red Sox have separated themselves from the Yankees’ and Blue Jays’ techniques in a large manner.

Just as a result of the system could be very numerous in its participant varieties doesn’t imply there aren’t clear developments of acquisition taking place right here. The shorter-levered bats that grew to become widespread within the Rays system whereas Chaim Bloom was there have gotten commonplace on Boston’s farm, and bonus factors in the event that they swap hit. Boston’s additionally had success drafting hitterish SoCal amateurs, and never simply slam dunks like Marcelo Mayer. From Jarren Duran to Mikey Romero, in case you are raking south of Santa Barbara, the Red Sox are most likely on you.

Pitching-wise, the Red Sox appear to favor extremes. There are a number of over-the-top arm slots on this system, or at the very least guys who backspin their fastballs, and there are additionally a number of sidearmers (together with many developed as starters), however there are only a few pitchers with a generic three-quarters supply in between.

It isn’t sufficient to be a .500 membership within the AL East. Is there enough near-term impression on this system to permit the Red Sox to compete inside this division once more quickly? I’m undecided there may be. If Mayer turns into a franchise cornerstone, and each Yorke and Rafaela grow to be strong on a regular basis guys as projected, the lineup seems to be a extra like an precise contender’s, however many of the remainder of the division nonetheless has Boston licked from a pitching standpoint. Shane Drohan is the one potential impression arm with a 2024 ETA. They both want extra guys to progress the way in which Drohan has or to spend on impression pitching.