Billy Mock

On Monday afternoon, Red Sox fans received what was probably the best news they have heard since they landed Alex Bregman and Garrett Crochet in the offseason. That's right: the long-awaited arrival of Roman Anthony, Major League Baseball's top prospect, has finally come. 2025 unfortunately hasn't nearly been the type of season fans expected for the Red Sox. With their offseason additions, along with the arrivals of Kristian Campbell and Marcelo Mayer, just about everyone in the baseball space would argue they should be better than their 32-36 record suggests. While the front office kept Anthony at Triple-A Worcester for as long as they did, there were a lot of questions around the organization's commitment to winning at the moment. Now that Anthony has gotten the call, fans can breathe a bit and trust that the Sox are putting their all chips in and shooting for a playoff berth for the first time since 2021. Adding Roman Anthony to the lineup isn't just about giving a prospect an opportunity he deserves, it's about putting your organization's best players on the field, and he is among those players. So, what exactly makes Roman Anthony a player that can immediately be one Boston's brightest stars? For starters, he has made his skillset pretty apparent at Triple-A, but for those unaware of what his game looks like, this is what you've been missing out on. In the batter's box, it's a comfortable 60-grade hit and power tool — a combination of tools that doesn't come out of the minors all too often. His ability to make consistent hard contact is really what separates him from the rest of the field. Throughout his minor league career, he whiffed at a below-average to league-average rate, and when he made contact, it was often classified as hard hit more than it wasn't. In his 265 plate appearances at Triple-A this year, his hard-hit% (percentage of batted balls with an exit velocity over 95 mph) was 57.6. Minimum 200 plate appearances, that mark led Triple-A hitters. For reference, Shohei Ohtani, Oneil Cruz, James Wood, and Kyle Schwarber are the only hitters at the big league level with a higher hard-hit%. There is little to question when it comes to how Anthony's bat will play in MLB. He's probably going to strike out at roughly a league-average rate. He has struck out at higher rates at different points in his minor league career, but also showed an ability to adjust and bring those numbers down. He has a great eye at the plate and makes excellent swing decisions, which not only allows him to hunt the best pitches to hit, but it also allows him to consistently draw walks over ten percent of the time. Getting exposed on pitches out of the zone is a problem a lot of prospects face, and that should be one less thing to worry about for Anthony. He has also managed to post excellent splits throughout his pro career, which is vital to getting everyday playing time in the majors. He has actually performed better against lefties this year, as was the case in 2024 too, posting a .955 OPS in 75 plate appearances compared to his .879 OPS against righties. The biggest question when it comes to the bat is how often will he get the ball in the air. He obviously posts some of the best exit velocities in baseball, reaching a max exit velocity as high as 116 mph at Triple-A this year. However, he has always been more of a line drive hitter, which certainly isn't a bad thing, but in order for him to reach his power ceiling, he will have to get that hard contact in the air more. He has consistently posted ground ball rates near 50% throughout his pro career, while the MLB average is 42.1%. With the amount of pitchers in the league that induce ground balls with ease, that is probably going to be the biggest adjustment Anthony will have to make. Expect pitchers to attack him down in the zone with a lot of breaking balls and off-speed pitches. The bat is obviously the premier tool in Anthony's game, but there is present athleticism elsewhere for the 21-year-old to keep his profile afloat if and when he falls into his first big league slump. This is a guy that stole 20+ bases for the first time in his professional career last year between Triple-A and Double-A Portland. He should be a lock to steal at least 10 bases a year even as he grows more into his 6'3" frame. While he played center field for the bulk of his minor league career, Anthony appears to be settling into a corner outfield role. He has the athletic upside and arm to hold his own as a major league center fielder, but when defenders like Ceddanne Rafaela man center field, his bat-first profile is likely going to stick in a corner long-term. He played left field more than anywhere else during his 58 games at Triple-A this year, which may be very important in the future as the Red Sox explore trade options to clear up space for Anthony to get everyday reps. Projection systems like for Anthony to be a league-average player for the Red Sox for the remainder of 2025. ZiPS DC is the model that favors him the most, and has him hitting seven home runs with a 103 wRC+ and 0.8 fWAR. I feel more confident in Anthony over-performing these numbers than under-performing, especially if he gets enough playing time early on in order to settle in faster. As I've stated before, he has shown an ability to adjust quickly, so I have no doubt he can do the same for the Red Sox. If he does end up performing as just a league-average player this year, Boston can't be too mad at that, as they have consistently deployed a few below league-average bats in their lineup for the first few months of the season now. While the focus on Anthony is in the present, it is fun to dream on what type of player he can be in the future. A fun exercise to do just that is by pairing a current MLB player with both their ceiling and their floor. Anthony's ceiling is pretty clear for me, and that's Bryce Harper — a multi-faceted, left-handed hitting corner outfielder that shares very similar traits in the batter's box. The floor? I landed on Mike Yastrzemski — a perennial league-average player that also possesses a similar profile to Anthony. However, let's not give too much attention to worst-case scenario, but rather enjoy what he can provide to the Red Sox right now in the dog days of summer. View full article

Worcester Red Sox (Triple-A): 6-0 (34-28 overall) The WooSox were the headliners for the week in the Red Sox farm system, as they swept a six-game series for the first time in 2025 and are riding a seven-game win streak. They took on the Rochester Red Wings (Nationals), who they took five of six from in a series in April, now making them 11-1 in the season series. Worcester got the party started on Tuesday with a walk-off win in which they overcame a two-run deficit in extra innings to win 6-5. They won the final game of the series by one run again while making easy work of the Red Wings in the middle of the week. They were clicking on both sides of the ball, with the offense posting a .955 OPS while the pitching staff threw to a 3.11 ERA, which trailed only Nashville (Brewers) for the International League lead. As long as Boston continues to delay the promotion of Roman Anthony, the WooSox can count on him being a big contributor in the middle of the lineup. He added two more home runs to the stat sheet this week, bringing his total on the season up to a team-leading ten. He also had the highlight of the week, crushing a 497-foot home run on Saturday that left the bat at 115 mph. Featured Prospect: Blaze Jordan Blaze Jordan has been one of the more refreshing Red Sox prospects this year after a relatively slow start to his pro career compared to the lofty expectations he brought to the organization. This past week was his debut in Worcester after his hot start at Double-A Portland earned him a call-up. He hit .320/.415/.513 with six home runs for Portland, which was encouraging considering his slash line was just .261/.305/.388 a year ago at the same level. In his first week with his new club, Jordan checked off his first Triple-A home run along with six doubles in just 25 plate appearances. His final line for the week was .375/.400/.750, good for a 1.150 OPS. Portland Sea Dogs (Double-A): 1-5 (28-26 overall) It wasn't a pretty week for the Sea Dogs, as they dropped five of six to the Hartford Yard Goats (Rockies). Portland took the first matchup on Tuesday before falling in the remaining five games. They did mount a ninth inning comeback on Thursday that sent the game into extra innings before eventually falling by a score of 8-6 in eleven innings. That was the best fight they put up aside from their win in the opener. The offense was nowhere to be found for the most part, as they collectively hit .200 with a .592 OPS. There wasn't a whole lot on the pitching side of things to like either. David Sandlin had the only outing worth noting as the team posted a 5.00 ERA for the week. Featured Prospect: David Sandlin Following two scoreless outings, which included seven shutout innings with eight strikeouts in his most recent outing, David Sandlin managed to log another quality start. He pitched on Wednesday against Hartford, allowing just three runs across six innings while striking out six. The Red Sox continue to stretch him out as a starter, with this being the second time he has completed six innings this season, and he did it in consecutive starts. He owns a 1.50 ERA over his last three outings and has walked just three batters compared to 20 strikeouts. The right-hander is down to a 3.86 ERA for the season. Greenville Drive (High-A): 5-1 (30-27 overall) The Drive are playing their best baseball all year after they won five of six in a series in consecutive weeks. A 4-1 victory on Wednesday was all the Rome Emperors (Braves) could take from Greenville, as the Drive managed to outscore them by a score of 31-13 in their five wins. The addition of Franklin Arias after he was called up from Low-A Salem has been quite the spark plug in the lineup. In his 31 games since joining the Drive, he's hitting .353 with a .911 OPS. Antonio Anderson has also been a contributor following his call-up, and he helped lead the offense this week with a .350/.381/.550 slash line. Miguel Bleis was perhaps the biggest part of the lineup's success this week, as he hit three home runs on his way to a 1.275 OPS. Eduardo Rivera was the headliner for the pitching staff, tossing 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball while striking out eight in Sunday's matchup. Featured Prospect: Nazzan Zanetello Although he's an excellent defender and runner, it has been a very slow start offensively in the pro career of the 2023 second-rounder. However, Zanetello did manage to put up quite the week at the plate for the Drive. In just 20 plate appearances, he mashed three home runs along with three more hits and three walks, bringing his line for the week to .375/.500/.938, good for a 1.438 OPS. He didn't hit a single home run in the month of May, and broke the drought with a multi-home run performance on Tuesday before hitting another in the following game on Thursday. Zanetello becomes a very dynamic player if this power surge turns into anything beyond a flash in the pan. Salem Red Sox (Low-A): 2-4 (22-33 overall) It was another rough week for Salem, as they dropped four of six to the Lynchburg Hillcats (Guardians). They managed to win the opener on Tuesday by a score of 8-3, and then pulled off a walk-off win on Thursday courtesy of an Enddy Azocar double. They dropped the second game of the series and then the final three, which included blowing a 5-3 lead in the ninth inning and losing 6-5. Andrew Musetti and Natanael Yuten had big weeks at the plate, both posting an OPS north of 1.200. Right-hander Jay Allmer delivered the best outing of the week for the Red Sox, tossing 5 1/3 scoreless innings while allowing just two hits. Featured Prospect: Yoeilin Cespedes Yoeilin Cespedes managed to add to what has been a nice first year in full-season ball for the 19-year-old. In 27 plate appearances, he hit his fourth home run of the season while adding four more extra-base hits, two of which came via triple. He drew four walks as well and finished the week with a .273/.370/.682 slash line. View full article

It's hard to come by solid high-leverage relievers that were drafted and are being developed as relievers. Fortunately for the Red Sox, they have one in High-A coming out of the back end of the bullpen for the Greenville Drive. Following an impressive eight-outing stretch in the month of May, Isaac Stebens is looking like a reliever that can be relied on in the big moment as he advances through Minor League Baseball. Stebens was a 16th round pick (478th overall) to the Red Sox in the 2023 draft out of Oklahoma State. The now 23 year old right hander pitched exclusively out of the bullpen for the Cowboys, appearing in 28 games to the tune of a 2.24 ERA with six saves. It's uncommon that relievers are drafted in the upper rounds, so the Red Sox were able to land him late and really lean in to his skills as a high-leverage arm. Stebens made his professional debut with Low-A Salem in 2024 where he appeared in six games before getting the call to High-A where he is now. In 35 appearances across the two levels last year, he appeared in 35 games, posting a 3.18 ERA and a 31.3 strikeout rate while closing out eight games. It was a great start to a career for Stebens, but he has seemingly gotten even better here in 2025, which was highlighted by a strong month of May. Stebens appeared in eight games out of the bullpen for Greenville in the month of May. Only three other Red Sox minor league relievers appeared in as many, and neither were quite as good as Stebens. In 11 and 1/3 innings, he allowed just three earned runs, which was good for a 2.38 ERA. Six of his outings were scoreless while three were across multiple innings, proving he can be an effective multi-inning reliever. In fact, Stebens delivered three perfect innings in an outing on May 17th against the Hub City Spartanburgers in which he struck out six batters across the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings. He struck out multiple batters in six of his eight outings, and there was only one outing in which he didn't log a strikeout. He finished the month with 22 strikeouts. which was good for a 44.0 strikeout rate. Stebens's success has relied heavily upon his usage of his fastball and slider - a pretty common thing for relievers. His fastball sits in the mid-90s with some ride and plays up due to his delivery. The slider is a low to mid-80s offering with a lot more sweep than a traditional slider. There is a changeup in the mix that he added after he was drafted that he flashes from time to time and is working on. His control of the strike zone is fringy, which is one of the reasons he likely won't be stretched out as a starter, but after all, he is striking hitters out at a higher rate than he did in college at the moment. Heading into June, Stebens now owns a 1.99 ERA across 22 2/3 innings with a 35.6% strikeout rate while batters are only hitting .183 off of him. Among Red Sox minor league pitchers with at least 20 innings this year, his ERA, strikeout rate, and batting average against all rank within the top ten. If he continues to post these types of numbers throughout the year, Stebens may be able to establish himself as the farm system's premier bullpen arm. View full article

The Boston Red Sox continue to be among the best in the business when it comes to developing young pitchers at the Minor League level. After a strong five-start stretch in the month of May, Payton Tolle has added his name to the list of intriguing pitchers in Boston's deep farm system to keep an eye on moving forward. 2025 is Tolle's first taste of professional baseball. He was the Red Sox second round draft pick (50th overall) a year ago out of TCU. Two months into his first season with the Red Sox, he has already become one of the system's premier pitching prospects, ranking 16th overall on MLB Pipeline's top 30 Red Sox prospects rankings, and 13th overall here on Talk Sox. As a big lefty with MLB-potential stuff, Tolle came into the organization with a lot of upside that he appears to be tapping in to early on. It was a rough start to the season for Tolle. He opened the season in High-A for the Greenville Drive, passing up Low-A Salem. He made three starts in the month of April, logging nine and 2/3 innings while allowing seven earned runs. However, the strikeout stuff was still there, giving us a glimpse of what he might become as he struck out 17 batters. Now in May, Tolle started to piece things together. He made five starts for Greenville and was nothing short of stellar. Across 23 innings, he gave up seven earned runs which was good for a team-best 2.74 ERA. He also struck out 37 batters, a mark that led the South Atlantic lead as well as all Red Sox Minor League pitchers. 12 of his strikeouts came during his first start in May in which he threw five scoreless innings against the Asheville Tourists while allowing just three hits and zero walks. Aside from a hiccup on May 17th in which he gave up four earned runs in four innings of work, he followed up that gem by allowing only three earned runs across three starts. Tolle's ability to strikeout batters in bunches is certainly impressive, but his improved command of the strike zone has been a pleasant surprise as well considering he walked 11 percent of the batters he faced at TCU in 2024. He only walked four batters in the month of May which was good for a 4.2 walk rate compared to his 38.5 strikeout rate. Tolle features a strong arsenal that has helped him find this level of success in the month of May, and it's highlighted by his above-average fastball. It sits in the mid-90s and tops out around 98 mph, but because of the extension he creates down the mound due to his size, it plays more like a 100 mph fastball. While the Red Sox haven't let him pitch past the fifth inning in any start this year, he has shown the ability to hold on to velocity later in his starts, flashing 97 mph on the gun in his final inning of work a few times. The offering also induces roughly 19 inches of vertical break, making it an un-hittable pitch for both right handed and left handed hitters when located at the top of the zone. He pairs it well with an upper-80s to low-90s changeup with a lot of arm-side run along with two different sliders - a tighter upper-80s slider and a low-80s sweeping slider. Despite a slow start to the season, Tolle has put up some of the best numbers on the mound for Red Sox Minor League pitchers thanks to his performance in the month of May. He's down to a 3.86 ERA and a 3.33 FIP, while his 38.6 strikeout rate ranks sixth and his 32.1 K-BB% ranks second among Red Sox Minor League pitchers with at least 20 innings. As he continues to post excellent numbers, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise if he earns a promotion to Double-A Portland shortly and climbs Red Sox prospect rankings. View full article

Worcester Red Sox (Triple-A): 2-4 (18-20 overall) It was a strong start to the week for the WooSox, as they beat Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs (Phillies) by a score of 6-4 in back-to-back games, which included an extra-inning victory in the opener on Tuesday. Unfortunately for Worcester, they would go on to lose the next four. Thursday's match-up was cut short due to weather, and then the Woo Sox lost via a walk-off bunt as a result of a throwing error from pitcher Wyatt Mills on Friday night. They only managed to score two over the final two games as they lost 5-2 on Saturday and then were shut out for the first time all year on Sunday in a 6-0 loss. There weren't too many notable contributions offensively, but catcher Blake Sabol did lead the team with two home runs and a 1.081 OPS in 21 plate appearances. Following a poor week offensively for both Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer, the two top prospects did trend back in the right direction this week, both getting their OPS back over .700. Featured Prospect: Luis Guerrero The 24-year-old right hander threw four scoreless innings this week across two appearances and struck out four. Guerrero was a 17th-round pick out of Chipola Junior College back in 2021 and made his big league debut with the Red Sox in 2024. He threw ten scoreless innings with the big league club last year and has also logged four scoreless innings with Boston this year as well. He's a fringe big leaguer at the moment, but is putting together a recent run of success over the past two seasons that may earn him more innings in the majors very soon. Portland Sea Dogs (Double-A): 2-3 (18-12 overall) The Sea Dogs were at home this week to take on the Chesapeake BaySox (Orioles) and had the series opener postponed due to rain. They dropped both games of the double-header on Wednesday and then lost Thursday before going on to win the final two games of the series. Friday's game was postponed due to weather, was rescheduled as a double-header on Saturday, and then was canceled once again due to weather. Despite the losing record, the Sea Dogs were competitive all week. They lost by one run in both games on Wednesday, and then fell in extra-innings on Thursday. Both of their wins came via the walk-off, and from the same hitter in fact. "The Password" Jhostynxon Garcia, TalkSox's fifth ranked prospect, hit a walk-off home run on Saturday afternoon and then delivered a walk-off single in extra-innings on Sunday. Featured Prospect: Blaze Jordan In 20 plate appearances this past week, Blaze Jordan continued to stay hot for the month of May, hitting .286/.500/.429 and led Portland hitters with a .929 OPS. While he didn't leave the yard at all, he managed to hit two doubles and drew six walks to just one strikeout. He's up to 16 walks on the season compared to just 18 last year in 353 plate appearances. The adjustments he has made to his approach at the plate are paying off as the 2020 third-rounder is finally turning a corner at Double-A after struggling in 2024, and is catching some steam as a prospect. Greenville Drive (High-A): 2-4 (14-19 overall) The Drive were on the road against the Rome Emperors (Braves) this week looking to bounce-back following another losing week, but they were unable to deliver. They opened the series with a 4-2 loss, but went on to shut out the Emperors 6-0 on Wednesday. The shutout was started by Juan Valera, TalkSox's 13th ranked prospect, who fired off five and two-thirds innings with eight strikeouts and just one walk. They split the next two match-ups, dropping Thursday night's game by a score of 7-2, and then taking Friday night's game by a score of 9-5. It was a disappointing final two games for the Drive, as they were shut out in both games by a combined score of 8-0. It was a promising week for the pitching staf,f as they ranked second in the South Atlantic League in earned runs with 17 and led the league in strikeouts with 71. Brandon Clarke, one of Boston's top prospect risers to this point in the season, made his second High-A start on Sunday afternoon and struck out six hitters over just two and one-third innings of work. Featured Prospect: Franklin Arias Since making his High-A debut on April 29th, TalkSox's fourth ranked prospect has not skipped a beat. Following a strong week at the plate for the Drive, Franklin Arias is up to a .926 OPS in Greenville and an .850 OPS between Greenville and Salem in 2025. He hit .455/.455/.545 on the week and led all Red Sox Minor League hitters with ten hits. He put the ball in play in all 22 of hit at-bats this week, and also hit two doubles. Arias is a prime candidate to be the next premier prospect in the Red Sox farm system after Kristian Campbell, Roman Anthony, and Marcelo Mayer graduate. Salem Red Sox (Low-A): 3-3 (15-17 overall) Following their best series of the season last week in which they went 4-1, Salem looked to build upon their recent success on the road against the Fayetteville Woodpeckers (Astros). They lost a close one in the opener on Tuesday by a score of 5-4 before coming back to win a one-run game of their own on Wednesday. It was an extra-inning slug fest on Thursday as the Sox took home an 11-9 ten-inning victory. They won again on Friday to take the series to 3-1 before dropping the final two by scores of 9-2 and 4-3. Freili Encarnacion led the charge on offense all week, but the Sox also got big performances from Starlyn Nunez and Yoeilin Cespedes as they each hit two home runs of their own. As a team, Salem hit ten home runs on the week, which led the Carolina League by a wide margin, with the next team only hitting five. The pitching staff looked good as well, as they logged a 2.94 ERA on the week, getting strong outings from Blake Aita, Shea Sprague, and Luis Cohen. Featured Prospect: Freili Encarnacion We're talking about the 20-year-old shortstop for the second time in three weeks after Freili Encarnacion put on a hitting clinic for Salem this week. He hit three home runs, which led all Red Sox minor league hitters as well as all Carolina League hitters. His .318/.375/.818 slash line was good for a 1.193 OPS and brought his season line up to .284/.323/.560 with seven home runs. Marcelo Mayer is the only Red Sox minor leaguer that has hit as many long balls. Encarnacion only hit two home runs in 331 plate appearances last year with Salem, so the increase in power is certainly encouraging. Perhaps the most impressive stat to come from Encarnacion's week is the 120.6 mph single that came off his bat in Salem's game on Thursday. He's looking like he will be one of Boston's top prospect risers in 2025. View full article

We are roughly a month and change into the Minor League Baseball season. With sample sizes growing, some of these hot starts players are off to look more and more like sustained success. A number of underrated Red Sox prospects have opened their 2025 campaigns on good notes, which includes Blaze Jordan, the 2020 third-round pick out of DeSoto Central High School in Mississippi. Jordan is a 22-year-old corner infielder that has spent a lot of time in the Red Sox system to this point in his professional career. When entering the pro ranks as a high school draftee, the expectation is that said player will take longer to advance through the minors than their college counterparts. That has very much so been the case for Jordan, as he has had a pretty conventional journey through the minors. He opened his pro career in 2021 at the age of 18 in the Florida Complex League before a promotion to Low-A Salem later on that season. In each year since, Jordan has advanced one level, but spent the entirety of 2024 at Double-A Portland, which is a pretty common situation for minor leaguers. Double-A pitching has been a bit of a road block for Jordan, as he struggled to hit at a league-average level, both during his 49-game stint in the second half of 2023 and his entire season last year. In 380 plate appearances in 2024, Jordan posted just a 95 wRC+ (up from his 86 wRC+ a year prior) after finding success at each stop before Double-A. Now 26 games into 2025, however, Jordan seems to be getting over the hump. In 110 plate appearances, he's hitting .261/.373/.413, good for a 127 wRC+. In fact, he has gotten hotter as of late, tearing it up since the start of May. In eight games in May thus far, Jordan has hit both of his home runs on the season while hitting .333/.500/.667, ranking fifth in the Eastern League in OPS at 1.167. There does seem to be a pretty distinct change in his game this year, and it's simply that he's been much more patient at the plate. His walk rate is up to 13.6% on the season, while his strikeout rate is down to 10.9%. Both marks are career bests. His highest walk rate prior was 10.4% during a 25-game stint at High-A Greenville, while his lowest strikeout rate was 12.1% a year ago. It has always been about average to above-average contact skills for Jordan, who pairs those bat-to-ball abilities with above-average power. Pitchers have to respect that carrying tool, so if he's laying off of pitches out of the zone, he's laying some solid groundwork for offensive success. Jordan had a lot of buzz around him coming out of the draft in 2020, but fell to the Red Sox in the third round due to his strong commitment to Mississippi State. Fortunately for both Jordan and the Red Sox, the long game appears to be paying off. With the run Jordan is currently on, he's starting to catch some steam among Red Sox fans. A promotion to Triple-A Worcester should be on the horizon as he continues to hit. Although he has split time between third base and first base for the majority of his professional career, Jordan has spent the bulk of 2025 at first base. There are obviously some current issues at the first base position in Boston due to Triston Casas's knee injury and Rafael Devers' unwillingness to take on the position. With that being said, there have been some rumors floating around about Jordan potentially earning an early call-up to Boston to plug in at first. He definitely needs some more seasoning before he's ready for the big leagues, but sometimes the game simply doesn't care if you're ready or not. The options at Triple-A are bleak at best, so if Jordan continues to hit at an above-average level in Double-A, I don't find it out of the realm of possibility that he can at least join the Red Sox in a first base platoon role at some point before the end of the season. Whether or not this becomes a reality, Red Sox fans should still be excited about Blaze Jordan's resurgence. View full article

MLB Draft season is quickly approaching. With college conference tournaments on the horizon and state high school playoffs in progress, it's only a matter of time before big league front offices will have their draft boards put together. Although draft season is just now heating up, there has been plenty of movement in this year's class dating back to last summer. MLB Pipeline just released their first mock draft of 2025, and they have an exciting young high school bat going to the Red Sox with the 15th overall pick in the first round. Gavin Fien is an 18-year-old senior out of Great Oak High School and has widely been regarded as one of the top prep bats in this year's draft class. The Red Sox are pretty familiar with drafting position players in the first round. They haven't taken a pitcher with their first pick since they selected Tanner Houck 24th overall in the 2017 draft. Four of the seven position players selected in the first round since then have come from the high school ranks, all of which have looked like solid picks in hindsight. Triston Casas has found the most success from that group, but Marcelo Mayer has recently looked like he could be the Red Sox's biggest first-round success story in coming years. Acknowledging that, it makes all the sense in the world that the Sox could go with Fien here if he is available. However, that is a big "if." Fien's name has rarely been floated around in the top end of this class, but there are some evaluators who believe he is the best prep hitter this year. The prep class is loaded unlike any class in recent years, specifically at the shortstop position, so there's really five or six players that have the potential to fall first among the demographic. If Fien is available at No. 15, it's likely that top prep hitters such as Ethan Holliday, Eli Willits, and Billy Carlson have been selected. With that being said, getting Fien here could be a steal. The Texas commit possesses raw power that rivals Ethan Holliday for the best power in the prep class. On top of that, he pairs it with a fairly polished hit tool that should help him to unlock more power as he grows into his 6'2" frame. He has been more known as a line drive hitter to this point in his career, but has the potential to see some serious in-game power as he learns to lift the ball more and optimizes his pitch selection. Fien was one of the top hitters on the summer circuit against top competition last year, which is where he started to gain some steam as a potential first rounder in this year's class. As he continues to mature physically, it's believed he'll move from shortstop over to third base where his plus arm will pair well with the offensive profile as a third baseman. He could also end up at a corner outfield spot, so there is some defensive risk, but he's a good enough athlete that he'll project as an average defender at either third or in the outfield. If Fien is available at 15th overall, it feels like a slam dunk pick. However, the Red Sox have opted for college bats in each of the last two drafts (Kyle Teel, Braden Montgomery). A few college guys that fit what the Sox have looked for in first round picks that could be available are Marek Houston, Gavin Kilen, Luke Stevenson, and Wehiwa Aloy. We don't know the exact process for the Red Sox this year, but their recent track record of success does tell us that we can expect their first-round selection to be an impact player at some point down the road. View full article

Brandon Clarke, #15, High-A The Red Sox have found recent success in identifying talent on the mound through the draft, and Brandon Clarke seems to be their latest success story. A fifth-round JUCO product, Clarke was selected 148th overall by the Red Sox in last year's draft. Since he didn't play after being drafted, 2025 has been his introduction to professional baseball, and the 22-year-old lefty has not disappointed. He opened the season in Low-A Salem, where he threw nine and two-thirds innings over three starts while allowing just one run. That included his first start in which he delivered four perfect innings while striking out five. Clarke was recently called up to High-A Greenville where he has made one start thus far, tossing four and two-thirds scoreless innings while striking out seven and allowing just one hit. Not only has Clarke made the TalkSox top 20, but he also recently managed to crack Baseball America's recent edition of the top 100 prospects in all of baseball at 96, despite having only made four starts at the pro level. There's certainly a lot of upside for Clarke, and he's looking more and more like a future starter with every outing. Standing in at 6'4" and 220 pounds, he definitely has the physical traits to succeed, but he has the arsenal and feel on the mound as well. His fastball is the headliner, as it sits in the mid-to-high-90s, topping out at 99.5 mph. A fastball with that kind of life is typically going to play in the lower levels of the minors, but he also has a group of well-developing secondaries to complement it. His changeup and curveball are two pitches he has thrown dating back to his high school days, but he has introduced an effective cutter and a sweeper that are both finding a lot of success thus far. Clarke has displayed excellent command of the strike zone, walking only 3.8% of hitters he has faced this year while striking out 45.3%. His command and ability to withstand a starter's workload are likely the two factors that will determine his role down the road. Jedixson Paez, #17, High-A Jedixson Paez is another young arm making his first appearance on the TalkSox top 20, and for good reason. Paez was a part of the 2021 international signing class out of Venezuela, and has since established himself as one of the more consistent arms in Boston's system. Since entering the professional ranks in 2021 through the Dominican Summer League, Paez has thrown at least 50 innings to a sub-4.00 ERA at four different levels. Last year was the season in which Paez started to garner some attention, as he posted a 3.17 ERA across 96 2/3 innings between Low-A Salem and High-A Greenville while sporting the fifth-lowest walk rate in all of Minor League Baseball among pitchers with at least 50 innings at 3.2%. With nearly 300 innings under his belt at the professional level, Paez owns a 3.25 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP. Despite his track record of success, it's taken a while for Paez to catch some steam in the prospect world simply because he doesn't fit the mold of the modern-day super pitching prospect. He's not reaching elite velocities and getting tons of swings and misses, but is rather a master of command while also inducing plenty of soft contact. In other words, he's a "finesse" arm. The closest comparison I can think of is a young Marcus Stroman. His fastball has increased in velocity year to year but has only topped out recently at 94 mph. Given his ability to locate it well at the top of the zone or use it like a bowling ball sinker at times, it's a better offering than the 45-grade it has been given. His slider has actually been his go-to pitch to this point in his career, and it has found a lot of success due to its plus vertical and horizontal movement and his ability to drop it in the zone for called strikes or outside the zone to get chases. His changeup is another excellent pitch that pairs well with the slider to keep hitters off balance and produces plenty of soft contact. Paez has definitely shown he can be successful as a starter, and as long as his stuff translates well as he advances into the higher levels of the minors, this is a name I would expect to see higher up on our prospect rankings in the future. Justin Gonzales, #20, Single-A After a recent promotion to Low-A Salem, 18-year-old Justin Gonzales managed to sneak on to the top 20 following an impressive first year in the Red Sox system. Gonzales was apart of last year's international signing class out of the Dominican Republic and was the top hitter on last year's DSL team. He hit five home runs on his way to a .908 OPS and a 140 wRC+, both of which led the team. Due to an impressive outing at extended spring training, one game at the Florida Complex League was all it took before the Red Sox decided they wanted him in Salem. He's the youngest player on the roster at the moment, as he doesn't even turn 19 until the end of the year. With that being said, with what Gonzales has shown thus far, he's definitely playing beyond his years. Standing in at 6'4" and 210 pounds, Gonzales already has the look of a big league ballplayer. Because of his size, he has showcased great power that should keep evolving as he grows into his frame. And that power should also show up more in game as he continues to optimize his approach and improves his ability to lift the ball. He has already shown some solid plate discipline and contact skills at the plate, as he only struck out in 10.4% of his plate appearances last year while walking at nearly the same rate. There is already a power-to-all-fields quality in his bat, but his rapidly improving hit tool is what will really help him advance through the system. On the defensive side, Gonzales has split time between first base and right field. He's not an elite athlete by any means, but moves well enough for his size that he can get the job done in right field. He also just happens to have a 70-grade arm that has carried over from his pitching days in amateur ball that will certainly play. If he can't stick in right field, he should be fine at first base, especially given the offensive profile. View full article

Overall, it was a pretty solid week for the Red Sox farm system, as a number of underrated prospects stepped up and delivered some solid performances both offensively and on the mound. Worcester Red Sox (Triple-A): 2-4 (16-16 overall) It was a tough week for the Woo Sox as they dropped four of six to the Toledo Mud Hens, the Detroit Tigers' Triple-A affiliate, at home. The pitching staff did its job for the most part, posting a 4.17 ERA on the week, but the bats just failed to come through. Top prospects Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer both had a rough time at the plate, with neither collecting an extra-base hit. As an offense, the Sox only managed a .650 OPS and four home runs on the week. However, there were a few vets with some big hits. Trayce Thompson and Connor Wong both hit home runs while Nate Eaton led the charge with a home run and two doubles of his own over 24 plate appearances. After falling to .500, Worcester is looking for a bounce-back week as they travel to Lehigh Valley to take on the Iron Pigs, the Philadelphia Phillies' Triple-A affiliate. Featured Prospect: Corey Rosier Unfortunately, there weren't a lot of performances that stood out for the Woo Sox in what was a lackluster week, but Corey Rosier had a stat line worth noting. Rosier hit one of the four home runs hit by Worcester batters this week, and had four more hits over 14 plate appearances. Rosier is a 25-year-old outfielder that was selected in the 12th round of the 2021 draft by the Seattle Mariners. It has been an up and down pro career for Rosier thus far, but he seems to finally be coming around as a hitter. He was called up to Worcester on April 20th, and has posted a .371/.436/.571 slash line since joining the ball club. It has been his best season in the Red Sox farm system since he was drafted in 2021, and is up to an .833 OPS on the season between Double-A Portland and Worcester. Portland Sea Dogs (Double-A): 5-3 (16-9 overall) The Sea Dogs continue to play like the best team in the farm as they sit atop the Eastern League standings at the moment. It was a long week for Portland as they had two makeup games from earlier in April, so there were two double-headers on the schedule for them. They took on the Toronto Blue Jays Double-A affiliate, the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, on the road managing to improve their record on the road to 8-7. There were plenty of solid performances across the board for the Sea Dogs, both on the mound and at the plate. Hayden Mullins, TalkSox Minor League Pitcher of the Month for the month of April, made his Double-A debut on Thursday and proceeded to pick right back up where he left off in Greenville. Mullins fired off five and two-thirds innings of one-run ball while striking out ten. Offensively, it was Blaze Jordan, the 2020 third-round pick that led the way. Over 27 plate appearances, Jordan posted a .435/.519/.739 slash line along with two home runs. The Sea Dogs look to stay hot as they return home this week to take on the Baltimore Orioles Double-A affiliate, the Chesapeake Baysox. Featured Prospect: Mikey Romero There were plenty of solid showings for the Sea Dogs this week, but the performance that stood out most came from the Red Sox 2022 first-round draft pick. Mikey Romero led all Red Sox farmhands with three home runs on the week on his way to a 1.079 OPS. Romero comes in ranked as Boston's 12th overall ranked prospect by MLB Pipeline and is certainly building upon his 2024 breakout campaign as a prospect. He's up to five home runs on the season with a .267/.370/.535 slash line across 101 plate appearances thus far in Portland. The 21-year-old shortstop should find his way to Triple-A Worcester soon given Marcelo Mayer is on the brink of a call up to the big leagues. Greenville Drive (High-A): 3-4 (12-15 overall) It was quite the back and forth series for the Drive as they took on Asheville Tourists, the Houston Astros High-A affiliate. The Drive came up short in one-run games twice as they were also shutout once, but also managed to win the series finale 16-0. In between all of that was an extra-inning slugfest that resulted in a 15-13 win for the Tourists on Friday night. Despite the losing record on the week, only one other team in all of Minor League Baseball managed to score more runs than the Drive (48). The pitching held its own considering how much the offense provided, but they just couldn't quite hold it together late in games. Franklin Arias, Red Sox fourth overall ranked prospect, made his High-A debut after being called up to Greenville and didn't disappoint. The 19 year old shortstop hit two home runs on his way to an .867 OPS. On the pitching side, Payton Tolle had arguably the most dominant start for a Red Sox prospect this week as he delivered five scoreless innings on Sunday while striking out twelve and allowing just three baserunners. Featured Prospect: Nazzan Zanetello Following a rough start to his professional career, Nazzan Zanetello is starting to look as advertised after a very impressive offensive performance for the Drive. Zanetello was the Red Sox's second-round pick in the 2023 draft, but struggled in both his introduction to pro ball in 2023 as well as his first full season in Salem last year. However, Zanetello was given the chance to open 2025 in High-A and has cashed in thus far. He hit his first two home runs of the season this week while leading the team in OPS at 1.065. Salem Red Sox (Low-A): 4-1 (12-14 overall) It was a rough month of April for the Salem Red Sox, however, they managed to take home a series win this week on a four-game win streak. They took on the Fredricksburg Nationals, the Washington Nationals Low-A affiliate, whom they lost five of six to earlier in April. They faced off in Salem this time and the Red Sox had quite the turnaround. They fell by a score of 9-5 in the first game but went on to win 4-2 in the next one which was followed by a pair of one-run wins, and then a 9-6 win to close out the series. It was a well balanced performance between the offense and the pitching staff that earned Salem the series victory. The offense posted a .713 OPS on the week while the pitching staff logged a 3.52 ERA. The bats were highlighted by key performances from Andrew Musett, Antonio Anderson, and Yoeilin Cespedes, all of whom had an OPS north of 1.000 on the week. Featured Prospect: Blake Aita The best outing by a Salem pitcher on the week belonged to Blake Aita, the 21-year-old Kennesaw State product who was drafted in the sixth round just last year. It was Aita's fifth start of the season on Thursday, as he delivered six shutout innings while striking out seven and allowing just one hit. His dominant performance brings him down to a 3.28 ERA and 1.05 WHIP on the season. Aita is definitely an underrated arm in the Red Sox's farm system to keep tabs on moving forward. View full article

The first month of the Minor League Baseball season is in the books, so it's time to break down some of the top performers in Boston's system thus far. Full season ball kicked off during the last weekend of March with Triple-A Worcester, while Double-A Portland, High-A Greenville, and Low-A Salem got started the following week. With that being said, farm teams are about to the point of the season where sample sizes are starting to mean more and campaigns are beginning to take shape. The Red Sox have developed a pretty solid group of pitchers in the minor league ranks over the past couple of seasons, which has been highlighted by impressive performances from multiple arms across each level. Names such as Brandon Clarke, Jojo Ingrassia, and Connelly Early have received a lot of attention, but among the best arms in the system, it's the 24-year-old Auburn product that has emerged as the best pitcher in the month of April for the Red Sox minor leagues. Hayden Mullins was a 12th-round pick (369th overall) in the 2022 draft out of the University of Auburn. It was a tough conclusion to his college career, as his junior season was shortened due to Tommy John surgery that would keep him off the mound until August 2023. It was then that Mullins would finally make his professional debut, though it was just a brief four-game stint for the lefty between the Florida Complex League and Salem. 2024 was Mullins' first full season in the minors, which was quite the encouraging sign considering he entered Boston's system having only thrown 53 1/3 innings during his college career at Auburn. In 2024, Mullins managed to throw 89 innings across 22 games and 17 starts for Greenville. Mullins was a staple for the Drive's pitching staff, as he posted a 3.94 ERA while striking out 30.3% of the batters he faced. Fast forward to 2025 and Mullins has earned himself a promotion to Double-A following a dominant month of April in Greenville. He has appeared in four games, three of which he started, and all of which he threw at least four innings. In his 17 total innings of work, Mullins has given up just two earned runs while striking out 27 against just three walks. His 27 strikeouts thus far rank third among all Red Sox minor leaguers, while his 1.06 ERA ranks second (minimum ten innings pitched). He has done a great job at limiting baserunners, as he's sporting the best WHIP in the system at 0.82, as well as an impressive .186 opponent batting average. All four of his appearances to this point have been great, but it's his most recent start, which happened to be his final start for Greenville, that was his best. He fired off four shutout innings while allowing just one baserunner via a hit and struck out six, leading Greenville to a victory over the Hub City Spartanburgers (TEX). Because of the injury history and overall profile, it seems as if Mullins is projected to end up in the bullpen down the road, but he has certainly established himself as an effective starter for the time being. It's a distinct four-pitch mix for Mullins, with the fastball and slider really being his two main offerings. His fastball sits in the low-90s but has topped out at 95 mph, and plays up due to his low release point and extension. The slider sits in the low-80s with a tight shape and also plays up due to Mullins's ability to locate it well. He also features a curveball and a changeup, which are both a work in progress and will likely be the determining factor for how long he lasts as a starter. After a solid campaign in his first full season of pro ball a year ago, and now with a hot start to 2025, Hayden Mullins has become a name to keep an eye on moving forward. Whether it's as a middle to back-end of the rotation starter or as an impact reliever, this is certainly an arm that could find his way to Fenway given his current trajectory. View full article

Roman AnthonyKristian CampbellMarcelo MayerFranklin AriasJhostynxon GarciaYoeilin CespedesRichard FittsLuis PeralesConnelly EarlyMikey RomeroConrad CasonJohanfran GarciaJedixson PaezHunter DobbinsDavid SandlinPayton TolleYophery RodriguezMiguel BleisNazzan ZanetelloAllan Castro

Roman AnthonyKristian CampbellMarcelo MayerFranklin AriasJhostynxon GarciaYoeilin CespedesRichard FittsLuis PeralesConnelly EarlyMikey RomeroConrad CasonJohanfran GarciaJedixson PaezHunter DobbinsDavid SandlinPayton TolleYophery RodriguezMiguel BleisNazzan ZanetelloAllan Castro

It was another promising week for Boston's farm as they saw some big wins across each level and prospect promotions, while all four teams combined to go 13-10 on the week. Worcester Red Sox (Triple-A): 4-3 (14-12 overall) Following an impressive week for the Woo Sox last week in which they went 5-1 on the road, they picked up where they left off with four straight wins over the Syracuse Mets back home at Polar Park. That included a 5-0 shutout, two one-run wins in a doubleheader on Wednesday, and a dominant 14-1 onslaught on Thursday. That was all before they would go on to lose the next three. It was an 8-3 loss on Friday night, and then rain on Saturday forced a doubleheader on Sunday in which Worcester would lose both games. Despite minor league doubleheader games being only seven innings, the Mets and Woo Sox combined for 32 runs in the final game as the Mets put up 12 runs in the first inning on their way to a 20-12 victory. While the pitching staff gave up their fair share of runs throughout the week, the offense was the best in Triple-A this week. Their .327 batting average, .413 on-base percentage, and .507 slugging percentage all led the International League, while their .920 OPS led all Triple-A teams. To no one's surprise, Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer once again led the charge. Featured Prospect: Marcelo Mayer I want to avoid highlighting the same player in back-to-back weeks, but Mayer's performance this week left me no choice. Mayer mashed three home runs while driving in 12, putting him at 34 runs batted in on the season, leading all minor league hitters by a wide margin. Mayer only hit eight home runs in his 335 plate appearances at Double-A Portland last year and is already up to seven this year, highlighting the big league power Mayer is growing into. Portland Sea Dogs (Double-A): 4-0 (11-6 overall) It was a shortened week for the Sea Dogs due to inclement weather, but an undefeated week nonetheless. They were back home in Portland, taking on the Reading Fightin Phils, kicking off the week with an impressive 9-8 win, including a five-run comeback in the bottom of the eighth inning. In the following three games, the pitching staff allowed just five runs combined on their way to their undefeated week. They would come away with another late comeback win on Thursday, winning 4-3. It was another one-run win on Friday as the Sea Dogs won in walk-off fashion in the ninth on a home run off the bat of Tyler Miller. Featured Prospect: Jhostynxon Garcia Again, this week, Garcia finds himself as the featured prospect at Double-A upon another impressive offensive showing. He didn't leave the yard this week but still managed to hit .357/.471/.429 with five hits and three walks in his 17 plate appearances. The Red Sox's sixth-ranked prospect is up to a .892 OPS on the season, which leads the Sea Dogs and ranks ninth among all qualified Eastern League hitters. Greenville Drive (High-A): 2-4 (9-11 overall) It was a step back in the right direction for the Drive last week as they went 4-2 against Winston-Salem at home, but trended back in the wrong direction this week, dropping four of six on the road to the Hub City Spartanburgers. The series kicked off with back-to-back one-run losses, including a walk-off loss on Wednesday. They won the following game by a score of 6-3 before dropping the next two while allowing 22 runs in the process. Fortunately for the Drive, they came away with a solid win on Sunday to close out the series. Miguel Bleis, Red Sox's 13th-ranked prospect, and Andy Lugo led the way for the offense. Bleis hit two home runs on his way to a 1.015 OPS while Lugo logged three multi-hit games on his way to leading the team with a .412 batting average and a .524 OBP. Zach Erhard, the Red Sox's fourth-round pick just a year ago, was also a big part of the offense, but in a little more unconventional way, as he somehow managed to draw nine walks on the week and also stole three bases in the meantime. Featured Prospect: Payton Tolle Payton Tolle was the Red Sox's second-round pick (50th overall) out of Texas Christian University last year. Tolle made his professional debut earlier this month, and while the results in his debut were less than desirable, Tolle now has impressive performances in his two most recent appearances. He started in Greenville's 6-1 win on Sunday, delivering four shutout innings while allowing just two baserunners on nine strikeouts. The 22-year-old lefty is currently ranked as Boston's 17th-best prospect. Given the pedigree he entered the system with as a second-round pick, Tolle can certainly earn a promotion to Portland upon a string of solid outings. Salem Red Sox (Low-A): 3-3 (8-13 overall) Following a couple of disappointing weeks of baseball for Salem, the Low-A Red Sox managed a 3-3 week with some big numbers for the offense. They scored in the double digits twice, including a 19-1 win to close out the series, and 44 total runs on the week, which led all Carolina League teams. The pitching owned one of the wins, as well, as they came away with a shutout in Wednesday's game. The shutout on Wednesday was opened by Brandon Clarke, one of the top-performing pitchers across all Red Sox minor leagues thus far. He delivered three and a third shutout innings while striking out six and allowing just two baserunners. That would be Clarke's final appearance with Salem for at least the foreseeable future, as he earned a promotion to High-A along with Boston's fourth-ranked prospect, Franklin Arias. Those are certainly two players on both sides of the ball that Salem will miss moving forward. However, there's still a lot to like on the current roster. Antonio Anderson came through with another solid showing at the plate, hitting .320/.414/.520 with a home run. Featured Prospect: Freili Encarnacion The 20-year-old shortstop out of the Dominican Republic has been off to a hot start thus far in 2025, which continued this week. He finished the week with three multi-hit games, a home run, and a team-leading seven runs batted in. His home run on Saturday night was clocked at 114.7 mph off the bat, which is harder than any ball hit by a Red Sox major league hitter so far in 2025. His .500 SLG on the season leads the team to this point, and he could be knocking on the door of prospect rankings pretty soon if the offense continues to progress. View full article

Following a tough week for the Red Sox minor league affiliates, it was a solid showing for the farm this week as they combined for a 12-12 record along with plenty of promising individual performances. Worcester Red Sox (Triple-A): 5-1 (10-9 overall) It was quite the impressive week for the Woo Sox in Rochester, where they took on the Red Wings, the Washington Nationals' Triple-A affiliate. Some very hot bats highlighted their 5-1 week as they scored 49 runs across the six games, including a 20-run showcase on Friday night. They hit a total of 10 home runs while collectively posting a .329/.421/.586 slash line was good for a minor league-leading 1.007 OPS for the week. Five hitters with at least 20 plate appearances had an OPS north of 1.000 on the week: Roman Anthony, Vaughn Grissom, Abraham Toro, Nathan Hickey, and Tyler McDonough. The pitching also had its fair share of success, logging a 3.96 ERA on the week, which was fifth best in the International League. The 26-year-old lefty Shane Drohan led the charge, allowing just one run in nine innings of work across two starts while striking out 12 batters. The Woo Sox are back in Worcester this week to take on the Syracuse Mets, the New York Mets' Triple-A affiliate. Featured Prospect: Marcelo Mayer Roman Anthony, last week's featured prospect for Worcester, had another monster week, but it's worth noting that Marcelo Mayer had a great week following a subpar performance last week. The top shortstop prospect reached base in all six games and homered twice on his way to a minor league-leading 13 RBI on the week and an .869 OPS. Following a solid showing at big league spring training where he had a 156 wRC+ across 44 plate appearances, Mayer is heating back up and certainly paving the way for himself to make his MLB debut very soon. Portland Sea Dogs (Double-A): 2-4 (7-6 overall) It was a shortened week due to inclement weather for the Sea Dogs last week, but they managed to get all six of their games in this week with the Hartford Yard Goats, the Colorado Rockies' Double-A affiliate. In Hartford, the Sea Dogs won each of the first two games by a score of 7-5 before dropping the next four by a combined score of 24-10. The mound featured a few familiar faces as Lucas Giolito and Brayan Bello made rehab appearances. Giolito threw seven innings across two starts - one on Tuesday and one on Sunday. He allowed six earned runs on 11 hits and three walks while striking out eight in his seven innings of work. Bello's start on Wednesday wasn't all that pretty either as he allowed four earned runs on six hits and a walk in four innings, but did strike out seven. Last week's featured prospect for Portland, Connelly Early, had another stellar week on the mound. The Red Sox's tenth-ranked prospect by MLB Pipeline struck out 14 Hartford hitters across seven innings out of the bullpen, allowing just one run on three hits. Early continues to be a pitching prospect to keep tabs on as he is now down to 0.84 ERA on the season with a 55.3 K%. Mikey Romero is a player worth noting on the offensive side. The 2022 first-round pick seems to be picking right up where he left off last year. He hit his second home run of the season on Thursday and had two multi-hit games on his way to a .958 OPS. The Sea Dogs are back home in Portland this week, taking on the Reading Fightin Phils, the Philadelphia Phillies' Double-A affiliate. Featured Prospect: Jhostynxon Garcia Jhostynxon Garcia is the Red Sox's sixth-ranked prospect and certainly showed why with the bat this week. In 22 plate appearances, Garcia posted a .474/.545/.737 slash line with a home run, two doubles, three walks, and just two strikeouts. The home run was his first of the season, and there should be a lot more where it came from as he hit 23 long balls across three levels just a year ago. He's now up to an .891 OPS on the season. Greenville Drive (High-A): 4-2 (7-7 overall) It was a fun week for the Drive in Greenville as they took on the Winston-Salem Dash, the Chicago White Sox High-A affiliate. They suffered a tough loss on Thursday night, during which they made a five-run comeback in the ninth, only to fall in extra innings. However, they would go on to win each of the final three games by one run, including a 12-inning 10-9 marathon that the Drive walked off in the 12th. They scored 38 runs on the week, which was only topped by the Greensboro Grasshoppers (PIT) in the South Atlantic League this week. Nelly Taylor, Brooks Brannon, and Marvin Alcantara led the charge offensively, posting an OPS north of 1.000 this week. Jojo Ingrassia had yet another impressive outing as he delivered 5.1 scoreless innings on Saturday while allowing just one hit and one walk while striking out five, which brings his ERA on the season to 2.77 and his WHIP to 0.77. Hayden Mullins, the 24-year-old lefty drafted in 2022, was another pitcher with an impressive outing. He struck out eight across five innings while allowing two runs, which brought his ERA on the season to 1.38. The Drive are back on the road this week as they take on the Hub City Spartanburgers, the Texas Rangers' High-A affiliate. Featured Prospect: Nelly Taylor Nelly Taylor was an 11th-round pick in the 2023 draft who is off to a hot start thus far in 2025. He was fairly pedestrian in his first full season of pro ball in 2024, hitting just .233/.337/.376 on the season, but did look good in his cup of coffee in Greenville at the end of last season, where he posted a .894 OPS across 41 plate appearances. He was the top offensive performer for the Drive this week, hitting .400/.500/.533 with five walks to just three strikeouts and three stolen bases. He's the Red Sox's 22nd-ranked prospect thanks to his plus skills in the outfield and his wheels on the bases. The bat is certainly the factor that can turn him into an impact player moving forward. Salem Red Sox (Low-A): 1-5 (5-10 overall) It was another rough week for Salem, which now has a 1-5 record in consecutive weeks. They played the Lynchburg Hillcats, Cleveland Guardians' Low-A affiliate, at home, winning just the Wednesday night matchup by a score of 9-7. The offense left much to be desired, as Salem was the only Carolina League team that failed to hit a home run this week. On top of that, only one hitter managed to post an OPS higher than .700. The pitching, fortunately, had some brighter spots. Brandon Clarke, one of the highlights across all Red Sox Minor League teams last week following a perfect four-inning outing, delivered another solid performance, striking out six in just two and a third innings while allowing just one run, two hits, and one walk. Michael Sansone and Matt McShane were two promising arms out of the bullpen as they combined to give up just three runs in 11.1 innings across four appearances while striking out a total of 13 hitters and walking just one. This week, the Red Sox hit the road to take on the Hickory Crawdads, the Texas Rangers' Low-A affiliate. Featured Prospect: Antonio Anderson The lone hitter with an OPS higher than .700 this week for Salem was Antonio Anderson, who managed to hit .412/.522/.471 in 23 plate appearances. Anderson hit safely in all five games he played this week, which included two multi-hit games and a six-game hit streak. The 19-year-old third baseman was the Red Sox's third-round pick in the 2023 draft. While he struggled in his introduction to pro ball between the end of 2023 and all of 2024, Anderson is off to a much better start as he's sporting a team-leading .886 OPS thus far in 2025. View full article