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It’s hard to believe, but the baseball season is now over halfway finished. Though things haven't gone great in the big leagues, many prospects have managed to play well this year. For the Boston Red Sox, the breakout seasons that many of their prospects are having continued through the month of June, leaving fans questioning why they haven’t been promoted to the next level of the farm system yet.

Thanks to that, it’s been quite the time following the affiliates, watching as you can’t help but picture all these prospects producing at the major-league level. We’ve narrowed this award down to the five best hitters in the Boston Red Sox minor-league system from last month, but know that there were many worthy candidates.

Ranking Red Sox’s Best Minor-League Hitters in June

Honorable Mention: Kleyver Salazar (Low-A Salem)

Salazar isn’t usually someone who is viewed for his offense, due to his inability to make consistent contact. Despite that, the 20-year-old catcher put together a solid month of June.

Appearing in 17 games, Salazar slashed .281/.351/.453 with two doubles, three home runs and 13 RBIs while walking seven times. All of this came while playing in what is typically a more pitcher-friendly environment. If he can just get his bat to the ball more frequently, there’s some offensive potential here.

Honorable Mention: Mikey Romero (Triple-A Worcester)

A rollercoaster season for the former first-round pick saw the infielder put together a strong month of June. Romero, who watched as many hard-hit balls found gloves through the first two months of the season, heated up just as the temperature did.

In 19 June games, Romero slashed .300/.375/.571 with two doubles, one triple, five home runs and 12 RBIs. His offensive potential was put on full display, as he finished tied for second in RBIs for Worcester while leading the team in home runs. The hope is that Romero’s hot hitting continues into July, and depending on what happens with the major-league roster at the trade deadline, that could translate into a late-season promotion to Boston.

#3: Johanfran Garcia (Double-A Portland)

How do you get 32 hits in just 20 games and only finish third for the award? It only shows how tight the race this month truly was.

In 20 games throughout June, Garcia tore the cover off the ball, hitting .372/.400/.547 with six doubles, three home runs and 13 RBIs. That breakdown is important to note; of those 32 hits, nine of them were for extra bases. While there’s nothing wrong with singles, you would like a bit more power to be included in the production. Add to it a walk-to-strikeout ratio of 3-to-20, and it makes sense why Garcia finished third.

There’s no denying the offensive talent the catcher possesses, and while he’s young for the Double-A level, you would like to see those strikeouts drop just a little or at least see an increase in the walks.

#2: Franklin Arias (Double-A Portland)

Arias appeared in 23 games and slashed .322/.416/.540, which would have been enough to get him the top spot for this award in most months. In those 23 games he also hit seven doubles, four home runs and drove in 11 RBIs.

Arias’ offensive production this season has been no surprise for anyone following the young infielder. He’s putting together his best all-around season and June was much of the same. A force at the top of the lineup, Arias is likely to reach base for the batters behind him and is in a good situation to score often. The hope is that he’ll soon be doing the same for Triple-A Worcester.

#1: Ahbram Liendo (Double-A Portland)

Choosing Liendo over Arias as the top offensive player for June was a tough choice. Both players were deserving of the selection, but it was Liendo’s 22 RBIs that swayed things in his direction.

Liendo has had a tough season overall offensively, hitting .229/.311/.366 in 68 games. However, the middle infielder put together one of his strongest months while in the organization, as he slashed an impressive .309/.395/.559 with five doubles, four home runs and 22 RBIs in 22 games. He also managed to swipe six bases.

As a prospect, Liendo is known for his speed and defense over his hitting, so seeing the 22-year-old breakout as he did in June was a pleasant surprise. While one month does little to change the projected future of being a defense-first depth player, this could be the start of a profile-changing development.


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