Pair of Emerging Red Sox Prospects Win Player of the Week Awards

[Nick John]

The Boston Red Sox have seen quite the number of awards this season in their organization, as several prospects have impressed across the first two months. As May came to a close, the awards continued to accumulate with two up-and-coming prospects earned Player of the Week honors for their respective leagues

Catching prospect Brooks Brannon was named South Atlantic League Player of the Week, while right-handed pitcher David Sandlin was named Eastern League Pitcher of the Week. These respective awards are a statement to the growth both players have exhibited this year.

Brannon, drafted in the ninth round of the 2022 draft, has had a history of being unable to stay on the field. Since being drafted at the age of 18, Brannon has only managed to play 84 games, including a career high of 62 games in 2024. This season has been different, as the young catcher has managed to stay healthy and put together the kind of season the organization expected when they drafted him. In 40 games in 2025, Brannon is hitting .273/.317/.442 with five home runs, 25 RBIs and 46 strikeouts in 154 at-bats.

However, Brannon’s offensive output exploded over the last week, as he slashed an astounding .524/.524/1.048 to go along with three doubles, a triple, two home runs and eight RBIs. His outburst at the plate helped the Greenville Drive go 5-1 against the Jersey Shore BlueClaws. His best game of the series came on Saturday when he had three hits, two of them being home runs, and drove in four runs.

With the Red Sox lack of catching depth after trading Kyle Teel for Garrett Crochet in the offseason, the development of Brannon is greatly welcomed, and he could soon provide depth in the upper minors should he continue to be a quality offensive bat and remain healthy.

As for Sandlin, the former 11th-round pick in 2022 was acquired at the start of spring training in 2024 as part of a trade with the Kansas City Royals. The Red Sox, seeing an abundance of right-handed pitchers, traded John Schreiber to the Royals in exchange for Sandlin. At the time, Sandlin had yet to pitch above High-A with the Royals and was entering his age-23 season. He was viewed as a developmental prospect who was behind the learning curve.

In 2024, he struggled between Greenville and Portland, finishing the season with 18 starts between the two levels. In them, he only pitched 57 1/3 innings, allowing 34 runs on 61 hits, 14 home runs, and 18 walks for a 5.34 ERA. However, Sandlin showcased his upside with 82 strikeouts.

The right-hander reported back to Portland this season where he’s pitched in nine games, eight starts, and has appeared much more comfortable. So far, he’s tossed 43 innings in those nine appearances and has only allowed 18 runs on 39 hits, four home runs, and 12 walks. He’s also struck out 45 batters.

His latest start may have been his best since joining the Red Sox organization, as it helped earn him Eastern League Pitcher of the Week. On May 29th, Sandlin tossed a seven-inning complete game in game one of a double-header (in minor league baseball, double-headers are only seven innings each). Across those seven innings, he allowed only three hits and one walk while striking out eight. The right-hander only needed 83 pitches for the entire outing.

Both players are testaments to the organization’s improving player development system and will only help generate more depth in the case of injuries or trades. While there’s a chance one or both may never play for the Red Sox, one thing they are doing is generating interest in their talents. Should the duo continue to grow, they'll have an important role to play in Boston's future.

View full article

[mvp 78]

I don't want to get too excited about Brooks Brannon. His OPS after 5/22 was only 514. A strong week and a half isn't going to convince me that he's fixed much of anything.