Tag: josue brito

How Red Sox OF prospect Josue Brito fared in 2026 stateside debut

After repeating the Dominican Summer League and earning the organization’s Latin Program Position Player of the Year award in 2025, Red Sox outfield prospect Josue Brito made his much-anticipated stateside debut this season.

Brito, who originally signed for $20,000 out of Venezuela in January 2024, opened the 2026 campaign in the rookie-level Florida Complex League. The right-handed hitter batted .259/.414/.490 with 12 doubles, two triples, six home runs, 36 RBIs, 33 runs scored, 10 stolen bases, 34 walks, and 47 strikeouts in 47 games (191 plate appearances) for the FCL Red Sox.

Following the conclusion of the FCL season in late July, Brito remained in Fort Myers for roughly three weeks before joining Low-A Salem’s roster on August 11. From there, the 19-year-old slashed .215/.363/.369 with four doubles, two home runs, eight RBIs, nine runs scored, two stolen bases, 15 walks, and 21 strikeouts in 18 games (80 plate appearances) for the RidgeYaks down the stretch.

Overall, then, Brito hit .245/.399/.453 with 16 doubles, two triples, eight home runs, 44 RBIs, 42 runs scored, 12 stolen bases, 49 walks, and 68 strikeouts in 65 games (271 plate appearances) between the FCL and Salem in 2026. He posted a .222/.393/.430 line in 206 plate appearances against right-handed pitching and a .315/.415/.519 line in 65 plate appearances against left-handed pitching.

Among 45 Red Sox minor leaguers who, regardless of level, logged at least 250 plate appearances this year, Brito ranked second in walk rate (18.1%), sixth in wOBA (.406), seventh in on-base percentage, ninth in OPS (.852), 14th in wRC+ (113), 15th in isolated power (.208), 16th in speed score (6.4), 17th in slugging percentage, and 19th in line-drive rate (23.8%), according to FanGraphs.

Between his stops in the FCL and Salem this season, Brito saw most of his playing time come in the outfield corners. Altogether, the 6-foot, 225-pounder made 45 starts in right field and 10 starts in left field, committing five errors and recording nine assists across 94 total defensive chances. He also made four error-free starts at first base and six starts at DH.

Brito, who will not turn 20 until next April, is not yet ranked among Boston’s top 30 prospects by either Baseball America or MLB Pipeline. SoxProspects.com, however, currently ranks him No. 53 in the system. Barring a trade or other move this winter, the site projects that he will return to Salem in 2027, though an opportunity to move up to High-A Greenville could arise if he gets off to a fast start.

(Picture of Josue Brito: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox prospect Josue Brito named FCL Player of the Week

Red Sox first base/outfield prospect Josue Brito has been named the Florida Complex League Player of the Week for the week of June 22-28, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

Brito appeared in five games for the rookie-level FCL Red Sox last week, going 9-for-18 (.500) at the plate with two doubles, two home runs, four RBIs, seven runs scored, three stolen bases, three walks, and four strikeouts. Both homers came in Thursday’s 10-8 loss to the FCL Orioles at JetBlue Park, leaving his bat at 103.4 and 105.4 mph, respectively.

Through 32 games in the Florida Complex League this season, his first in the United States, Brito is batting a stout .303/.450/.606 with 10 doubles, one triple, six home runs, 31 RBIs, 24 runs scored, eight stolen bases, 23 walks, and 27 strikeouts over 131 plate appearances. The right-handed hitting 19-year-old has posted a .389/.478/.611 line against lefties and a .284/.444/.605 line against righties so far.

Among 78 qualified FCL hitters, Brito ranks third in OPS (1.056), fourth in isolated power (.303), slugging percentage, eighth in on-base percentage, 14th in batting average, 19th in walk rate (17.6%), and 24th in strikeout rate (20.6%), according to MiLB.com’s statistical leaderboards.

Defensively, Brito has seen most of his playing time this season come in right field, where he has committed two errors and recorded five assists in 33 chances over 21 starts. The 6-foot, 225-pounder has also made three error-free starts in left field and at first base, along with five starts at DH.

A native of Venezuela, Brito originally signed with the Red Sox for $20,000 as an international free agent in January 2024. He made his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League shortly thereafter before repeating the level last season, slashing .284/.487/.606 with nine home runs and 31 RBIs en route to being named the organization’s Latin Program Position Player of the Year.

Brito, who turned 19 in April, entered 2026 ranked outside Baseball America’s top 30 Red Sox prospects list at No. 40. The outlet noted that Brito’s “underlying data and performance in 2025 was quite good,” citing his standout exit velocities and hit tool data as reasons why.

With Monday’s recognition, Brito becomes the third Red Sox prospect to earn FCL Player of the Week honors this season, joining catcher Franklin Primera and infielder Louis Andujar. Both Primera and Andujar have since received promotions to Low-A Salem, and it would not be surprising to see Brito follow suit before long.

(Picture of Josue Brito: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Who are Josue Brito and Angelo Ladera? Get to know the Red Sox’ Latin Program Position Player, Pitcher of the Year

As part of pre-game ceremonies on the field at Fenway Park last Friday night, the Red Sox recognized their seven minor-league award winners for the 2025 season. Among the honorees were the organization’s Latin Program Position Player of the Year, Josue Brito, and Latin Program Pitcher of the Year, Angelo Ladera.

Brito repeated the Dominican Summer League this season after originally signing with Boston for $20,000 as an international free agent coming out of Venezuela in January 2024. In 43 games for DSL Red Sox Blue, the right-handed hitting 18-year-old batted .284/.497/.606 with eight doubles, nine home runs, 30 RBIs, 31 runs scored, 13 stolen bases, 41 walks, and 32 strikeouts over 157 plate appearances. That includes a .350/.552/.900 slash line against lefties and a .270/.484/.539 slash line against righties.

Among 304 qualified Dominican Summer League hitters in 2025, Brito ranked second in slugging percentage, OPS (1.103), isolated power (.321), and wOBA (.521), third in wRC+ (179), fifth in on-base percentage, sixth in walk rate (26.1 percent), 49th in line-drive rate (23.6 percent), and 95th in batting average, per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Brito saw playing time at four different positions this season. The 6-foot, 175-pounder logged 153 innings at first base, 86 innings in left field, 37 innings in right field (where he recorded two assists), and one-third of an inning at second base, committing two errors in 180 total chances. He also made one start at DH and converted his lone save opportunity in the process of making five scoreless relief appearances (3 2/3 innings) on the mound.

Like Brito, Ladera is 18 and hails from Venezuela. The 6-foot, 168-pound right-hander signed with Boston for just $10,000 as an international free agent in February and made his professional debut in June. In 12 regular-season outings (three starts) for DSL Red Sox Red, he forged a 2.20 ERA (3.70 FIP) with 36 strikeouts to 15 walks over 32 2/3 innings in which he held opposing hitters to a .164 batting average. He tossed 3 2/3 scoreless frames in his lone start for DSL Red Sox Blue in the playoffs as well.

Among 293 pitchers who threw at least 30 regular-season innings in the Dominican Summer League this year, Ladera ranked eighth in batting average against, 24th in ERA, 27th in WHIP (1.01), 43rd in strikeout rate (27.9 percent), 49th in FIP, 56th in swinging-strike rate (17 percent), 76th in strikeouts per nine innings (9.92), and 85th in xFIP (4.12), per FanGraphs.

Neither Brito, who turns 19 in April, nor Ladera, who turns 19 next month, is currently ranked among Boston’s top 60 prospects by SoxProspects.com. They are both projected by the site to make their stateside debuts in the Florida Complex League in 2026.

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