Tag: baseball america

Top Red Sox prospect Marcelo Mayer shut down for rest of season

Top Red Sox prospect Marcelo Mayer has been shut down for the remainder of the minor-league season, director of player development Brian Abraham told MLB.com’s Ian Browne on Wednesday.

Mayer, who has been on Double-A Portland’s injured list with left shoulder inflammation, will not suit up for the Sea Dogs again this year. The 20-year-old shortstop will instead head to Fort Myers, Fla. to continue his rehab and focus on having “a full, normal offseason,” per Abraham.

According to The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier, Mayer was expected to return to action at some point last month. But upon resuming baseball activities, the left-handed hitter reaggravated the injury — which affects his ability to swing a bat — and has been idle ever since.

Abraham told Speier that Mayer is expected to ramp things back up in the coming days, adding that Boston’s No. 1 prospect will likely take part in the club’s fall instructional program at the Fenway South complex beginning next week.

“We just didn’t want him to play when he’s less than 100 percent,” Abraham said of Mayer. “Ultimately, we felt like having him be 100 percent during all activities was really important for him and for us.”

Mayer, the fourth overall pick in the 2021 draft out of Eastlake High School (Chula Vista, Calif.), earned a promotion to Portland in late May after batting .290/.366/.524 with 11 doubles, one triple, seven home runs, 34 RBIs, 23 runs scored, five stolen bases, 17 walks, and 37 strikeouts in 35 games (164 plate appearances) for High-A Greenville to kick off his second full professional season.

Upon being inserted into the Sea Dogs’ lineup, though, Mayer struggled to a .189/.254/.355 slash line with eight doubles, one triple, six homers, 20 runs driven in, four stolen bases, 15 walks, and 49 strikeouts in 43 games (190 plate appearances). He was in the midst of a 1-for-21 slump at the plate prior to hitting the injured list.

Despite the poor offensive numbers in Portland, Mayer showed signs of promise in other areas and represented the Red Sox at the All-Star Futures Game in July. On the other side of the ball, for instance, he committed just three errors across 323 innings at shortstop with the Sea Dogs. To that end, the 6-foot-2, 188-pound infielder was recently identified by Baseball America as the best defensive shortstop in both the South Atlantic (High-A) and Eastern League (Double-A) this year.

“It was a really positive [year], getting all the way up to Double-A at his age,” said Abraham. “He was probably a little unlucky. He put the ball in play, hit the ball hard, and played a really good defensive shortstop.

“Overall,” Abraham continued, “the chance to get to Double-A where he had a chance to be an impactful player on a team that was having a lot of success, it was a really good opportunity for him to play with some upper-level talent, see upper-levels pitching, and really play as if he belongs.”

It remains to be seen if Mayer, who turns 21 in December, will play in the Arizona Fall League, which gets underway next month. That being said, Speier notes that an AFL assignment “would be a consideration” if the California native gets back to 100 percent health-wise.

As things stand now, Mayer is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 15 prospect in the sport. MLB Pipeline, on the other hand, has him ranked 11th. Barring a surprise, Mayer is expected to return to Portland for the start of the 2024 season next spring.

(Picture of Marcelo Mayer: Alika Jenner/Getty Images)

How top Red Sox outfield prospect Roman Anthony has fared since promotion to High-A Greenville

Top Red Sox outfield prospect Roman Anthony homered for the third time this season in High-A Greenville’s doubleheader against the Brooklyn Cyclones at Fluor Field on Thursday night.

In Game 1, Anthony led off the bottom of the first inning by taking Brooklyn starter Felipe De La Cruz 375 feet to left-center field for his 12th homer with Greenville and his first of the year off a left-hander. Anthony’s solo shot proved to be the difference maker, as the Drive went on to defeat the Cyclones, 1-0, behind seven shutout innings from starter Zach Penrod and reliever Brock Bell.

In Game 2, Anthony served as Greenville’s leadoff hitter yet again and went 1-for-2 with a double, a run scored, and two walks. This time around, however, the Drive fell to the Cyclones by a final score of 7-4 and had to settle for a doubleheader split as a result.

Between both games of Thursday’s twin bill, though, Anthony went 2-for-5 with two extra-base hits, one RBI, two runs scored, two walks, and one strikeout. In doing so, the left-handed hitter extended his hitting streak to four games and capped off a solid month of August in which be batted .297/.391/.506 with six doubles, two triples, three home runs, 14 runs driven in, 17 runs scored, 13 walks, and 34 strikeouts in 23 games (105 plate appearances) for Greenville.

Still just 19 years old, Anthony made the jump to Greenville from Low-A Salem in mid-June after slashing .228/.376/.317 with one homer and 18 RBIs in 42 games (202 plate appearances) with the Red Sox to kick off his first full professional season. While a .693 OPS is far from eye-popping, Anthony produced strong underlying numbers — such as an 18.8 percent walk rate and 26.2 percent line-drive rate — with Boston’s Carolina League affiliate.

As such, the Red Sox elected to move Anthony up the minor-league ladder on June 13 and he has only seen his stock rise since. In 52 games with the Drive altogether, Anthony is batting a stout .292/.415/.574 with 13 doubles, three triples, 12 home runs, 35 RBIs, 41 runs scored, two stolen bases, 40 walks, and 71 strikeouts across 236 trips to the plate.

Among South Atlantic League hitters who have accrued at least 230 plate appearances to this point in the season, Anthony ranks sixth in walk rate (16.9 percent), 10th in batting average, fourth in on-base percentage, third in slugging percentage, first in OPS (.990), second in isolated power (.282), first in line-drive rate (30.1 percent), and first in wRC+ (166), per FanGraphs.

Though he has not posed much of a threat on the basepaths, Anthony had been able to make his impact felt in the outfield. With Greenville specifically, the 6-foot-2, 200-pounder has logged 328 innings in center and 34 2/3 innings in right, committing four errors in 110 defensive chances while recording a team-leading five outfield assists.

Anthony, the 79th overall selection in last year’s amateur draft out of Stoneman Douglas High School (Parkland, Fla.), is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 2 prospect in Boston’s farm system (trailing only shortstop Marcelo Mayer) and the No. 19 prospect in the sport. The Red Sox swayed the West Palm Beach native away from his commitment to Ole Miss by signing him for an over-slot bonus of $2.5 million.

With the minor-league season entering its final month, it seems likely that Anthony — who does not turn 20 until next May — will close out the 2023 campaign in Greenville. On that note, Anthony is leading off and starting in center field for the Drive in their contest against the Cyclones on Friday night. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. eastern time.

(Picture of Roman Anthony: Gwinn Davis/Greenville Drive)

Red Sox outfield prospect Wilyer Abreu homers three times for Triple-A Worcester

Red Sox outfield prospect Wilyer Abreu hit approximately 1,343 feet worth of home runs in Triple-A Worcester’s series finale against the Buffalo Bisons at Polar Park on Sunday afternoon.

Batting third and starting in left field for the WooSox, Abreu went 3-for-5 with two two-run homers and one solo shot. The left-handed hitter got things started right away with one out and one runner on in the bottom of the first inning, taking Bisons starter Mitch White 468 feet deep over the Worcester Wall to open the scoring.

Abreu next stepped up to the plate with two outs and nobody on in the fourth. Going up against Buffalo reliever Paxton Schultz, the 24-year-old again took aim at Summit Street and belted a first-pitch changeup 457 feet over everyone’s heads in right -center field. The ball left Abreu’s bat at 106.3 mph and put Worcester up 7-3 going into the fifth.

Shortly thereafter, Abreu came through once more. After Enmanuel Valdez plated David Hamilton with a two-out double off veteran righty Matt Wisler, Abreu extended the bottom half of the sixth inning by drilling a 1-2 slider 418 feet to right field to give the WooSox a commanding 10-4 edge.

Though Abreu flew out in his final trip to the plate in the eighth inning, Bobby Dalbec (who previously homered) and Stephen Scott went back-to-back off Rowan Wick to put the finishing touches on a 13-4 blowout victory for Worcester as it improved to 24-14 in the second half and 63-50 on the season overall.

By putting together the first three-homer game of his professional career and in WooSox history, Abreu brought his home run total on the season up to 20 in 129 games. That represents a career-best after he hit 19 in 129 Double-A contests last year.

Following Sunday’s memorable performance, Abreu is now batting a respectable .268/.380/.521 with nine doubles, one triple, those 20 homers, 58 RBIs, 60 runs scored, six stolen bases, 52 walks, and 72 strikeouts in exactly 80 games (337 plate appearances) for the WooSox this season.

For as encouraging as those numbers are, it’s worth mentioning that Abreu found himself slashing just .238/.357/.438 through 69 games after a rough month of July (that can likely be attributed to spending time on the injured list with a right hamstring strain in June) in which he posted a .670 OPS. Since the calendar flipped to August, though, Abreu has turned a corner offensively and has been a much more dangerous hitter.

In his last 11 games dating back to the start of the month, Abreu has batted .450/.522/1.025 with two doubles, seven home runs, 18 RBIs, and 11 runs scored. Halfway through this homestand, Abreu went a ridiculous 13-for-22 (.591) with six homers and 16 RBIs in six games against Buffalo and is a sure bet to earn International League Player of the Week honors as a result.

Defensively, Abreu made his 31st start of the season in left field in Sunday’s win over the Bisons. So far this year, the 5-foot-10, 215-pounder has logged 267 innings in left, 219 1/3 innings in right, and 119 innings in center. He has recorded just two errors in 139 total chances while recording a team-leading nine outfield assists.

Abreu is in the midst of his first full season as a member of the Red Sox organization after coming over from the Astros with Valdez in the Christian Vazquez trade last August. The native Venezuelan originally signed with Houston for $300,000 as an international free agent coming out of Maracaibo in July 2017 .

While Valdez has already made his major-league debut for the Sox, it does not appear as though Abreu — the organization’s No. 26 prospect according to Baseball America — is too far behind. Like Valdez to a certain extent, Abreu was added to Boston’s 40-man roster last fall so that he could not be taken by another club in the Rule 5 Draft.

Taking that point into consideration, the Red Sox would not be required to make a corresponding 40-man roster move to call up Abreu if that occasion arises before season’s end. In fact, Abreu’s path to Boston opens up some in a couple of weeks when big-league rosters expand from 26 to 28 players at the start of September.

Unlike top prospect Ceddanne Rafaela, for instance, Abreu has spent the entirety of the 2023 campaign with Worcester, which should play into his favor if the Red Sox express a desire or need to call up an additional outfielder at some point during the final stretch of the major-league season.

In the meantime, Abreu and the WooSox are off on Monday and are then slated to open a six-game series against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders at Polar Park on Tuesday night. Abreu, for what it’s worth, is currently riding a six-game hitting streak.

(Picture of Wilyer Abreu: Photo by Erica Denhoff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Red Sox infield prospect Cutter Coffey finding stride with Low-A Salem

Red Sox infield prospect Cutter Coffey ended the first half of his first full professional season on a strong note.

In his last 10 games for Low-A Salem leading up to this week’s brief two-day hiatus, Coffey went 12-for-39 (.308) with two doubles, one triple, two home runs, six RBIs, eight runs scored, one stolen base, six walks, and 11 strikeouts.

After a slow start at the plate, Coffey has begun to pick up the pace offensively. The right-handed hitter is now batting .222/.351/.343 (106 wRC+) on the season with 11 doubles, two triples, three homers, 23 runs driven in, 31 runs scored, 12 stolen bases (in 16 attempts), 38 walks, and 56 strikeouts across 56 games (239 plate appearances) with Salem.

Among 71 qualified hitters in the Carolina League, Coffey ranks 11th in walk rate (15.7 percent), 29th in strikeout rate (23.4 percent), 27th in on-base percentage, 30th in isolated power (.121), 25th in speed score (6.6), fourth in line-drive rate (28.1 percent), 15th in swinging-strike rate (8.6 percent), and 30th in wRC+ (106), per FanGraphs.

That Coffey has shown a propensity to hit the ball hard is certainly encouraging. Defensively, the 6-foot-1, 190-pounder has logged 252 innings at shortstop and 185 innings at third base. He has also made one start at second base and has committed 11 total errors in 166 defensive chances between the three positions.

Coffey, 19, was selected by the Red Sox in the second round (41st overall pick) of last year’s amateur draft out of Liberty High School (Bakersfield, Calif). Boston obtained the 41st selection in the 2022 draft after failing to sign Florida outfielder Jud Fabian in 2021. The club swayed Coffey away from his commitment to Texas by signing him for $1.85 million.

Like fellow early-round picks Mikey Romero and Roman Anthony, Coffey took batting practice and officially put pen to paper at Fenway Park last July. He then struggled in the rookie-level Florida Complex League (.456 OPS in 11 games) and — according to The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier — had to play his way into a full-season roster spot this spring.

Coffey was, of course, able to accomplish that by breaking camp with Salem. He is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 28 prospect in Boston’s farm system. As was recently the case with Anthony, one has to wonder if Coffey could soon be on the verge of a promotion to High-A Greenville. That may be something worth monitoring on the other side of the All-Star break next month.

(Picture of Cutter Coffey: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox to promote top prospect Ceddanne Rafaela to Triple-A Worcester

The Red Sox are promoting top prospect Ceddanne Rafaela from Double-A Portland to Triple-A Worcester, as was first reported by The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier.

Rafaela was informed of the decision following Portland’s 7-3 loss to the Reading Fightin Phils at Hadlock Field on Sunday afternoon. He did not play in the game.

“It’s very exciting,” Rafaela told Speier. “I’ve been waiting for this chance. I’m happy I get it. I need to go up there and do the same thing I’ve been doing . . . I’ve been working, developing, and I feel very ready right now.”

In 60 games for the Sea Dogs this season, Rafaela batted .294/.332/.441 (107 wRC+) with 18 doubles, six home runs, 37 RBIs, 40 runs scored, an Eastern League-leading 30 stolen bases, 14 walks, and 55 strikeouts across 266 plate appearances. The right-handed hitting 22-year-old initially got his 2023 campaign off to a slow start, but he has turned it around as of late and is slashing a stout .341/.384/.533 (143 wRC+) in his last 34 games (152 plate appearances) dating back to May 13.

On the other side of the ball, Rafaela is considered to be one of the more polished defenders in the Red Sox organization, as evidenced by him being named the club’s Minor League Defensive Player of the Year in 2021 and 2022. This season alone, the versatile 5-foot-9, 165-pounder made 43 starts at center field and seven at shortstop for Portland. He committed eight errors in 163 defensive chances.

While the defensive abilities are undoubtedly there, there are some concerns when it comes to Rafaela’s plate discipline. He struck out in 20.7 percent and walked in only 5.3 percent of his plate appearances with the Sea Dogs this year, though he has worked to improve both of those marks in recent weeks.

A native of Curacao, Rafaela originally signed with the Red Sox for just $10,000 as an international free agent in June 2018. He has since risen through the ranks and was added to Boston’s 40-man roster last November in order to receive protection from the Rule 5 Draft.

Rafaela, who turns 23 in September, is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 5 prospect in the Red Sox farm system behind only Marcelo Mayer, Miguel Bleis, Nick Yorke, and Roman Anthony. He is now slated to join a talented WooSox roster that includes other top prospects such as Shane Drohan, Brandon Walter, Enmanuel Valdez, and Wilyer Abreu.

By earning a promotion to Worcester, Rafaela is one step closer to reaching the major-leagues. To get there, he will need to show that he can handle and succeed against advanced competition at the Triple-A level.

(Picture of Ceddanne Rafaela: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox promote top outfield prospect Roman Anthony to High-A Greenville

The Red Sox have promoted outfield prospect Roman Anthony from Low-A Salem to High-A Greenville, per the club’s minor-league transactions log.

Anthony, 19, is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 4 prospect in Boston’s farm system. The Red Sox originally selected the Florida native in the second round of last year’s draft out of Stoneman Douglas High School. He forwent his commitment to Mississippi by signing with the club for $2.5 million.

In 42 games with Salem this season, Anthony batted .228/.376/.316 with nine doubles, one triple, one home run, 18 RBIs, 27 runs scored, 11 stolen bases, 38 walks, and 18 strikeouts over 202 plate appearances. While that slash line is far from eye-popping, the left-handed hitter has caught the attention of evaluators thanks in part to his under-the-hood numbers.

As highlighted by The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier last week, Anthony has a sound approach at the plate when it comes to pitch recognition and swing decisions. He has also shown that he can hit the ball hard, but his production in that regard has been weighed down by a 49.2 ground-ball rate this year. As such, he is working to put the ball in the air on a more frequent basis.

“He looks like he’s been in pro ball for multiple years versus a guy who’s getting his first full taste of full-season ball,” Red Sox director of player development Brian Abraham said of Anthony in a recent conversation with Speier. “If you can have those foundational areas as a hitter and you hit the ball hard, you’d like to think it will eventually lead to more baseball-card-type success versus some of the back-end numbers that he’s shown a lot of success with.”

On the other side of the ball, Anthony saw playing time at all three outfield positions for Sale. The 6-foot-2, 200-pounder logged nine innings in left, 156 innings in center, and 127 innings in right. He committed just two errors in 61 defensive chances and recorded two outfield assists.

Anthony, who does not turn 20 until next May, becomes the latest member of Boston’s 2022 draft class to make the jump from Salem to Greenville this season, joining the likes of left-handers Dalton Rogers and Nathan Landry. With the Drive, Anthony will join a crowded outfield mix that already includes Max Ferguson, Miguel Ugueto, Bryan Gonzalez, Nick Decker, Eduardo Lopez, and Kier Meredith.

(Picture of Roman Anthony: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Top Red Sox prospect Miguel Bleis to undergo season-ending shoulder surgery

Top Red Sox outfield prospect Miguel Bleis has a left shoulder subluxation that will require him to undergo season-ending surgery, according to MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo. Chris Henrique of the Boston Sports Journal was first to report his news.

Bleis strained his left shoulder while swinging at a pitch in the eighth inning of Low-A Salem’s 3-2 win over the Myrtle Beach Pelicans back on May 30. He was immediately taken out of the contest and has not appeared in an affiliated game since.

Instead, Bleis was placed on the minor-league injured list on June 1 and was sent to Fort Myers, Fla. to rehab. In a recent conversation with The Athletic’s Chad Jennings, Red Sox director of player development Brian Abraham indicated that Bleis was “focusing on building strength rather than baseball at the moment.”

Bleis, 19, is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 2 prospect in Boston’s farm system and the No. 86 prospect in the sport. The Red Sox originally signed the Dominican Republic native for $1.5 million in January 2021, making him the highest-paid member of the club’s international signing class that year.

After a solid pro debut in the Dominican Summer League in 2021, Bleis really burst onto the scene last season. The right-handed hitter broke out to the tune of a .301/.353/.543 slash line with five home runs, 27 RBIs, 28 runs scored, and 18 stolen bases in 40 Florida Complex League games. He also led Boston’s rookie-level affiliate in outfield assists with five.

On the heels of such an impressive campaign, Bleis was tabbed by MLB Pipeline as the Red Sox’ best international prospect since Rafael Devers. He entered the 2023 season as a consensus top-100 prospect and made some waves during spring training by singling off Alek Manoah and throwing out Brandon Belt at home plate in a Grapefruit League game against the Blue Jays on March 13.

Bleis broke camp with Salem in April and had gotten off to a relatively slow start, batting just .230/.282/.325 with three doubles, three triples, one home run, 16 RBIs, 18 runs scored, 11 stolen bases, 10 walks, and 38 strikeouts over 31 games (142 plate appearances) in his first exposure to full-season ball.

On the other side of the ball, Bleis saw playing time in center and right field for Salem. The 6-foot, 170-pounder logged 92 innings at the former and 110 innings at the latter while racking up four outfield assists and committing just one error in 47 defensive chances between the two positions.

Though it is still too early to determine a recovery timetable for Bleis — who does not turn 20 until next March — it’s certainly possible that this forthcoming surgery will alter his developmental timeline to at least some degree.

(Picture of Miguel Bleis: Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Top Red Sox prospect Marcelo Mayer earns South Atlantic League Player of the Week honors

Top Red Sox prospect Marcelo Mayer has been named the South Atlantic League Player of the Week for the week of May 1-7, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

Mayer went 16-for-31 (.516) at the plate with six doubles, three home runs, 12 RBIs, eight runs scored, one stolen base, zero walks, and four strikeouts in all six of High-A Greenville’s games on the road against the Asheville Tourists last week.

After going 2-for-5 with a pair of singles in Tuesday’s series opener at McCormick Field, Mayer finished a triple shy of the cycle as part of a four-hit effort on Wednesday. The left-handed hitting shortstop then had one hit on Thursday, two hits on Friday and three hits on Saturday before closing out the weekend with another four-hit performance on Sunday afternoon.

As noted by SoxProspects.com’s Chris Hatfield, McCormick Field is considered to be one of the more hitter-friendly ballparks in all of Minor League Baseball given its favorable dimensions. That being said, it was nonetheless an impressive week of work for Mayer.

Though his first full season in Greenville got off to a slow start, Mayer has picked things up as of late. He is now batting a stout .337/.414/.582 (161 wRC+) with 10 doubles, one triple, four home runs, 23 RBIs, 17 runs scored, four stolen bases, 13 walks, and 24 strikeouts over 23 games (111 plate appearances) with the Drive in 2023.

Among qualified South Atlantic League hitters, Mayer ranks eighth in batting average, 14th in on-base percentage, 10th in slugging percentage, ninth in OPS (.996), 17th in isolated power (.245), 23rd in strikeout rate (21.6 percent), and ninth in wRC+ (161), per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Mayer has unsurprisingly seen all of his playing time on the field to this point in the season come at shortstop. The 6-foot-2, 188-pounder has logged 193 innings at short thus far and has committed six errors in 72 defensive chances.

Mayer, 20, is regarded by most publications as the No. 1 prospect in Boston’s farm system. As far as top-100 rankings are concerned, Baseball America has him at No. 13 while MLB Pipeline pegs him as the seventh-best prospect in the sport.

A native of Chula Vista, Calif., Mayer was originally selected by the Red Sox with the fourth overall pick in the 2021 amateur draft out of Eastlake High School. Though he grew up a Yankees fan, Mayer forwent his commitment to Southern California and signed with Boston for a lucrative $6.664 million that July

As the Sox’ highest-selected player since 1967, Mayer entered the professional ranks with plenty of hype surrounding him. In a relatively small sample size of 140 minor-league games between the Florida Complex League, Low-A Salem, and Greenville, Mayer has shown why he is worthy of such attention.

Mayer, who does not turn 21 until December, is bilingual and has shown leadership qualities in the clubhouse. He has the ability to connect with both English- and Spanish-speaking teammates on and off the field, which only adds to his value within the organization.

As the Drive prepare to open a 12-game homestand at Fluor Field on Tuesday, more people have begun to wonder when Mayer will make the jump from Greenville to Double-A Portland. For Mayer himself, he is focused on the present as well as the challenge at hand.

“For me, I’m going out there and playing and I’m being where my feet are,” Mayer recently told The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier. “I’m not really going to be thinking about Fenway when I’m in Portland. If I’m in Portland, I’m thinking about being in Portland.

“Obviously, my goal is to be a big leaguer. I want to be there as soon as possible,” he added. “There’s a lot of great players in this organization. So it’s not as easy as just saying, ‘Oh, I want to be in the big-leagues this year.’ But I’m really excited. I worked my tail off in the offseason. I’m super excited for this season.”

Liu named Eastern League Pitcher of the Week

After tossing a seven-inning no hitter in Game 1 of a doubleheader against the Akron RubberDucks on Friday, Portland Sea Dogs right-hander C.J. Liu was named the Eastern League Pitcher of the Week.

Liu, 24, becomes the second Sea Dogs pitcher to earn the honor this season, joining lefty Shane Drohan. You can read more about Liu’s stellar outing — and his 2023 campaign as a whole — by clicking here.

(Picture of Marcelo Mayer: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

First Baseball America mock draft of 2023 has Red Sox taking prep infielder Kevin McGonigle with top pick

In their first mock draft of the year, Baseball America has the Red Sox taking prep infielder Kevin McGonigle with their top pick at No. 14 overall.

McGonigle, 18, is currently regarded by Baseball America as the 21st-ranked prospect in this year’s draft class. The left-handed hitting shortstop is coming off a junior season with Monsignor Bonner High School (Drexel Hill, Pa.) in which he batted .457/.582/.975 with five doubles, two triples, 11 home runs, 32 RBIs, 47 runs scored, 10 stolen bases, 21 walks, and two strikeouts in 27 games (110 plate appearances) for the Friars.

According to his Baseball America scouting report, McGonigle ” has a stellar offensive track record and dominated the travel ball circuit in both 2021 and 2022, on top of performing well against New Jersey high school competition and with Team USA’s 18U National Team. The consistency of his at-bats and production, no matter the competition, places him as one of the best pure hitters in the class.”

On the other side of the ball, 5-foot-11, 185-pounder is described as being “a high-IQ player who is more likely to be a steady defender than a flashy, impactful one. A shortstop now, McGonigle has turned in some above-average run times, but is more of a fringy or below-average runner out of the box. That lack of range could make him a better fit for second base, where he has solid hands, fluid defensive actions and requisite arm strength for the position.”

Because of his offensive and defensive profile, McGonigle has drawn comparisons to other talented, yet undersized infield prospects who went in the first round of their respective drafts, such as the Mariners’ Cole Young or the Yankees’ Anthony Volpe. McGonigle himself has said that he models his game after Phillies legend Chase Utley.

As for why Baseball America projects the Red Sox to take McGonigle in this summer’s draft, one scout writes that the Philadelphia-area native ” has one of the best hit tools in the high school class, which the Red Sox have seemingly prioritized in recent years at the top of the draft.”

Draft writer Carlos Collazo concurs with the scout’s point, noting that Boston has used its last three first-round picks on high school infielders with plus hit tools in Mikey Romero (2022), Marcelo Mayer (2021), and Nick Yorke (2020). The only difference between these three and McGonigle is that the latter does not call California home.

McGonigle, who does not turn 19 until August, signed his letter of intent to play college baseball at Auburn University last November. At that time, he told Dawn Timmery of Fox 29 Philadelphia: “I think going to Auburn is going to help me mature more and get better at the game. It would be a great opportunity to go to the MLB and play with a team. We’ll see what happens in the future.”

As of now, the slot value for the 14th overall pick in the 2023 amateur draft is not yet known. Last year, it was worth roughly $4.24 million. The Red Sox, of course, landed the 14th pick in this year’s draft in the first-ever MLB Draft lottery back in December.

The 2023 MLB Draft will take place in mid-July before All-Star Game festivities get underway in Seattle. In other words, it is still a little less than four months away, so plenty could change between now and then.

McGonigle, meanwhile, will get his senior season with Monsignor Bonner underway later this month.

(Picture of Kevin McGonigle: Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

Red Sox have No. 10 farm system in baseball, per Baseball America’s latest organizational rankings

According to Baseball America’s latest organizational talent rankings, the Red Sox have one of the top farm systems in baseball heading into the 2023 season.

Baseball America ranked the Red Sox 10th in its annual rankings. Each year, the publication “looks at the totality of a farm system’s talent, with an emphasis on top prospects but also factoring in the depth of the organization’s prospect ranks.”

As noted by MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo, the Red Sox have steadily climbed Baseball America’s organizational rankings since Chaim Bloom took over as the club’s chief baseball officer in October 2019. Bloom inherited a farm system that finished dead last (30th) in 2019. They were ranked 20th in both 2020 and 2021 before making the jump to No. 11 last year. This time around, the organization cracked the publication’s top-10.

“Slowly but surely, Boston’s system is improving,” Baseball America wrote. “The group isn’t deep, but it’s led by near-ready first baseman Triston Casas and talented shortstop Marcelo Mayer. Breakout prospect Ceddanne Rafaela and toolsy wunderkind Miguel Bleis add upside to the system, and Japanese import Masataka Yoshida gives Boston a plug-and-play outfielder for its new-look lineup.”

In January, the Red Sox landed five players on Baseball America’s top 100 prospects list. Mayer is currently ranked 10th, Casas is ranked 28th, Rafaela is ranked 71st, Yoshida is ranked 87th, and Bleis is ranked 88th.

That Yoshida is considered by the publication to be a prospect is certainly interesting when you consider the fact that he is 29 years old, played in Japan for seven seasons, and signed a five-year, $90 million contract with Boston in December. Other experts within the industry, such as Keith Law of The Athletic, do not view Yoshida as a prospect even though he is a rookie with no major-league experience.

Taking that into consideration, though, Yoshida will likely graduate from his prospect status before long since he projects to be Boston’s starting left fielder. The same can be said for Triston Casas after the 23-year-old first baseman debuted last September. Right-hander Brayan Bello, who pitched 57 1/3 innings last season, has already graduated from his prospect status after exceeding his rookie limits in 2022.

Finishing in front of the Red Sox in this year’s preseason organizational rankings are the Orioles, Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Guardians, Mets, Rays, Nationals, Reds, and Cardinals. Rounding out the top-15 are the Pirates, Rangers, Brewers, Rockies, and Yankees. The only other American League East team not yet mentioned, the Blue Jays, were ranked 17th.

(Picture of Wilyer Abreu, Matthew Lugo, and Ceddanne Rafaela: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)