Article: Following An Offseason of Trades, Meet Talk Sox's Newest Additions to The Top 20 Prospect List

[Nick John]

Following the trades for Garrett Crochet and Carlos Narváez, there has been a change in the Talk Sox Top 20 Prospect rankings. With quite a few of our Top 20 members being shipped out, a new ranking was voted on and compiled to replace the since-traded players.

With our top three not changing, we saw Franklin Arias, Luis Perales, and Yoeilin Cespedes jump two spots each, now sitting at fourth, fifth, and sixth, respectively. That isn’t where the changes ended, as newcomers were officially added. Making one of the largest jumps was Miguel Bleis, skyrocketing from 21st to seventh.

To correspond with the changes, we will briefly review each of the new additions.

#7 OF Miguel Bleis (Salem Red Sox, Greenville Drive)
Appearing in a career-high 95 games across two levels of the minor leagues, Bleis showcased why many are high on his potential. His game centers around speed, defense, and some power, which was on display as he swiped 38 bases to go along with 11 home runs on the season. His defense has allowed him to be profiled as a plus defender in center field thanks to his good instincts and reads along with plus range. Regarding his hitting, Bleis expands the strike zone against off-speed pitches but will sometimes lay off to take a walk. However, when he’s ahead in the count, he will be aggressive and hunt fastballs. Bleis has plus raw power and is viewed as potentially gaining even more as he physically matures. He has the potential for above-average game power at his peak if he can figure it all out.

Unfortunately, injuries have slowed him down the past few seasons. In 2022, he was held back from receiving a promotion to Salem due to lower back issues and would miss time in May and June of 2023 with a left shoulder subluxation before undergoing season-ending surgery in June. While he didn’t have a major injury in 2024, he still missed time with minor injuries such as a root canal and a finger sprain. If he can stay healthy, Bleis has the ceiling of an everyday regular in the outfield.

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#13 P Luis Guerrero (Worcester Red Sox, Boston Red Sox)
Another newcomer to the Top 20, Guerrero previously ranked 22nd on Talk Sox’s prospect rankings. Drafted in the 17th round of the 2021 Draft, Guerrero made his major league debut in 2024 and pitched in nine games, only surrendering a single unearned run.

Guerrero possessed six pitches while in college, though after signing, the Red Sox asked him to mainly focus on his fastball, splitter, and slider, though he replaced his splitter with a changeup. Guerrero’s fastball sits around 96-98 mph but will top out at 100 mph. His fastball will show life up in the zone, but at the moment, his command and control of it is erratic. If he can refine his command, it can be a plus pitch. His slider sits around 83-86 mph and, while inconsistent, has improved as he’s moved up the minor league levels and shown bat-missing potential. Guerrero’s splitter also sits around 83-86 mph and used to be his primary out pitch, but he shelved it in mid-May of 2024 after struggling to throw it for strikes. His changeup is now his go-to out pitch, and he is thrown between 87-89 mph. This pitch has premium bat-missing ability, and he has shown a better feel for the pitch as he has flashed the ability to throw it in the strike zone or use it to get batters to chase.

Guerrero can potentially be a middle-inning reliever and the ceiling of a late-inning reliever used in high-leverage situations. He’s viewed as having some of the best raw stuff of any relief arm in the system, but he needs to improve his command to reach his full potential.

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#17 P Connelly Early (Greenville Drive, Portland Sea Dogs)
Early, Boston’s 5th-round pick in the 2023 draft, busted onto the scene as a 22-year-old this past season. Early pitched in 23 games and threw 103 2/3 innings with a 3.99 ERA, splitting the year between High-A and Double-A. However, his 138 strikeouts, alongside only 39 walks, might be most impressive.

Early possesses five pitches, relying on a fastball, changeup, slider, sweeper, and curveball. His changeup is seen as his pitch with the best potential, currently having a plus offering. He has an advanced feel and confidence in it. At its best, the pitch shows the ability to pull the string on it, and it falls down and out of the zone. His fastball is viewed as a potential average offering, though, as it sits at 91-94 mph, and there is room for added velocity as he physically matures. Early has a solid command of his fastball.

His other three pitches all profile as potentially fringe-average at best. His slider can hit 86 mph, and he can land it in the zone thanks to a solid feel. The sweeper is viewed as a work in progress and an area of focus for him during the 2024-2025 offseason. Meanwhile, his curveball is a mix; some pitches will be snapped well, and others will be loose and roll to the plate.

Early has the potential of a depth starter and the ceiling of a fourth starter currently. If he can get a second pitch that is above average or a plus offering, he could profile higher than a depth starter, especially with his durability.

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#19 P/SS Conrad Cason (Greater Atlanta Christian HS)
The 18-year-old Cason was drafted in the 8th round in the 2024 draft after committing to Mississippi State to play baseball. The Gatorade Georgia high school player of the year, Cason, was viewed by most teams as a pitcher exclusively, but the Red Sox view him as a potential two-way player.

Cason focuses on three pitches as a pitcher: a fastball that averages 92-95 mph and can top out at 98 mph, a breaking pitch that is inconsistent to the point that it sometimes becomes a curveball or slider, and a changeup that shows a late drop when he is on.

In the field, Cason is a fluid, athletic defender with solid range that will allow him to move to center field should he be unable to stick at shortstop. At the plate, he has quick hands and whips the bat through the zone, but his swing can get long at times. Despite knowing the strike zone, his pitch recognition is a work in progress.

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#20 P Dalvinson Reyes (Dominican Summer League Red Sox)
Signed as an International free agent in January of 2024, Reyes is an 18-year-old pitcher who received the highest bonus of any pitcher in the Red Sox 2024 IFA class. Focusing on three pitches, Reyes throws a fastball between 89-93 mph that has already seen an uptick in velocity since he signed. It is easy to see that increasing more as he matures. The pitch shows arm-side run and sink at times. His slider sits between 84-86 mph and has already flashed bat-missing ability. His changeup is a solid offering, being thrown between 84-87 mph while showing late fade.

Reyes started five games last year, throwing 17 innings and not allowing a single run. However, he missed seven weeks during the season to focus on strength training after experiencing fatigue.

Reyes is a high-upside arm with high potential due to the fact he checks off all the boxes you look for in a teenage starting pitching prospect. Due to his ability to throw strikes and have a feel for his secondary pitches, Reyes could see his stock jump if he continues his current developmental path.

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[mvp 78]

Bleis was 21st? Sheesh. 

[mvp 78]

It looks like he was 8th last time? IDK...

[Nick John]

On 1/3/2025 at 10:51 AM, mvp 78 said:

It looks like he was 8th last time? IDK...

I could be wrong but I don't think he made it into the top 20 somehow. Mainly because when you go to the top prospects link under the forums, it shows this:

 

Notice how Bleis is unranked while the Password shows he was previously 10th but now 8th. 

[mvp 78]

2 hours ago, Nick John said:

I could be wrong but I don't think he made it into the top 20 somehow. Mainly because when you go to the top prospects link under the forums, it shows this:

 

Notice how Bleis is unranked while the Password shows he was previously 10th but now 8th. 

Per Brock's posts after each previous ranking, he was ranked 8th in September and 10th in October. I believe the Top 20 list you're referencing has an error in it. 

[Nick John]

On 1/6/2025 at 2:11 PM, mvp 78 said:

Per Brock's posts after each previous ranking, he was ranked 8th in September and 10th in October. I believe the Top 20 list you're referencing has an error in it. 

He wasn't though, considering that when we wrote pieces for each of the top 20 starting on October 26th, he wasn't in included at all. 10th was Garcia aka The Password, 9th was Fitts, 8th was Cespedes and 7th was Perales. 

The full rankings for prospects in the Top 20 on October 26th were:

1) Anthony

2) Campbell

3) Mayer

4) Teel

5) Montgomery

6) Arias

7) Perales

8) Cespedes

9) Fitts

10) Garcia

11) Sandlin

12) Meidroth

13) Tolle

14) Romero

15) Rodriguez-Cruz

16) Johanfran Garcia

17) Gonzalez 

18) Dobbins

19) Monegro

20) Valera

 

[mvp 78]

https://talksox.com/forums/topic/88826-talk-sox-prospect-voting-is-complete/#comment-2981247

Per this he was ranked #8 in September.

https://talksox.com/forums/topic/88937-october-2024-prospect-voting-closed/#comment-2981889

Per this he was ranked #10 in October.

Everyone who has voted for a prospect has had him 20th or higher (majority had him top 10) so he should have never been listed as unranked. If it was done so, it was in error.  

 

[Larry Cook]

5 of our top 20 gone in one offseason! Including our top draft picks from the last two seasons!! 
even trading is expensive!!!!

[moonslav59]

5 hours ago, Larry Cook said:

5 of our top 20 gone in one offseason! Including our top draft picks from the last two seasons!! 
even trading is expensive!!!!

DD revisited.