Tag: florida complex league

After standout spring, how did Red Sox OF prospect Enddy Azocar fare in 2025?

Red Sox prospect Enddy Azocar made great strides in 2025. This article will examine how the 18-year-old outfielder fared in his first season stateside.

Originally signed by the Red Sox for just $40,000 as an international free agent out of Venezuela in January 2024, Azocar entered 2025 with very little fanfare after batting .266/.397/.309 in 31 Dominican Summer League games (116 plate appearances) last year to mark his professional debut. As part of his first spring training in Fort Myers, however, the Puerto La Cruz native impressed many and played in the first-ever “Futures at Fenway South” prospect showcase at JetBlue Park on March 14.

“Enddy has had a great spring so far and has caught some attention,” Red Sox assistant general manager Eddie Romero said of Azocar shortly thereafter. “His frame will allow for plenty of strength, and he’s already 6-foot-2 at 18 years old. He did a great job in the offseason of getting stronger, and he’s only starting to fill that frame out. So far this spring, we’re seeing a lot of hard contact with multiple [100-plus mph exit velocities]. It will be very interesting to see him develop this year.”

Indeed, Azocar’s development this year was very interesting. Out of the chute, the young right-handed hitter slashed .385/.448/.558 with seven doubles, one triple, five RBIs, six runs scored, four stolen bases, six walks, and 11 strikeouts in 14 games (58 plate appearances) for the rookie-level Florida Complex League Red Sox. He leveraged that strong early performance into a promotion to Low-A Salem in late May.

Upon making the jump from the FCL to the pitcher-friendly Carolina League, Azocar had a rough time of things for the most part. In 71 games for Salem, he batted .202/.273/.314 with nine doubles, one triple, six home runs, 26 RBIs, 34 runs scored, 11 stolen bases, 21 walks, and 67 strikeouts over 287 plate appearances. At the very least, he ended the season on an encouraging note by going 12-for-36 (.333) in his final nine games.

Between the FCL and Salem, Azocar finished the 2025 campaign having hit .232/.302/.355 with 16 doubles, two triples, his first six professional homers, 31 RBIs, 40 runs scored, 15 stolen bases, 27 walks, and 78 strikeouts over 85 total games (345 plate appearances). That includes a .228/.284/.325 line against righties and a far more favorable .254/.373/.476 line against lefties.

Though the surface-level numbers may not be too appealing, Azocar did manage to stand out with his exit velocity gains this year. As Baseball America’s Geoff Pontes highlighted on Thursday, Azocar raised his 90th percentile exit velocity from 98 mph in 2024 to 105.4 mph in 2025. The 7.4 percent increase represents the largest of any minor league hitter with at least 80 batted-ball events in each of the last two seasons.

“While Azocar struggled with the move to Salem — a notoriously difficult run environment — he still managed to raise his isolated slugging threefold between his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League in 2024 and his 71-game sample in Low-A this year,” Pontes wrote. “A 7-plus mph EV gain in one season for any hitter is impressive, and Azocar’s small sample in the Florida Complex League hints at the validity of those gains when facing age-appropriate competition.” 

On the other side of the ball, Azocar saw playing time at all three outfield spots between his stops in the FCL and Salem this season. Altogether, the projectable 6-foot-2, 170-pounder logged 530 2/3 innings in center, 85 1/3 innings in right, and 14 innings in left, committing four errors and recording seven outfield assists in 160 total defensive chances. He also made nine starts at DH.

Azocar, who turns 19 in February, is currently ranked as Boston’s No. 23 prospect by Baseball America, No. 27 by SoxProspects.com, and No. 29 by MLB Pipeline. Barring a trade or other surprise move this winter, Azocar is projected by SoxProspects.com to return to Salem for the start of the 2026 season.

(Picture of Enddy Azocar: Bryan Green/Flickr)

Red Sox OF prospect Anderson Fermin named 2025 Florida Complex League All-Star

Red Sox outfield prospect Anderson Fermin has been named a 2025 Florida Complex League All-Star, Minor League Baseball announced on Thursday.

Fermin, who turns 19 next week, is not currently regarded among Boston’s premier prospects by publications such as Baseball America or MLB Pipeline. At the same time, SoxProspects.com has the teenager ranked 57th on its top 60 list.

Signed for $400,000 as an international free agent coming out of the Dominican Republic last January, Fermin made his stateside debut in the rookie-level Florida Complex League this season after taking home 2024 Dominican Summer League All-Star honors in his first taste of pro ball. Coming off that showing, the switch-hitting speedster batted .283/.454/.377 with seven doubles, three triples, 14 RBIs, 32 runs scored, a team-leading 25 stolen bases, 42 walks, and 35 strikeouts in 48 games (185 plate appearances) for the FCL Red Sox.

Among 65 qualified FCL hitters this year, Fermin ranked first in walk rate (22.7 percent), third in on-base percentage, fourth in wOBA (.428), fifth in speed score (8.6), seventh in batting average and swinging-strike rate (10.4 percent), eighth in OPS (.831) and wRC+ (138), 17th in slugging percentage, 19th in strikeout rate (18.9 percent), and 30th in line-drive rate (19.2 percent), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Fermin saw playing time at all three outfield spots with the FCL Red Sox. The athletic 5-foot-11, 174-pounder logged 182 2/3 innings in center field, 89 innings in left field, and 57 innings in right field, recording two assists and committing just one error in 73 total chances. He also made four starts at DH and played shortstop on the amateur circuit.

Following the conclusion of the FCL season in late July, Fermin remained in Fort Myers before receiving a promotion to Low-A Salem on Tuesday. He made his full-season debut in Wednesday’s 5-1 loss to Kannapolis, going 0-for-3 with a pair of strikeouts while playing eight clean innings in right field.

(Picture of Anderson Fermin: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox promote D’Angelo Ortiz, David Ortiz’s son, to Low-A Salem

The Red Sox have promoted minor-league corner infielder D’Angelo Ortiz from the Florida Complex League to Low-A Salem, according to the club’s MiLB.com transactions log.

Ortiz, the son of franchise legend and Hall of Famer David Ortiz, was selected by the Red Sox in the 19th round (567th overall) of the 2024 draft out of Miami Dade College. The 21-year-old previously played with the Brockton Rox of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League. He signed for an at-slot $150,000 last July but did not make his professional debut until May.

A right-handed hitter unlike his father, the younger Ortiz is still in search of his first pro home run after batting .273/.384/.305 with two doubles, one triple, 18 RBIs, 22 runs scored, 12 stolen bases, 27 walks, and 34 strikeouts in 51 games (185 plate appearances) for the rookie-level FCL Red Sox to begin his 2025 season.

Among 66 qualified Florida Complex League hitters, Ortiz notably ranks 12th in batting average and on-base percentage, 17th in strikeout rate (18.4 percent), and 22nd in walk rate (14.6 percent), per MiLB.com’s leaderboards.

On the other side of the ball, Ortiz split his playing time with the FCL Red Sox between the two infield corners. The 6-foot-1, 190-pounder logged 302 1/3 innings at first base and 85 innings at third base, committing seven errors in 250 total defensive chances.

Ortiz, who just turned 21 earlier this month, is not currently ranked among Boston’s top prospects by publications such as Baseball America, MLB Pipeline, or SoxProspects.com. He will likely need to tap into his power potential if he intends on sticking at either first or third base moving forward.

With that being said, Ortiz is slated to join a corner infield mix in Salem that consists of Frederik Jimenez, Karim Ayubi, Yohander Linarez, Fraymi De Leon, and Starlyn Nunez at present. He will presumably make his full-season debut against the Charleston RiverDogs at some point this week.

(Picture of D’Angelo and David Ortiz: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

Who is Jorge Rodriguez? Red Sox C prospect ‘the FCL’s premier catch-and-throw artist’

In a ranking of the top 25 prospects in the Florida Complex League so far this season by Baseball America’s Josh Norris, Red Sox minor league catcher Jorge Rodriguez claimed the No. 7 spot.

Rodriguez, 19, has opened eyes on both sides of the ball in his first season stateside. The native Venezuelan originally signed with the Red Sox for just $10,000 as an international free agent coming out of Maracay in January 2024. He made his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League last June but did little to stand out on paper, as he slashed .258/.333/.280 (76 wRC+) with no home runs and seven RBIs in 31 games.

This year has been a different story for Rodriguez. Even when taking a slightly delayed start and a chilly July to this point into consideration, the right-handed hitter is still slashing .296/.367/.420 (114 wRC+) with one double, three home runs, 17 RBIs, 10 runs scored, eight stolen bases, eight walks, and 16 strikeouts through 27 games (90 plate appearances) for the rookie-level FCL Red Sox.

Among the 142 FCL hitters who had made at least 90 trips to the plate coming into play on Wednesday, Rodriguez ranked 10th in batting average, 17th in slugging percentage, 26th in OPS (.787), 32nd in wOBA (.385), 35th in strikeout rate (17.8 percent), and 46th in wRC+, per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Rodriguez has primarily been splitting time behind the plate with fellow countryman Gerardo Rodriguez for Boston’s FCL affiliate. The 5-foot-10, 147-pound backstop has logged 93 innings there thus far, throwing out 16 of 41 possible base stealers, allowing two passed balls, and committing three errors in 103 chances. He has also made 11 starts at DH.

Rodriguez, Norris wrote on Wednesday, “is the FCL’s premier catch-and-throw artist, with an arm capable of regularly producing pop times well under 1.90 seconds. His pure arm strength is at least double-plus, with the only knock being how well the operation will hold up against the rigors of a full season.

“Despite a smaller stature, Rodriguez does an excellent job of finding the barrel and producing solid or better exit velocities,” added Norris. “In the end, he could be an average hitter with fringe-average power and the kind of arm that puts the brakes on attempted base burglars.”

Rodriguez, who just turned 19 in February, is not currently regarded among Boston’s top prospects by Baseball America, MLB Pipeline, or FanGraphs. He did, however, recently debut on SoxProspects.com’s top 60 list at No. 44, which ranks third among catchers behind only Johanfran Garcia (No. 36) and Brooks Brannon (No. 41).

In addition to Rodriguez, outfielder Enddy Azocar (No. 13) and right-hander Yhoiker Fajardo (No. 20) made Norris’ top 25 Florida Complex League prospect rankings as well. Both have received promotions to Low-A Salem in recent weeks, and with the FCL season winding down, Rodriguez is likely not too far behind them.

(Picture of Jorge Rodriguez: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox promote pitching prospect acquired in offseason trade to Low-A Salem

The Red Sox have promoted rising pitching prospect Yhoiker Fajardo from the Florida Complex League to Low-A Salem, according to the club’s MiLB.com transactions log.

Fajardo was among the top arms in the Florida Complex League to begin the 2025 season. In six appearances (four starts) for the FCL Red Sox, the 18-year-old right-hander posted a 0.44 ERA and 2.71 FIP with 24 strikeouts to seven walks over 20 2/3 innings pitched. Opposing hitters batted just .134 against him.

Coming into play on Tuesday, Fajardo was one of 41 pitchers to have thrown at least 20 innings in the FCL so far this year. Among those 41, he ranked first in ERA, FIP, and line-drive rate (2.3 percent), second in batting average against and WHIP (0.77), sixth in strikeout rate (31.6 percent), seventh in xFIP (3.53), 10th in strikeouts per nine innings (10.45), 12th in groundball rate (51.2 percent), and 16th in walks per nine innings (3.05), per FanGraphs.

Fajardo was acquired by the Red Sox from the White Sox for left-handed reliever Cam Booser in December. The native Venezuelan originally signed with Chicago for $400,000 as an international free agent coming out of Villa de Cura last February. He enjoyed a strong professional debut in the Dominican Summer League that culminated in him being recognized as a 2024 DSL All-Star.

Upon switching organizations for the first time in his career over the winter, Fajardo entered the 2025 campaign ranked by both Baseball America and SoxProspects.com as the No. 40 prospect in Boston’s farm system. The projectable 6-foot-3, 181-pound righty throws from a three-quarters arm slot and currently operates with a three-pitch mix that consists of a mid-90s fastball (topped out at 97.4 mph with it last Friday), a low-80s slider, and a high-80s changeup, as noted in his SoxProspects.com scouting report.

It is unclear when Fajardo, who does not turn 19 until October, will make his full-season debut for Salem. Still, with another young arm in the Red Sox pitching pipeline set to move up a level and encounter a new challenge, this is nonetheless an exciting development.

(Picture of Yhoiker Fajardo: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox promote OF prospect Enddy Azocar to Low-A Salem

The Red Sox have promoted young outfield prospect Enddy Azocar from the Florida Complex League to Low-A Salem, as was first reported by SoxProspects.com’s Chris Hatfield.

Azocar, 18, has been one of the top offensive performers in the rookie-level Florida Complex League to this point in the season. The right-handed hitter batted a stout .385/.448/.558 with seven doubles, one triple, five RBIs, six runs scored, four stolen bases, six walks, and 11 strikeouts in 14 games (58 plate appearances) for the FCL Red Sox.

Among qualified hitters in the Florida Complex League entering play Tuesday, Azocar ranked fourth in batting average, eighth in slugging percentage and OPS (1.006), ninth in wOBA (.479), 11th in on-base percentage and wRC+ (161), 17th in isolated power (.173) and line-drive rate (25.6 percent), 26th in speed score (7.0), and 28th in strikeout rate (19 percent), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Azocar saw the majority of his playing time with the FCL Red Sox come in center field. Across 11 starts there, the projectable 6-foot-2, 168-pounder recorded one assist and committed one error in 23 chances over 80 innings. He also made one start in left field, one start in right field, and one start at DH.

A native of Venezuela, Azocar originally signed with the Red Sox for $40,000 as an international free agent coming out of Puerto La Cruz in January 2024. He made his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League last June and held his own at the plate by slashing .266/.397/.309 (106 wRC+) in 31 games. He then emerged as someone to watch in his first spring training stateside, as indicated by his participation in Boston’s “Futures at Fenway South” showcase against prospects from the Twins organization at JetBlue Park in March.

“Enddy has had a great spring so far and has caught some attention,” Red Sox assistant general manager Eddie Romero said via email on March 21. “His frame will allow for plenty of strength, and he’s already 6-foot-2 at 18 years old. He did a great job in the offseason of getting stronger, and he’s only starting to fill that frame out.”

On the heels of his hot start, Azocar — who turned 18 in February — now finds himself ranked by SoxProspects.com as the No. 49 prospect in Boston’s farm system. In Salem, he is slated to join an outfield mix that is headlined by fellow 2024 international signee Justin Gonzales, who was promoted from the FCL earlier this month after playing just one game at the level.

Unfortunately, Salem’s series opener against Carolina on Tuesday was postponed due to inclement weather, so Azocar will have to wait at least one more day to make his Low-A debut. The rained-out contest is now scheduled to be made up as part of a seven-inning doubleheader on Wednesday evening.

(Picture of Enddy Azocar: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

What does Red Sox prospect Justin Gonzales have in store for 2025?

After a strong debut season in the Dominican Summer League last year, what does power-hitting Red Sox prospect Justin Gonzales have in store for 2025?

Hailing from the Dominican Republic himself, Gonzales entered the professional ranks at just 17 by signing with the Red Sox for $250,000 as an international free agent last January. He received the sixth-largest bonus in Boston’s 2024 signing class but was undoubtedly the top offensive performer between the club’s two DSL affiliates.

In 47 games for DSL Red Sox Blue and Red, Gonzales batted a stout .320/.391/.517 (140 wRC+) with 11 doubles, four triples, five home runs, 29 RBIs, 29 runs scored, eight stolen bases, 19 walks, and 20 strikeouts over 192 plate appearances. The right-handed hitting slugger was named a DSL All-Star as he helped DSL Red Sox Red secure the organization’s first Dominican Summer League title since 2016. He was also recognized as Boston’s 2024 Latin Program Position Player of the Year.

“He’s a big, strong kid already who has a good feel to hit, a good feel for contact,” said Red Sox assistant general manager Eddie Romero, who described Gonzales as “a big, strong animal” when speaking with MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith earlier this week. “So we just need to make a couple of minor adjustments on his launch angles and things like that. And those really low line drives, we can start getting him to elevate it a little bit more and more and find some gaps.”

Gonzales, who turned 18 in December, arrived in Fort Myers for his first spring training in the United States early last month. The towering first baseman/outfielder has taken well to instruction and already looks larger than his listed height and weight of 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds. He was a late addition to Boston’s Spring Breakout roster on March 13, as he took the place of Allan Castro. Though he struck out in his lone at-bat against the Rays in Port Charlotte that night, he showed flashes of his power potential in the following afternoon’s “Futures at Fenway South” showcase against the Twins at JetBlue Park.

As highlighted by SoxProspects.com’s director of scouting, Ian Cundall, Gonzales pinch-hit and took over for starting right fielder Miguel Bleis midway through the exhibition. He then grounded out to short in his first at-bat, ripped a single through the left side of the infield in his second at-bat, and crushed a no-doubt solo home run over the faux Green Monster in his third and final at-bat.

Gonzales is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 19 prospect in Boston’s farm system. MLB Pipeline has him four spots higher at No. 15, while Baseball America does not yet have him ranked. He is in extended spring training right now and is expected to play in the rookie-level Florida Complex League once that season gets underway next month. MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo, Jim Callis, and Sam Dykstra recently predicted that Gonzales will lead the FCL in home runs this year with 12 in 54 games.

“His combination of raw power and swing decisions will make him one of the best first-base prospects in baseball,” they wrote of Gonzales, who also figures to see playing time in the outfield moving forward after making 14 starts in right and two starts in center last season. He does, after all, possess “plus-plus” arm strength that MLB Pipeline grades as a 70 on the 20-80 scouting scale.

“He’s really intriguing overall,” Romero said. “I know that we’ve played him some in center field throughout the spring, and we’ll do that in extended some and kinda go from there. But give him every chance. If not, he can definitely profile in a corner.”

(Picture of Justin Gonzales: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox OF prospect Enddy Azocar ‘has caught some attention’ this spring

The Red Sox have several young minor leaguers who are slated to make the jump from the Dominican Summer League to the Florida Complex League this upcoming season.

Enddy Azocar, an 18-year-old outfielder from Venezuela, is among them.

Azocar, who turned 18 last month, originally signed with Boston for $40,000 as an international free agent in January 2024. The Puerto La Cruz native made his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League five months later.

In 31 regular-season games for DSL Red Sox Red, Azocar batted .266/.397/.309 (107 wRC+)with two doubles, one triple, 11 RBIs, 17 runs scored, two stolen bases, 18 walks, and 15 strikeouts over 116 plate appearances. The right-handed hitter then went 2-for-7 (.286) in a pair of playoff contests as DSL Red Sox Red claimed the organization’s first Dominican Summer League title since 2016 and second overall.

On the other side of the ball, Azocar saw the vast majority of his playing time last year come in left field. The 6-foot-2, 168-pounder (listed weight) logged a team-high 219 innings in left for DSL Red Sox Red without recording an error or assist in 60 defensive chances. Elsewhere, he committed one error in four chances across 14 innings in right field.

As part of his first spring training in Fort Myers, Azocar has gotten some positive exposure. In addition to what he has shown on the backfields, he was featured in last Friday’s “Futures at Fenway South” showcase against prospects from the Twins organization at JetBlue Park. Though he went hitless in the game itself, the overall body of work this spring has nonetheless been encouraging.

“Enddy has had a great spring so far and has caught some attention,” Red Sox assistant general manager Eddie Romero said via email. “His frame will allow for plenty of strength and he’s already 6-foot-2 at 18 years old. He did a great job in the offseason of getting stronger and he’s only starting to fill that frame out. Enddy showed a polished approach in the DSL with more walks than strikeouts.

“So far this spring, we’re seeing a lot of hard contact with multiple 100+ [mph exit velocities],” Romero continued. “Will be very interesting to see him develop this year.”

Azocar is not currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as one of the premier prospects in Boston’s farm system, though it would not be surprising if he cracked the back end of their top-60 rankings at some point this summer after the 2025 Florida Complex League season begins in early May.

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

Who is Yosander Asencio? Switch-hitting Red Sox OF prospect posted .834 OPS in 2024 Florida Complex League

When searching for under-the-radar Red Sox prospects who could break out to some degree in 2025, infielder-turned-outfielder Yosander Asencio is one name that may be worth monitoring.

Not to be confused with Vladimir Asencio, Boston’s top international signing last winter, Yosander originally signed with the Red Sox for $85,000 as an international free agent coming out of the Dominican Republic in January 2022. The Bajos de Haina native spent the first two seasons of his professional career in the Dominican Summer League, where he slashed .295/.458/.415 over 78 total games (308 plate appearances), before making his stateside debut in 2024.

Asencio, who turned 20 in November, enjoyed a solid season offensively in the Florida Complex League. The switch-hitter batted .271/.393/.441 with seven doubles, two triples, three home runs (the first three of his pro career), 27 RBIs, 23 runs scored, six stolen bases, 25 walks, and 48 strikeouts in 43 games (145 plate appearances) for the FCL Red Sox. That includes a .255/.377/.434 line from the left side of the plate and a .417/.533/.500 line from the right side.

Among the 82 FCL hitters who made at least 140 trips to the plate last year, Asencio ranked 14th in isolated power (.169), 17th in walk rate (17.2 percent), 20th in slugging percentage, 21st in OPS (.834), 22nd in wOBA (.403) and wRC+ (128), 25th in speed score (7.5), 28th in on-base percentage, and 33rd in batting average. Conversely, he posted the fifth-highest swinging-strike rate (21.8 percent) and ninth-highest strikeout rate (33.1 percent), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Asencio saw playing time at all three outfield positions with Boston’s FCL affiliate. The 5-foot-11, 160-pounder (listed height and weight) logged a team-leading 116 2/3 innings in left, 90 1/3 innings in right, and 35 innings in center. He recorded three outfield assists without committing a single error in 53 total chances.

Asencio is not currently regarded by publications such as Baseball America or MLB Pipeline as one of the top prospects in Boston’s farm system. However, SoxProspects.com projects him to open the 2025 season at Low-A Salem, which would represent an opportunity for him to get his name out there more if he continues to produce the way he has been.

(Picture of Yosander Asencio: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Why Juan Valera took the biggest leap of any Red Sox pitching prospect in 2024

The case can be made that Juan Valera took the biggest leap of any Red Sox pitching prospect in 2024.

Originally signed for $45,000 as an international free agent coming out of the Dominican Republic in April 2023, Valera posted a 5.93 ERA (4.67 FIP) over 27 1/3 innings as part of his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League last year. As such, the young right-hander came into the 2024 season with very little fanfare.

Transitioning from the Dominican Summer League to the Florida Complex League, Valera impressed out of the gate in his stateside debut. The 18-year-old forged a 1.79 ERA (3.25 FIP) with 40 strikeouts to 14 walks in 11 outings (nine starts) spanning 40 1/3 innings for the FCL Red Sox. He held opposing hitters to a .128 batting average and leveraged his performance into a promotion to Low-A Salem in late July.

The trade deadline passed shortly thereafter, but not before Valera saw three teammates (fellow teenage righties Gilberto Batista, Ovis Portes, and Yeferson Vargas) get moved elsewhere. The Red Sox, however, elected to hold onto Valera, who proceeded to post a 2.35 ERA (3.54 FIP) with 28 strikeouts to 14 walks in seven starts (23 innings) for Salem to close out the year. Opposing hitters in the Carolina League batted just .120 against him in that stretch.

Altogether, Valera pitched to a 1.99 ERA (3.36 FIP) with 68 strikeouts to 28 walks in 18 appearances (16 starts) spanning 63 1/3 innings between the FCL and Salem this past season. Among the 39 Red Sox minor-leaguers who threw at least 60 innings in 2024, Valera ranked first in ERA, batting average against (.125), WHIP (0.85), line-drive rate (10.3 percent), and groundball rate (56.6 percent), fifth in swinging-strike rate (15.9 percent), eighth in FIP, 12th in strikeout rate (27.9 percent), and 13th in xFIP (3.76), per FanGraphs.

As far as post-season accolades are concerned, Valera was recognized as a 2024 Florida Complex League All-Star by Minor League Baseball. He was also named a 2024 SoxProspects.com All-Star and the 2024 SoxProspects.com Pitcher of the Year.

Standing at 6-foot-3 and around 225 pounds, Valera throws from a high three-quarters arm slot and utilizes a side-step delivery. This past season, the projectable hurler operated with a four-pitch mix that consisted of a 93-96 mph fastball that reached 99 mph, an 85-88 mph slider that featured 10-to-4 break, an 82-85 mph sweeper, and an 89-92 mph changeup that is still viewed as a work progress.

Lauded by club officials for his strong work ethic and teachability, Valera is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 19 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks ninth among pitchers in the organization. MLB Pipeline has the righty ranked 20th on its top 30 Red Sox prospects list while Baseball America has him unranked, though that will likely change soon.

“We’re super high on this kid,” Red Sox director of pitching Justin Willard said of Valera when speaking with The Boston Globe’s Sarah Barber back in August. “He’s starting to get to some pretty cool shapes from a pitch-design standpoint. We’re very excited about this kid, and he’s only continued to go out there and kind of hammer the things that he needs to for his long-term development as well.”

Valera, who turns 19 in May, is projected by SoxProspects.com to return to Salem for the start of the 2025 minor-league season. He should, however, have the opportunity to advance to High-A Greenville before the end of the summer depending on how aggressive the Red Sox are willing to be.

(Picture of Juan Valera: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)