Red Sox 2024 Offseason Top 20 Prospects: #11-15

#15 RHP Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz (Greenville Drive)
The Red Sox drafted Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz in the fourth round in 2021 out of Leadership Christian Academy in Puerto Rico. He has not made it above High-A ball with the Greenville Drive. He features a four-pitch mix: a fastball that tops out at 99mph, a slider, a curveball, and a changeup. His command leaves a bit to be desired if you’re looking at him as a potential starter in the big leagues, and he currently doesn’t have a put-away pitch, even with his fastball topping out at 99mph. This season, split between Salem and Greenville, Rodriguez-Cruz appeared in 21 games, starting 20, and went 5-5 with a 2.91 ERA, a 1.20 WHIP, and a 10.24 K/9. What the overall stats don’t show is that once he made the jump to Greenville, his ERA jumped by more than a run per inning from 2.51 to 3.77, his K/9 fell from 10.77 to 9.10, and his BB/9 went from 3.69 to 5.65. Unfortunately, Rodriguez-Cruz looked to be moving in the wrong direction when faced with tougher competition. Currently, he profiles as a long reliever type.

#14 SS Mikey Romero (Portland Sea Dogs)
Mikey Romero could very well be the most hyped Red Sox prospect outside of the Big Four. 2024 was his breakout year in the minors, and he seems poised to continue rising prospect rankings throughout 2025. The Red Sox took Romero with the 24th overall pick in the 2022 draft out of Orange Lutheran High School in Orange, California. He began the season with the Greenville Drive and ended it with the Portland Sea Dogs. Before making the jump, Romero was on fire. He hit .271 with a .319 OBP, .498 slug, and a .312 BABIP. After the jump to Portland, the numbers came down. He ended the season hitting .243 with a .257 OBP, .543 slug, and a .268 BABIP. He was making less contact but harder contact at Portland. Expect Mikey to begin the year in Portland in 2025, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if he jumped to Worcester after the Big Four get called up. 

#13 LHP Payton Tolle (FCL Red Sox)
Payton Tolle was drafted with the 50th overall pick in this year’s MLB Draft out of TCU. He’s a big kid, 6’6” and 250 lbs. Tolle went 7-4 during his only season at TCU with a 3.21 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 13.8 K/9, and one complete game. He currently throws three pitches: a fastball that lives in the low 90s but tops out at 96, a slider with a large sweeping motion, and a changeup that is used very little but is there. Currently, he features the fastball more than any other pitch and has been able to miss bats consistently in college. Before playing at TCU, Tolle was a standout two-way player at Wichita State University, handling DH/1B duties. He currently profiles as a fastball-heavy left-handed reliever without a true third pitch, which can easily be developed within the system. As he grows and works on his pitch mix and command, he should start to get plenty of work as a starter in the minor leagues.

#12 3B Chase Meidroth (Worcester Red Sox)
Chase Meidroth was a name that started popping up with the Red Sox faithful when injuries began to pile up for Boston in the second half of this season. There was a good reason for that. When it was apparent Rafael Devers was dealing with some big-time shoulder issues and the team was still in the playoff race, they needed someone to handle the hot corner should Devers be unable to avoid the IL. Meidroth probably would have been the guy called up to do that. He spent all last season in Worcester, hitting .293 with a .437 OBP, .838 OPS, and a .332 BABIP. Meidroth isn’t a power hitter and probably doesn’t profile as a third-baseman in the majors, but he has the type of swing to play the gaps in the outfield. Unfortunately, there is very little speed behind those hits. He wouldn’t be able to turn a single into a double on many occasions, but he can get on base, and that’s what’s important. 

#11 RHP David Sandlin (Portland Sea Dogs)
David Sandlin came over in the trade that sent John Schreiber to the Kansas City Royals in February of this year. He began the season with the Greenville Drive and ended it with the Sea Dogs in Portland. He ended the season with a combined record of 0-4 with a 5.34 ERA, 4.49 FIP, 1.38 WHIP, and a 4.56 K/9. He features a fastball that sits 93-96 mph but tops out at 98 mph, a slider that has been shown to miss bats,  a splitter that can be a put-away pitch with some refinement, and a curveball that he doesn’t feature much. The ERA leaves quite a bit to be desired, but his fastball is enticing to watch. In July, he struck out seven straight hitters for Greenville against the Rome Emperors. He can potentially be a backend starter for the Red Sox, but he has to bring his ERA down to stick anywhere above Portland. Right now, he profiles as a reliever who could become a legitimate starting candidate. 

(h/t to TruMedia, Sox Prospects, and Baseball-Reference) 

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