2025 Prospects

[sk7326]

ESPN (Kiley McDaniel) revised Sox Top 10 - considering Mayer a graduate, Anthony not (for now)

1. Roman Anthony

2. Franklin Arias

3. Password

4. Luis Perales

5. Juan Valera

6. James Tibbs

7. Kyson Weatherspoon

8. Dorian Soto

9. Payton Tolle

10. Connelly Early

he has Ayenson and Phillips cracking the Top 20 

[Larry Cook]

The 2025 college pitchers on day 2, may be actually worse than the 2024 day 2 college pitchers we took!!!

[mvp 78]

26 minutes ago, Larry Cook said:

The 2025 college pitchers on day 2, may be actually worse than the 2024 day 2 college pitchers we took!!!

Sprague has been good.

Bouchard drafted with TJS, has not pitched

Tolbert got TJS in March '25

Tygart had a shoulder injury in April and may be out for the year

Brooks, Gartrell, Kilander and Hansen have all been underwhelming to say the least. I don't know what to really expect though. Every once in a while, you'll get a Kutter Crawford, but the picks are just a shot in the dark the further you go along. After round 10, the success rate is pretty abysmal even in the Bloom/DD/Ben/Theo days. 

 

[moonslav59]

6 hours ago, sk7326 said:

ESPN (Kiley McDaniel) revised Sox Top 10 - considering Mayer a graduate, Anthony not (for now)

1. Roman Anthony

2. Franklin Arias

3. Password

4. Luis Perales

5. Juan Valera

6. James Tibbs

7. Kyson Weatherspoon

8. Dorian Soto

9. Payton Tolle

10. Connelly Early

he has Ayenson and Phillips cracking the Top 20 

Kinda rough on Tolle.

[moonslav59]

Top Pitchers on the farm:

Tolle, Perales, Clarke, Valera

Early, Sandlin, Witherspoon

Paez, Rivera, Monegro, Phillips

Uberstine, Mullins, Wehunt

Delzine, Cason, Holobetz, Eyanson

Ingrassia, J Bello, D Reyes, Foutch

Good job, Brez (not all his guys.)

[Larry Cook]

1 hour ago, moonslav59 said:

Top Pitchers on the farm:

Tolle, Perales, Clarke, Valera

Early, Sandlin, Witherspoon

Paez, Rivera, Monegro, Phillips

Uberstine, Mullins, Wehunt

Delzine, Cason, Holobetz, Eyanson

Ingrassia, J Bello, D Reyes, Foutch

Good job, Brez (not all his guys.)

 Valera and Clarke and pre injury perales have amazing stuff!!!

Witherspoon has a funky delivery. Should be interesting to see if the Sox tinker with it 

[moonslav59]

1 hour ago, Larry Cook said:

 Valera and Clarke and pre injury perales have amazing stuff!!!

Witherspoon has a funky delivery. Should be interesting to see if the Sox tinker with it 

He's got a hot fastball and nice secondary pitches, already. 

They have a lot to start with.

[mvp 78]

14 hours ago, moonslav59 said:

Kinda rough on Tolle.

I don't know how you could rank him lower than Valera and Witherspoon at this point. 

[Larry Cook]

37 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

I don't know how you could rank him lower than Valera and Witherspoon at this point. 

I for one am not sold on Tolle yet!! The velocity on the fastball is insane and the low arm angle gives it a deception and wicked movement that hitters cannot seem to pick up!!! This is a great pitch to get hitters out!!!  But after you get past the fastball, can he get consistent strikes with the secondary pitches??? 
the jury is still out for me!!

[mvp 78]

47 minutes ago, Larry Cook said:

I for one am not sold on Tolle yet!! The velocity on the fastball is insane and the low arm angle gives it a deception and wicked movement that hitters cannot seem to pick up!!! This is a great pitch to get hitters out!!!  But after you get past the fastball, can he get consistent strikes with the secondary pitches??? 
the jury is still out for me!!

You don't need to be sold on him, but he's producing at AA, which is more than what Valera and Witherspoon have done and has one plus plus pitch. 

[moonslav59]

1 hour ago, Larry Cook said:

I for one am not sold on Tolle yet!! The velocity on the fastball is insane and the low arm angle gives it a deception and wicked movement that hitters cannot seem to pick up!!! This is a great pitch to get hitters out!!!  But after you get past the fastball, can he get consistent strikes with the secondary pitches??? 
the jury is still out for me!!

But the jury is in on Valara and Whitherspoon? (Even Perales is a BIG Q)

[Larry Cook]

Valera is 19! No one knows if he develops into a major leaguer! He has better stuff and control than winkleman, but that is not a guarantee!! When Valera is pitching well, he is amazing!!!

witherspoon is a wait until 2026 decision. He should start in Greenville and be in Portland by June!!! I watched Witherspoon go toe to toe with Kade Anderson this past season and he kept the lsu hitters off balance for a while, but eventually the relentless lsu line up ate him up!!! But I was super impressed by the kid at his fight and determination in that game!!!

[sk7326]

5 hours ago, moonslav59 said:

But the jury is in on Valara and Whitherspoon? (Even Perales is a BIG Q)

Witherspoon's success at the SEC is notable ... the SEC is probably closer to AA-level competition as it is, and his secondary stuff is rated higher already.  Tolle is super interesting, but almost his entire outlook is driven by whether he develops any secondary stuff at all.  I can see a more bearish outlook. (and 9th in this system is not all that bearish)  

[sk7326]

The Athletic's recap of the Sox class: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6498722/2025/07/18/al-east-draft-grades-picks-mlb-2025/?source=emp_shared_article

Quote

 

The Red Sox dramatically changed course in this year’s draft, taking pitchers with 14 of their 21 selections, including first-rounder Kyson Witherspoon (1). The Oklahoma right-hander had a tremendous season and was the top righty on my board, working at 95-97 and holding his velocity deep into games. He has a five-pitch arsenal that includes a slider, cutter and an underused changeup that I think will be an above-average pitch for him. Some teams were scared by his unorthodox delivery, which is very short and has a weird move after he separates his hands, but so far he’s had no issues repeating it or throwing plenty of strikes. He looks like at least a mid-rotation starter.

Tennessee right-hander Marcus Phillips (1A) was the Vols’ No. 2 starter this spring behind Liam Doyle; he’s a lower-slot guy who works mostly with a sinker at 95-98 and a hard slider that’s at least above-average, with some platoon split already that is exacerbated by pitch selection. He has a fringy changeup that he doesn’t use much, throwing the slider and cutter more to lefties and giving up more hard contact. There are some similarities in the profile to Tanner Houck, who improved when the Red Sox gave him a splitter, although Phillips is bigger and more athletic.

Virginia second baseman Henry Godbout (2C) was a draft model darling because he doesn’t strike out and rarely whiffs on fastballs. There’s more power in there than he’s shown — he never hit 10 homers in any season in college — and I bet Boston has plans to rework his swing to get him to his 15-18 homer-potential.

LSU righty Anthony Eyanson (3) was another draft model darling, this time because of pitch shape data on his breaking stuff, notably his plus slider. He’s 93-94 and has hit 98, but the fastball plays down because it’s very straight. I still think this is tremendous value in the third round because of the slider and the success he had in the SEC this year, even if the Red Sox need to try to give him a sinker or cutter.

Arizona shortstop Mason White (4) swings at everything, but when he hits it, he hits it hard, ending the season with 20 homers and a 50 percent hard-hit rate. He might stick at shortstop as well if he can moderate how he plays, as he has the physical tools to do it, just playing too aggressively and making mistakes as a result. Arkansas righty Christian Foutch (5) is 96-98 and has hit 100 in the Hogs’ bullpen, with a 55 changeup his primary offspeed pitch. It’s probably 45 control in the end, and he has late-game reliever upside.

Georgia right-hander Leighton Finley (6) worked as a starter this year but averaged less than five innings per appearance, with a 4.85 ERA and 12 homers allowed in 68 innings. It’s a high-effort delivery with no windup, definitely a reliever in the future, and he’s sat 93-95 with an above-average slider and fringy changeup. I believe I read that he was sent down from Eton after Gussie Fink-Nottle dared him to pinch a constable’s helmet as they walked alongside the Thames.

Texas A&M’s Myles Patton (7) is a finesse lefty who sat 89-90 for the Aggies with a fringy slider as a starter, giving up too much hard contact, especially to fellow lefties. Old Dominion lefty Dylan Brown (8) is also a finesse guy, with a little better command than Patton and a better slider, gaining some deception from some slight crossfire action in the delivery.

LSU righty Jacob Mayers (9) has been up to 102 with a slider up to 90, coming from a high three-quarters slot, but he barely pitched this spring because he can’t find the plate — he walked 20 in 15 innings for the Tigers, and six more in six innings in summer ball.

Kansas State shortstop Maximus Martin (10) transferred from Rutgers to Georgia State to KSU. He hit .320/.420/.612 this year for the Wildcats and tripled his career home run total. He struggles against anything that’s not a fastball, with whiff rates of 40 percent and up against sliders, curves and changeups.

 

 

[moonslav59]

1 hour ago, sk7326 said:

Witherspoon's success at the SEC is notable ... the SEC is probably closer to AA-level competition as it is, and his secondary stuff is rated higher already.  Tolle is super interesting, but almost his entire outlook is driven by whether he develops any secondary stuff at all.  I can see a more bearish outlook. (and 9th in this system is not all that bearish)  

He's number 3 on soxprospects.com, right now, and that is before Anthony or Mayer graduate.

Tolle does have 63 IP, already, so his sample size is getting significan't but I agree, not yet definitive, but why is Valera ahead of him? 

I don't think SEC ball is the same as AA, but Tolle played college ball, too- not in the SEC, but still...

IMO, Perales remains our bext pitching prospects, and assuming we view Dobbins & Fitts as graduated, here is my order:

1. Perales

2. Tolle

3. Whitherspoon

4. Clarke

5. Valera

6. Early

7. Phillips

8. Sandlin

9. Eyanson

10. Delzine/Fajardo

[Larry Cook]

3 hours ago, moonslav59 said:

He's number 3 on soxprospects.com, right now, and that is before Anthony or Mayer graduate.

Tolle does have 63 IP, already, so his sample size is getting significan't but I agree, not yet definitive, but why is Valera ahead of him? 

I don't think SEC ball is the same as AA, but Tolle played college ball, too- not in the SEC, but still...

IMO, Perales remains our bext pitching prospects, and assuming we view Dobbins & Fitts as graduated, here is my order:

1. Perales

2. Tolle

3. Whitherspoon

4. Clarke

5. Valera

6. Early

7. Phillips

8. Sandlin

9. Eyanson

10. Delzine/Fajardo

I would slide eyanson over Sandlin 

[moonslav59]

36 minutes ago, Larry Cook said:

I would slide eyanson over Sandlin 

I think I agree.

I edited and moved Sandlin down 1, I shoulda done two slots.

[Larry Cook]

Tolle went 4 innings today. He gave up 3 hits and one of the hits was a tater. He walked 1, gave up 2 earned run and struck out 5. He had 15 swing and misses on only 64 pitches!!! 

[moonslav59]

Kyson Witherspoon signs for $5M bonus. (The slot was $5.11M.)

With the 15th pick, the Sox drafted and signed a consensus top 10 player for slightly under slot.

Fangraphs had him 6th, BA had him going 7th and Keith Law & MLB.com had him 10th.

[Larry Cook]

Early went 5.2 innings. 3 hits. 1 earned run on a tater, zero walks and 6 strike outs. 
18 swing and misses on 73 pitches. Wow!!!!

[Hugh2]

On 7/17/2025 at 2:26 PM, Larry Cook said:

The 2025 college pitchers on day 2, may be actually worse than the 2024 day 2 college pitchers we took!!!

well i mean, even organizations that draft pitchers well don't draft too many studs on day two but I get what you're saying. 

At the end of the day, we don't know what the team sees in these guys.  I remember Payton Tolle was a very polarizing pick last year and now he's the 47th ranked prospect in all of baseball.  

Day two last year also looks good because of Brandon Clarke now.   But for what it's worth Clarke was ranked 177th by BA last year.  in rounds 4-10 Sox took pitchers ranked 258, 357, 157, 226, 304, 184. 

I think we just have to wait and see with those guys.  Pitchers in general, I think a lot of these guys won't even pitch this year, and those who do may only be a few innings. 

[Hugh2]

a day two guy I'm intrigued by is Jacob Mayers, odds are against him of ever becoming a guy but it sounds like he has elite stuff but just zero control. 

If the Sox can get him to learn how to command his pitches, he might end up being the steal of the draft on day 2. 

[mvp 78]

1 hour ago, Hugh2 said:

well i mean, even organizations that draft pitchers well don't draft too many studs on day two but I get what you're saying. 

At the end of the day, we don't know what the team sees in these guys.  I remember Payton Tolle was a very polarizing pick last year and now he's the 47th ranked prospect in all of baseball.  

Day two last year also looks good because of Brandon Clarke now.   But for what it's worth Clarke was ranked 177th by BA last year.  in rounds 4-10 Sox took pitchers ranked 258, 357, 157, 226, 304, 184. 

I think we just have to wait and see with those guys.  Pitchers in general, I think a lot of these guys won't even pitch this year, and those who do may only be a few innings. 

I believe there were only 2 days for the draft this year and three days of the draft last year. By "day two guys," I assumed the OP meant rounds 11-20. 

[mvp 78]

Last year, day two was rounds 3 - 10. 

Neely: hurt all season

Clarke: great

Aita: very good in SAL and GRE

Cason: hurt all season

Futrell: very good in SAL

Aside from the injuries, the pitchers in those rounds were good picks. I think Neely will end up working out. Cason is a shot in the dark, but the signed him for the upside. Maybe he winds up being Trey Ball? Maybe he figures it out? 

 

[Hugh2]

13 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

I believe there were only 2 days for the draft this year and three days of the draft last year. By "day two guys," I assumed the OP meant rounds 11-20. 

What rounds happened on day two last year? I thought it was rounds 3-10, was it not?

[mvp 78]

37 minutes ago, Hugh2 said:

What rounds happened on day two last year? I thought it was rounds 3-10, was it not?

Yes, but I assumed Larry was talking about other rounds when he said "the 2025 college pitchers on day 2, may be actually worse than the 2024 day 2 college pitchers we took!!!" Aita, Clarke and Futrell have been very good so far. Cason and Neely just got injured. This is much better than we got out of the Bloom pitching in those rounds (Duffy, Weins, O'Donnell, Ammons, Rogers, Dean, Bolden, Brand, Olds, Litwicki, Hoppe, Coffey: Not Good. Early, Wehunt, Elmer, Dobbins: Good). A lot of guys that I really barely remember in there. 

[Hugh2]

22 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Yes, but I assumed Larry was talking about other rounds when he said "the 2025 college pitchers on day 2, may be actually worse than the 2024 day 2 college pitchers we took!!!" Aita, Clarke and Futrell have been very good so far. Cason and Neely just got injured. This is much better than we got out of the Bloom pitching in those rounds (Duffy, Weins, O'Donnell, Ammons, Rogers, Dean, Bolden, Brand, Olds, Litwicki, Hoppe, Coffey: Not Good. Early, Wehunt, Elmer, Dobbins: Good). A lot of guys that I really barely remember in there. 

Yeah, but wasn't day two last year rounds 3-10?

Did part of his comment get deleted, or are you combining comments?

[mvp 78]

9 minutes ago, Hugh2 said:

Yeah, but wasn't day two last year rounds 3-10?

Did part of his comment get deleted, or are you combining comments?

That was his comment which started the discussion.

I noted this morning:

Last year, day two was rounds 3 - 10. 

[mvp 78]

On 7/17/2025 at 2:26 PM, Larry Cook said:

The 2025 college pitchers on day 2, may be actually worse than the 2024 day 2 college pitchers we took!!!

This is the whole comment.

I don't think he was talking about rounds 3-10, because the picks we had in 3-10 ended up pretty good IMO for what you can expect. This year they even added Eyanson in round 3! That's why I figured it wasn't a round 3-10 comment. 

[Hugh2]

1 minute ago, mvp 78 said:

This is the whole comment.

I don't think he was talking about rounds 3-10, because the picks we had in 3-10 ended up pretty good IMO for what you can expect. This year they even added Eyanson in round 3! That's why I figured it wasn't a round 3-10 comment. 

Well yeah, if some of the guys were good last year then I can see why a crop of guys who you have never heard of could seem "not as good".

In the end we only have what he said and what rounds are day 2 2024, and 2025. 

Regardless, players taken in the rounds 4-10 happened on day two both in 2024 and 2025.  Maybe Larry could clarify for us.