Tag: prospects

Which four prospects did Red Sox trade to White Sox for Garrett Crochet?

The Red Sox bit the proverbial bullet and dipped into their talented prospect pool to complete a trade with the White Sox for frontline starter Garrett Crochet on Wednesday.

In exchange for Crochet — a 25-year-old left-hander who is coming off an All-Star season and is under club control through 2026 — Boston sent right-hander Wikelman Gonzalez, catcher Kyle Teel, outfielder Braden Montgomery, and infielder Chase Meidroth to Chicago.

Gonzalez, who turns 23 in March, was ranked by Baseball America as the No. 16 prospect in Boston’s farm system. The native Venezuelan originally signed with the Red Sox for $250,000 as an international free agent coming out of Maracay in July 2018. He was added to the 40-man roster last November to protect him from Rule 5 Draft eligibility.

After being recognized as the organization’s 2023 Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Year, Gonzalez had an up-and-down 2024 season. The righty posted a 4.73 (4.12 FIP) with 92 strikeouts to 46 walks in 24 appearances (19 starts) spanning 83 2/3 innings for Double-A Portland. He fared better in the second half, as evidenced by a 2.31 ERA (3.52 FIP) in nine outings (seven starts) after the MLB All-Star break. Opposing hitters batted just .157 against him in that stretch.

Listed at 6-foot and 167 pounds, Gonzalez throws from a three-quarters arm slot and incorporates a medium-high leg kick into his delivery. As noted in his SoxProspects.com scouting report, the lively hurler operates with a four-pitch mix that consists of a 94-96 mph fastball that can reach 97 mph, a 77-80 mph curveball, an 87-88 mph changeup, and an 86-88 mph cutter. His command and control are still considered works in progress.

Teel, who turns 23 in February, was ranked by Baseball America as the No. 4 prospect in Boston’s farm system and the No. 25 prospect in the sport. The New Jersey native was originally selected by the Red Sox with the 14th overall pick in last year’s draft out of Virginia. He received a $4 million signing bonus.

Following a successful professional debut that saw him reach the Double-A level, Teel returned to Portland for the start of the 2024 season and represented the Red Sox at July’s All-Star Futures Game before receiving a promotion to Triple-A Worcester in August. Altogether, the left-handed hitter batted .288/.386/.433 (134 wRC+) with 23 doubles, 13 home runs, an organizational-leading 78 RBIs, 88 runs scored, 12 stolen bases, 68 walks, and 116 strikeouts in 112 total games (505 plate appearances). He was named an Eastern League Post-Season All-Star and a Baseball America Double-A All-Star.

On the other side of the ball, Teel was voted as the Eastern League’s top defensive catcher in Baseball America’s 2024 Best Tools survey. Equipped with plus arm strength, the 6-foot, 190-pound backstop logged 655 1/3 total innings behind the plate between Portland and Worcester and threw out 23 of 116 possible base stealers. He also allowed 11 passed balls and committed 12 errors in 793 chances.

Montgomery, who turns 22 in April, was ranked by Baseball America as the No. 6 prospect in Boston’s farm system and the No. 59 prospect in the sport. The Texas A&M product was selected by the Red Sox with the 12th overall pick in the 2024 draft but did not make his professional debut after signing for $5 million since he was still recovering from a fractured right ankle he suffered in June’s NCAA Super Regionals.

Before seeing his junior season get cut short, the switch-hitting Montgomery had slashed .322/.454/.733 with 14 doubles, one triple, 27 home runs, 85 RBIs, 65 runs scored, five stolen bases, 53 walks, and 59 strikeouts in 61 games (295 plate appearances) for the Aggies. On the other side of the ball, the 6-foot-2, 220-pounder saw most of his playing time this past spring come in right field and he was named to the 2024 SEC All-Defensive Team among various other honors. His arm strength grades as a 70 on Baseball America’s 20-80 scouting scale.

Meidroth, 23, was ranked by Baseball America as the No. 8 prospect in Boston’s farm system. The California native was originally selected by the Red Sox in the fourth round of the 2022 draft out of San Diego. He received a $272,500 signing bonus and had established himself as one of the organization’s more unique talents by utilizing his contact skills and plate discipline to compensate for his lack of power.

Meidroth spent the 2024 season with Worcester and was recognized as the WooSox’ Most Valuable Player. In 122 games, the right-handed hitter batted .293/.437/.401 with 20 doubles, three triples, seven home runs, 57 RBIs, 87 runs scored, 13 stolen bases, 105 walks, and 71 strikeouts over 558 plate appearances. He was named a Triple-A All-Star by Baseball America.

Defensively, Meidroth saw playing time at every infield position besides first base with Worcester this year. The versatile 5-foot-10, 170-pounder logged 412 innings at shortstop, 275 1/3 innings at third base, and 137 2/3 innings at second base. He committed 10 total errors (seven at shortstop, three at third base) in 340 chances altogether.

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

After missing all of 2023, how did versatile Red Sox prospect Andy Lugo fare this past season?

Alongside top prospects Roman Anthony and Kristian Campbell, Andy Lugo was the only other Red Sox minor-leaguer to hit 30 or more doubles this past season.

Lugo split the 2024 campaign between Low-A Salem and High-A Greenville. In 108 games, the right-handed hitting 21-year-old batted .263/.337/.371 with 30 doubles, one triple, three home runs, 45 RBIs, 47 runs scored, 28 stolen bases (in 32 attempts), 31 walks, and 88 strikeouts over 420 plate appearances.

After missing the entire 2023 season with a quad strain, Lugo broke camp with Salem in April to mark his first competitive action in nearly two years. He slashed .271/.337/.388 with 24 doubles, one triple, two home runs, 32 RBIs, 37 runs scored, 23 stolen bases, 20 walks, and 64 strikeouts in his first 77 games (300 plate appearances) for the Red Sox before being promoted to Greenville in early August.

Lugo spent nearly four weeks with the Drive, hitting .225/.295/.282 with four doubles, six RBIs, four runs scored, three stolen bases, five walks, and 20 strikeouts in 21 games (79 plate appearances). He was sent back down to Salem on August 27 and closed out his season by going 9-for-33 (.273) with two doubles, one home run, seven RBIs, six runs scored, two stolen bases, six walks, and four strikeouts in his final 10 games.

Among the 21 Red Sox minor-leaguers who made at least 400 trips to the plate in 2024, Lugo ranked first in wSB (2.3), third in line-drive rate (27.9 percent), sixth in strikeout rate (21 percent), seventh in swinging-strike rate (10.8 percent), eighth in batting average, and 10th in speed score (6.2) and wRC+ (111), per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Lugo saw playing time at five different positions this year. Between his stops in Salem and Greenville, the versatile six-footer logged 261 innings in left field, 194 innings at third base, 174 innings in right field, 153 innings at first base, and 116 innings at second base. He recorded six outfield assists and committed 12 errors in 316 total defensive chances. He also struck out the lone batter he faced in the first relief appearance of his career on September 6.

Hailing from the Dominican Republic, Lugo originally signed with the Red Sox for just $10,000 as an international free agent in July 2021. The San Cristobal native made his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League the following June and was later recognized as the organization’s 2022 Latin Program Position Player of the Year.

Lugo — who turns 21 in March — is not currently ranked among Boston’s top 60 prospects by SoxProspects.com, which projects that he will return to Greenville for the start of the 2025 season if he remains with the organization through the winter and into the spring.

(Picture of Andy Lugo: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

How did No. 1 Red Sox prospect Roman Anthony fare in 2024?

Roman Anthony will enter the 2025 season as Baseball America’s top-ranked Red Sox prospect. That should come as no surprise after the outfielder secured the No. 1 spot on the publication’s top-100 list earlier this summer.

Anthony, the 79th overall pick in the 2022 draft out of Stoneman Douglas High School (Parkland, Fla.), was among the top performers in Boston’s farm system this past season. The West Palm Beach native began the year at Double-A Portland (where he appeared in 10 games last September), overcame somewhat of a slow start and minor injury concerns, represented the Red Sox at All-Star Futures Game festivities, and earned a promotion to Triple-A Worcester all before the 2024 campaign drew to a close.

Out of the gate this spring, Anthony batted .243/.365/.392 with 11 doubles, one triple, 13 RBIs, 20 runs scored, five stolen bases, 29 walks, and 51 strikeouts in 41 games (178 plate appearances) for the Sea Dogs) through May 25. The left-handed hitter was then sidelined with rib cage irritation until June 5. Upon returning to action, he slashed .237/.324/.516 with four doubles, one triple, seven home runs, 14 RBIs, 18 runs scored, three stolen bases, 10 walks, and 22 strikeouts over his next 25 games (111 plate appearances) leading up to July’s All-Star break.

Three days before the annual Midsummer Classic in Arlington, Texas, Anthony took center stage in the first-ever Futures Skills Showcase at Globe Life Field on July 13. Competing with seven well-regarded prospects, the 20-year-old overcame some early adversity and ultimately won the competition by crushing six home runs on eight swings in the third and final ‘Swing for the Fences’ stage.

Though he did not play in the Futures Game itself, Anthony kicked things up a notch upon returning to Portland’s lineup on the other side of the All-Star break. From July 19 through August 11, he batted a stout .359/.425/.641 with five doubles, one triple, five home runs, 18 RBIs, 22 runs scored, eight stolen bases, nine walks, and 23 strikeouts over 18 games (87 plate appearances). He was then promoted to Worcester alongside Sea Dogs teammates Marcelo Mayer and Kyle Teel the following day.

Anthony continued his ascent by slashing .344/.463/.519 with 12 doubles, one triple, three home runs, 20 RBIs, 33 runs scored, five stolen bases, 31 walks, and 31 strikeouts in 35 games (164 plate appearances) with the WooSox to close out the season. He became Baseball America’s No. 1 overall prospect when Rays infielder Junior Caminero exhausted his prospect eligibility on September 11.

Altogether, Anthony produced a .291/.396/.498 line with 32 doubles, four triples, 18 home runs, 65 RBIs, 93 runs scored, 21 stolen bases, 79 walks, and 127 strikeouts over 119 total games (540 plate appearances) between Portland and Worcester in 2024. Among the 185 minor-leaguers who made at least 500 trips to the plate this season, Anthony ranked fourth in wRC+ (149), sixth in wOBA (.401), eighth in OPS (.894), ninth in on-base percentage, 14th in walk rate (14.6 percent) and slugging percentage, 22nd in batting average, 25th in isolated power (.207), and 39th in swinging-strike rate (8.7 percent), per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Anthony saw playing time at all three outfield spots between his stops in Portland and Worcester this year. With the WooSox in particular, the projectable 6-foot-2, 200-pounder made 21 starts in center, nine starts in left, and four starts in right without committing an error in 71 total defensive chances. His fielding tool currently grades as a 55 on Baseball America’s 20-80 scouting scale.

As far as awards and honors are concerned, Anthony added plenty to his trophy case in the weeks following the conclusion of the minor-league season. In addition to his Futures Game selection, Anthony was named Portland’s Most Valuable Player, an Eastern League season-end All-Star, a Baseball America Double-A and Minor League All-Star, and an All-MiLB Prospect First Teamer.

On the heels of a successful season in which he reached the top ring of the minors, Anthony could very well reach the major leagues before his 21st birthday in May. Barring a trade for a frontline starting pitcher, he is far from a lock to make the Red Sox’ 2025 Opening Day roster given the breadth of left-handed hitting outfield depth ahead of him. Still, Anthony has clearly put himself on the map as a potential franchise cornerstone with an extremely high ceiling.

(Picture of Roman Anthony: Matt Dirksen/Chicago Cubs/Getty Images)

Red Sox add prospects Hunter Dobbins, Jhostynxon Garcia to 40-man roster ahead of Rule 5 deadline

The Red Sox added pitching prospect Hunter Dobbins and outfield prospect Jhostynxon Garcia to their 40-man roster on Tuesday to protect them from being available to other clubs in December’s Rule 5 Draft.

To accommodate the additions of Dobbins and Garcia, Boston designated right-handers Isaiah Campbell and Bryan Mata for assignment. As such, the Red Sox’ 40-man roster is back at full capacity.

Dobbins, 25, is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 21 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks eighth among pitchers in the organization. The right-hander was originally selected by the Red Sox in the eighth round of the 2021 amateur draft out of Texas Tech but did not make his professional debut until the following June as he was still recovering from Tommy John surgery.

This past season, Dobbins was recognized as the Red Sox’ Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Year after posting a 3.08 ERA (3.04 FIP) with 120 strikeouts to 48 walks in 25 starts (125 2/3 innings) between Double-A Portland and Triple-A Worcester. Opposing hitters batted .237 against him altogether.

Equipped with a diverse arsenal, Dobbins experienced an uptick in velocity this year. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound righty averaged 93-96 mph and topped out at 98 mph with his fastball while also mixing in a newly-implemented 89-92 mph splinker (a splitter-sinker hybrid), a 78-80 mph sweeper, an 81-83 mph slider, and a 76-78 mph curveball that features 12-to-6 break.

“Obviously a guy who had a really, really good season for us,” Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said of Dobbins when speaking with reporters (including MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith) at the GM Meetings earlier this month. “Was exciting to follow the progress — both the uptick in raw stuff across the board and swing and miss and durability and the ability to post. He’s put himself on the radar and it will be an important offseason for him to continue to develop. It would be foolish not to be really excited about what he was able to accomplish.”

Dobbins, who does not turn 26 until next August, still has some room to grow as far as his command and control are concerned. With that being said, he should provide the Red Sox with starting rotation depth in Worcester to open the 2025 campaign and could be in line to make his major-league debut before the season is over.

Garcia, on the other hand, is a little farther away. The 21-year-old originally signed with the Red Sox for $350,000 as an international free agent coming out of Venezuela in July 2019. He is currently ranked by Baseball America as the No. 18 prospect in Boston’s farm system after putting together a breakout 2024 season that saw him rise across three levels.

In 107 games between Low-A Salem, High-A Greenville, and Portland, Garcia batted .286/.356/.536 with 24 doubles, five triples, an organizational-leading 23 home runs, 66 RBIs, 78 runs scored, 17 stolen bases, 33 walks, and 99 strikeouts over 459 total plate appearances. For his efforts, the free-swinging right-handed hitter was named to Baseball America’s Second Team Minor League All-Star Team and the All-MiLB Prospect First Team.

Defensively, Garcia saw playing time at all three outfield spots between his stops in Salem, Greenville, and Portland this year. With the Sea Dogs in particular, the 6-foot, 215-pounder made 27 of his 30 starts in center field, where he recorded one outfield assist and committed two errors in 61 chances. His other three starts there came at DH.

Garcia, who turns 22 next month, is projected by SoxProspects.com to return to Portland for the start of the 2025 season. Unlike Dobbins, Garcia likely won’t figure into Boston’s big-league plans until 2026 at the earliest. He could, of course, be moved in a trade well before then.

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

How did Red Sox prospect Justin Riemer fare in long-awaited pro debut this season?

After losing qualified free agent Nathan Eovaldi to the Rangers in December 2022, the Red Sox received a compensatory pick that fell between the fourth and fifth rounds of the 2023 amateur draft.

With that pick at No. 133 overall last July, the Red Sox selected Wright State infielder Justin Riemer, who was roughly four months removed from suffering a torn ACL in early March that cost him most of his redshirt sophomore season. As such, the Virginia native signed with Boston for $500,000 but did not make his professional debut until this summer.

Having expended much of last winter and this spring rehabbing in Fort Myers, Riemer opened the 2024 campaign on the 60-day injured list and later began a rehab assignment with the Florida Complex League Red Sox on July 11. The right-handed hitting 22-year-old spent two weeks with the rookie-level affiliate, batting .296/.462/.407 with one double, one triple, four RBIs, six runs scored, one stolen base, 10 walks, and five strikeouts in 10 games (39 plate appearances). He was then activated and assigned to High-A Greenville, meaning he would skip Low-A Salem, on July 27.

In his next 28 games for the Drive, Riemer slashed .240/.397/.280 with four doubles, three RBIs, 21 runs scored, eight stolen bases, 19 walks, and 24 strikeouts over 126 plate appearances. Among the 180 hitters who made at least 120 trips to the plate in the South Atlantic League this year, Riemer ranked second in swinging-strike rate (4.1 percent), 12th in on-base percentage, 21st in walk rate (15.1 percent), 29th in strikeout rate (19 percent), 64th in wOBA (.343) and wRC+ (113), and 76th in batting average, per FanGraphs.

Altogether, Riemer produced a .252/.412/.307 line with five doubles, one triple, seven RBIs, 27 runs scored, nine stolen bases, 29 walks, and 29 strikeouts in 38 total games (165 plate appearances) between the FCL and Greenville to cap off his first pro season. At those two stops, the 6-foot, 170-pounder split his playing time between both middle infield positions. He committed five errors in 65 chances across 20 starts (174 innings) at shortstop and two errors in 42 chances across 14 starts (109 innings) at second base.

Riemer, who turns 23 in February, is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 36 prospect in Boston’s farm system. While power is not a major part of his game at the moment, he does possess intriguing bat-to-ball skills and solid instincts in the field. Barring a trade or other surprise move this winter, he is projected to return to Greenville for the start of the 2025 season.

(Picture of Justin Riemer: Gwinn Davis/Greenville Drive)

Top Red Sox catching prospect Kyle Teel led organization in RBIs this season

In his first full professional season, top catching prospect Kyle Teel led all Red Sox minor-leaguers in RBIs.

Teel, the 14th overall pick in the 2023 draft out of Virginia, split the 2024 campaign between Double-A Portland and Triple-A Worcester. The left-handed hitter batted .288/.386/.433 with 23 doubles, 13 home runs, an organizational-leading 78 RBIs, 88 runs scored, 12 stolen bases, 68 walks, and 116 strikeouts over 112 games spanning 505 plate appearances.

To open his age-22 season, Teel returned to Portland this spring after getting into nine games with the Sea Dogs last September. No stranger to playing in chilly conditions, the New Jersey native overcame a slow April start (.213/.333/.344 line in 16 games) by slashing .357/.443/.560 in May to earn Eastern League Player of the Month honors.

Teel stayed hot at the plate as May turned to June and June turned to July. He was then selected to represent the Red Sox at the All-Star Futures Game in Texas, where he went 2-for-2 with a pair of doubles. He remained with the Sea Dogs after the All-Star break and continued to produce, leading to questions about a possible promotion to Triple-A.

https://twitter.com/RedSoxPlayerDev/status/1812529861044363281

Those questions were answered on August 12, as Teel — after batting .298/.390/.462 with 20 doubles, 11 home runs, 60 RBIs, 65 runs scored, nine stolen bases, 48 walks, and 87 strikeouts in 84 games (382 plate appearances) for Portland — was officially elevated to Worcester alongside fellow top prospects Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer. Kristian Campbell, the other member of Boston’s Big Four, joined the trio the following week.

Similar to how his season started, Teel’s first few weeks with the WooSox were tough and likely served as an adjustment period of sorts. He carried with him a .118/.207/.137 line in his first 13 games at Triple-A through the end of August but ended the year on a strong note by posting a 1.058 OPS in September. Altogether, Teel hit .255/.374/.333 with three doubles, two home runs, 18 RBIs, 23 runs scored, three stolen bases, 20 walks, and 29 strikeouts in 28 games (123 plate appearances) for Worcester.

Among the 185 minor-leaguers who made at least 500 trips to the plate this season, Teel ranked 18th in on-base percentage, 26th in batting average and wRC+ (134), 32nd in walk rate (13.5 percent), 42nd in wOBA (.376), 46th in OPS (.819), 69th in slugging percentage, 82nd in swinging-strike rate (10.2 percent), and 92nd in line-drive rate (23.5 percent), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Teel unsurprisingly saw all of his playing time on the field between Portland and Worcester this year come at catcher. Equipped with plus arm strength, the 6-foot, 190-pound backstop logged 655 1/3 total innings behind the plate for the two affiliates and threw out 23 of 116 possible base stealers. He also allowed 11 passed balls and committed 12 errors in 793 chances.

In addition to the Futures Game selection and Player of the Month honor, Teel received a great deal of recognition when season-end awards were being handed out. He was named an Eastern League Post-Season All-Star, a Baseball America Double-A All-Star, and a SoxProspects.com All-Star. He was also voted as the Eastern League’s top defensive catcher in Baseball America’s 2024 Best Tools survey.

Teel, who turns 23 in February, is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 4 prospect in Boston’s farm system and the No. 25 prospect in the sport. Barring him being included in a surprise trade for starting pitching this winter, it appears as if he will be given an opportunity to compete for a spot on the Opening Day roster this coming spring.

Whether or not he makes the team has yet to be determined and won’t be for a while, but Teel is nonetheless positioned to make his big-league debut at some point in 2025 as the Red Sox’ catcher of the future.

(Picture of Kyle Teel: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox OF prospect Natanael Yuten led organization in triples this season

After earning 2023 Florida Complex League All-Star honors, outfield prospect Natanael Yuten hit more triples than any other Red Sox minor-leaguer in 2024.

Yuten, who turned 20 in October, spent the entirety of his age-19 campaign at Low-A Salem, where he got into 18 games towards the end of last season. In 101 games this year, the left-handed hitter batted .243/.304/.380 with 20 doubles, an organizational-leading seven triples, six home runs (including an inside-the-parker), a team-high 50 RBIs, 39 runs scored, 12 stolen bases, 30 walks, and 105 strikeouts over 418 plate appearances for Boston’s Carolina League affiliate.

While a .684 OPS on the season is far from eye-popping, it is worth noting that Yuten slashed a more respectable .287/.338/.402 with 10 doubles and 16 RBIs in his final 33 games (133 plate appearances) from July 20 through September 7. He also produced better results against left-handed pitching (.278/.365/.519 line in 63 plate appearances) than against right-handed pitching (.237/.293/.357 line in 355 plate appearances).

Of the 26 Carolina League hitters who made at least 400 trips to the plate in 2024, Yuten ranked eighth in isolated power (.137), 10th in slugging percentage, 11th in batting average, and 13th in OPS, per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Yuten saw an almost equal amount of playing time at both corner outfield spots for Salem. Across 404 2/3 innings in left field, the lean 6-foot-3, 143-pounder recorded one assist and committed four errors in 68 defensive chances. Across 419 innings in right field, he recorded four assists and committed one error in 96 defensive chances. He also started seven games at DH without seeing any time in center field for the first time in his young career.

Yuten, who hails from the Dominican Republic, originally signed with the Red Sox for $400,000 as an international free agent in January 2022. The La Romana native spent some time on SoxProspects.com’s Top 60 list earlier this season but is not currently regarded as one of the premier prospects in Boston’s farm system.

To that end, Yuten — should he remain with the organization through the winter — is projected by SoxProspects.com to return to Salem out of the gate in 2025. With that being said, it would not be terribly surprising if he received an early-season promotion to High-A Greenville in that scenario since he already has close to 500 career plate appearances at the Low-A level under his belt.

(Picture of Natanael Yuten: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

How did Red Sox prospect Franklin Arias fare in stateside debut this season?

Behind only Miguel Bleis, infielder Franklin Arias stole more bases (35) than any other Red Sox prospect in 2024. As such, he was named the organization’s Minor League Baserunner of the Year last month.

Arias originally signed with the Red Sox for $525,000 as an international free agent coming out of Venezuela in January 2023. After putting together a strong showing in the Dominican Summer League last year, the Caracas native embarked upon his stateside debut by making the jump to the Florida Complex League this season.

In 51 games for the FCL Red Sox, Arias batted a stout .355/.471/.584 with 16 doubles, two triples, six home runs, 28 RBIs, 41 runs scored, 30 stolen bases, 34 walks, and 36 strikeouts over 206 plate appearances. The right-handed hitting 18-year-old then received a promotion to Low-A Salem in late July.

Though he struggled some out of the gate with Salem, Arias turned things around as the calendar flipped from August to September and slashed a respectable .257/.331/.378 with nine doubles, three home runs, 26 RBIs, 18 runs scored, five stolen bases, 16 walks, and 29 strikeouts in 36 games (166 plate appearances) for Boston’s Carolina League affiliate.

Altogether, Arias posted a .309/.409/.487 slash line with 25 doubles, two triples, nine home runs, 54 RBIs, 59 runs scored, 35 stolen bases (in 41 attempts), 50 walks, and 65 strikeouts in 87 total games (372 plate appearances) between the FCL and Salem. That includes a .290/.401/.454 line against right-handed pitching and a .422/.460/.689 line against lefties.

Among the 27 Red Sox minor-leaguers who made at least 370 trips to the plate this season, Arias ranked first in wSB (3.0), third in batting average, OPS (.896), speed score (7.1), and wOBA (.427), fourth in on-base percentage and wRC+ (150), fifth in slugging percentage and strikeout rate (17.5 percent), seventh in isolated power (.178) and swinging-strike rate (9.6 percent), and 10th in walk rate (13.4 percent), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Arias saw playing time at both middle infield positions between his stops in the FCL and Salem this year. In 57 total starts at shortstop, the projectable 5-foot-11, 170-pounder committed 10 errors in 243 chances. In 20 total starts at second base, he committed just two errors in 78 chances. He also started nine games at DH.

“He’s one of these guys that you can close your eyes and you know he’s going to field a ground ball,” Red Sox director of player development Brian Abraham said of Arias when speaking with The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier in July. “He’s a very easy plus defender, which is, I think, what’s really exciting about him. The bat has always been behind, and now the bat is starting to creep up and all of a sudden, you’re looking at a player who does a little bit of everything.”

In addition to being named the Red Sox’ Minor League Baserunner of the Year, Arias was recognized as the 2024 Florida Complex League MVP, an FCL All-Star, and the FCL’s top prospect. He is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 6 prospect in Boston’s farm system and the No. 91 prospect in the sport.

Should he remain in the organization through the winter, Arias — who turns 19 in November — will likely return to Salem for the start of the 2025 season. If he continues to be a stolen-base threat moving forward, it will presumably have more to do with his approach than his speed. Red Sox assistant general manager Eddie Romero acknowledged as much in a conversation last month with MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith.

“I would put him in the category of a kid who has really good instincts and can do things at a very mature level on the base paths,” Romero said. “Because I don’t think he’s a plus runner by any means. I think he’s got good speed and he’s very advanced at timing things, taking advantage, and preparing before the game. He’s just got a very mature way about going into it for his pregame. He’ll know pitcher moves. He’ll know catcher arm strength. I think he’s advanced in that area. He’s got good speed. He’s not a Jarren Duran. But I think it’s that he uses his IQ to help him steal a lot of bases.”

(Picture of Franklin Arias: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox prospect Yoeilin Cespedes taking swings after undergoing hand surgery this summer

Red Sox infield prospect Yoeilin Cespedes posted a video of himself taking some swings in a batting cage to his Instagram story earlier Thursday afternoon.

Cespedes, the No. 9 prospect in Boston’s farm system according to Baseball America, is approximately four months removed from undergoing season-ending surgery to repair a broken hamate bone in his left hand. The issue first popped up for the 19-year-old after he was promoted from the Florida Complex League to Low-A Salem in late June.

Though he was initially considered day-to-day, the soreness in Cespedes’ left hand lingered and led to further testing being done. Those tests ultimately resulted in the diagnosis of a hamate fracture, as Red Sox director of player development Brian Abraham explained to The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier in July.

Because of the surgery, Cespedes will have to wait until next April at the earliest to make his Low-A debut. Still, there is no denying that the Dominican native put together a strong first season stateside in 2024 after originally signing with the Red Sox for $1.4 million as a highly-touted international free agent last January. He then kicked off his professional career by earning 2023 Dominican Summer League All-Star honors and being named Boston’s Latin Program Position Player of the Year.

After being slowed by a quadriceps strain in spring training, Cespedes debuted for the rookie-level FCL Red Sox on May 9 and took off from there. In 25 games, the young right-handed hitter batted stout .319/.400/.615 with 10 doubles, one triple, five home runs, 24 RBIs, 20 runs scored, three stolen bases, 12 walks, and 19 strikeouts in 25 games (105 plate appearances). That includes a .317/.374/.622 slash line against right-handed pitching and a .333/.571/.556 slash line against lefties.

Among the 139 hitters who made at least 100 trips to the plate during the FCL season, Cespedes ranked first in slugging percentage and isolated power (.297), second in OPS (1.015), fourth in wOBA (.464) and wRC+ (163), 11th in batting average, 34th in on-base percentage, and 42nd in strikeout rate (18.1 percent), per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Cespedes saw most of his playing time in the FCL come at either shortstop or second base. In 10 starts at short, the projectable 5-foot-8, 181-pounder committed five errors in 36 defensive chances. In seven starts at second, he did not commit a single error in 30 defensive chances. He also started eight games at DH, five of which came in succession to ease him back into things out of the gate in May.

Cespedes, who just turned 19 last month, has already shown that he has top-100 prospect potential when healthy. Given the breadth of position-playing prospects the Red Sox have in their system at the moment, it would not be surprising if Cespedes emerged as a possible trade candidate as the club looks to address other areas of need this winter. Assuming he remains in the organization, though, Cespedes seems likely to open the 2025 campaign at Salem.

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

Red Sox’ Brooks Brannon among top performers early on in Arizona Fall League

Red Sox catching prospect Brooks Brannon was among the top performers in Week 2 of the 2024 Arizona Fall League season.

Appearing in three games for the Mesa Solar Sox last week, Brannon went 7-for-12 (.583) with one home run, two RBIs, four runs scored, two walks, and one strikeout. The right-handed hitter is now slashing a stout .357/.419/.500 through seven games (31 plate appearances) this fall.

Defensively, Brannon has started three of Mesa’s 11 games at catcher while splitting time behind the plate with teammates Moises Ballesteros of the Cubs and Daniel Susac of the Athletics. In that small sample, the 5-foot-11, 210-pound backstop has thrown out one of five possible base stealers without committing an error.

Brannon, 20, is one of eight Red Sox minor-leaguers playing in Arizona this fall. The former 2022 ninth-round draft selection out of Randleman High School (Randleman, N.C.). is currently regarded by MLB Pipeline as the No. 27 prospect in Boston’s farm system.

Though he received an above-slot $712,500 signing bonus from the Red Sox to forego his commitment to the University of North Carolina, Brannon has struggled to stay on the field since entering the professional ranks due to various injuries. He was limited to just 17 games in 2023 because of a low back strain, then missed the first seven weeks of the 2024 campaign while recovering from arthroscopic surgery on his left knee.

After completing an eight-game rehab assignment in the Florida Complex League, Brannon was added to Low-A Salem’s roster in early June. He then batted 251/.326/.396 with eight doubles, two triples, six home runs, 24 RBIs, 22 runs scored, five stolen bases, 23 walks, and 67 strikeouts in 54 games (230 plate appearances) while making 21 starts at catcher and 13 starts at first base.

As MLB.com’s Jim Callis highlighted last week, Brannon’s development as a catcher has been hindered by the amount of time he has missed. Brannon, for instance, possesses eye-popping raw power and plus arm strength, but he could stand to improve his swing decisions as well as his blocking and framing abilities. He told Callis that those are areas of focus for him in Arizona.

“I’m learning how to hit pro pitching and I’m learning how to catch it too and how to call it,” said Brannon. “Catching is a very cerebral position, so learning how to be an intelligent pitch caller has been a major thing for me. Learning guys, being able to be personable with guys, being able to handle the bullpen … It’s been hard but I feel like I’m growing and maturing more as a player.”

(Picture of Brooks Brannon: Jill Weisleder/MLB Photos via Getty Images)