Billy Mock

It looks like the Big Three will all be in Boston soon enough. Who else could shoot up prospect lists in the next year? The Boston Red Sox have built one of the top farm systems in all of baseball thanks to their ability to identify, draft, and sign both high-level amateur and international baseball talent. Their system is ranked as the best farm in all of baseball by Baseball America and is ranked third by MLB Pipeline. The current farm is highlighted by the Big Three. That would be Marcelo Mayer, Roman Anthony, and Kristian Campbell, all of whom were drafted in back-to-back years between 2021 and 2023. All three prospects rank within at least the top 15 on both MLB Pipeline and Baseball America's most recent top 100 prospects list. With Campbell having already made his big league debut, he will soon graduate as a prospect, and both Anthony and Mayer should debut at some point this year. What's unique about this group is that while Mayer has pretty much lived up to his fourth-overall-pick pedigree, neither Campbell nor Anthony were first-round picks who entered Boston's system with a whole lot of buzz. Nevertheless, they've both had meteoric rises through the system, which speaks to the organization's ability to develop big league talent. Let's break down a few under-the-radar minor league prospects that may have what it takes to shoot up Red Sox prospect rankings in the same way with a big 2025. 1. Jojo Ingrassia, LHP, High-A Jojo Ingrassia is another name on the long list of pitching development successes for the Red Sox. Ingrassia was Boston's 14th-round pick in the 2023 draft, selected 418th overall out of Cal State Fullerton. In his first season as a pro, Ingrassia certainly surpassed his expectations as a 14th-rounder. Ingrassia opened his professional career as a reliever for Low-A Salem, where he spent all of 2024. In nine games out of the bullpen, Ingrassia delivered 18 innings in long relief, allowing just four earned runs while striking out 36 batters (18 K/9). Because of his consistent success in multi-inning stints, Ingrassia was eventually stretched out as a starter. He would end up starting 12 games but only completed five innings twice. However, Ingrassia maintained the level of success he found out of the bullpen. In 40.1 innings as a starter, the 22-year-old lefty posted a 1.79 ERA and 12.95 strikeouts per nine innings. In his 21 total appearances, Ingrassia led all Low-A pitchers with at least 50 innings pitched in both strikeout rate (39.6%) and strikeout rate minus walk rate (31.1%), while finishing within the top ten in both ERA (1.85) and opponent batting average (.178). Ingrassia has opened the 2025 season with a promotion to High-A Greenville where he has moved back into a multi-inning relief role. In two appearances thus far, he has already struck out 14 batters over 7.2 innings. Ingrassia is your typical funky lefty whose stuff plays up due to his lower arm slot and ability to spin the ball at a high rate. He's also only walking 7.9% of hitters thus far in his pro career, which actually tracks better than a lot of recent high-profile starting pitching prospects. The tools are present for Ingrassia to at least be an average to above-average multi-inning reliever moving forward. The Red Sox can definitely move him back into a starter's role and experiment with how his arm responds to heavier workloads. The only thing that keeps Ingrassia out of the upper-tier of pitching prospects at the moment is his lack of track record. With another season of success for the lefty, that can certainly change. 2. Conrad Cason, RHP/SS. Florida Complex League Conrad Cason has yet to make his professional debut, but is definitely a player to keep an eye on for the 2025 season and beyond. Cason was Boston's eighth-round draft pick just a year ago out of Greater Atlanta Christian High School, where he was a standout as a two-way player. There's a growing amount of amateur prospects entering pro systems as two-way players, but it's still very rare that any actually do both for any amount of time. Cason has shown a strong desire to continue doing both, stating that he "wants to take what Shohei is doing and try to take it to the next level." While that is quite the long shot, I'm sure that's a mindset the Red Sox love to see from the 18-year-old. It's important to be realistic about two-way prospects and not to bank on them being successful on both sides of the ball. For what it's worth, Jac Caglianone, one of the top two-way prospects in last year's draft, was selected sixth overall and immediately was converted into a full-time hitter. However, Cason is a unique case in that he doesn't have a clear-cut better side to his game. The chances of him playing shortstop and pitching are slim to none, but there is a chance he can hit and pitch. It's already on the record that Cason will be developed by the Red Sox as a two-way player to open his career. Cason is both a plus hitter and pitcher, and if he ends up focusing on one over the other, the expectation is that skill would only get better. As a position player, more of Cason's value comes as a defender, although he has a promising bat as well. Given he has been up to 98 mph on the mound, he has a 65-grade arm across the diamond with above-average to plus athleticism. At the plate, there are questions about his hit tool, but he should continue to grow into more power that will count for a lot if he's making enough contact. As a shortstop, he draws a lot of similarities to Tampa Bay Rays top prospect Carson Williams when Williams was entering the professional ranks in 2021. On the mound, Cason features a three-pitch mix, with the fastball being his premier offering. The slider and changeup are his breaking and offspeed pitches of choice, and he showed improved feel for both in his senior year. Cason will make his professional debut in the Florida Complex League in May, and if he can find success both at the plate and on the mound, this is a player who can take the prospect world by storm in 2025. 3. Johanfran Garcia, C, Single-A Following a season-ending ACL injury in May of last year, Johanfran Garcia is looking to put his name back on the map as one of the top catchers in Boston's farm system. If the name Garcia rings a bell, it's because Johanfran Garcia is the younger brother of Jhostynxon Garcia, the organization's sixth-ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline. The Red Sox signed Jhostynxon out of Venezuela in 2019, and after they found success with him they returned to the well and signed his brother in 2022. Garcia has yet to log a full season's worth of games, but he was tracking well prior to the injury. Garcia opened his professional career in 2023 in the Florida Complex League. In 179 plate appearances, the backstop hit five home runs and posted a slash line of .302/.408/.497, good for a .904 OPS and a 137 wRC+. His OPS and wRC+ both ranked within the top five among catchers with at least 100 plate appearances across both complex leagues. He earned himself a promotion to Low-A Salem at the end of the season, where he struggled offensively for 15 games. However, upon his return to Low-A in 2024, Garcia raked up until he went down with the knee injury. In 60 plate appearances, Garcia hit two home runs along with a .385/.467/.596 slash line. He was pacing as one of the top hitters in the organization prior to the injury as his 1.063 OPS and 207 wRC+ were the best in the system, minimum 60 plate appearances. Granted, the sample size has been small, but Garcia has certainly showed a lot of promise thus far. The plus power is Garcia's calling card as a hitter, while his above-average arm should keep him behind the plate long-term. His hit tool was improving a lot prior to the injury, and if he picks up where he left off, Garcia can quickly become one of the best offensive catching prospects in baseball. View full article

With Low-A Salem, High-A Greenville, and Double-A Portland opening their seasons last weekend, full-season minor league ball is underway. Unfortunately, it was a tough week, as all four levels faced postponements due to inclement weather and combined for a 7-13 record. Worcester Red Sox (Triple-A): 2-3 (5-8 overall) Worcester took on the Columbus Clippers, the Cleveland Guardians Triple-A affiliate, winning two of the five match-ups. The series opened with a doubleheader on Wednesday due to inclement weather postponing Tuesday's game. They split the two games with the Clippers on Wednesday before dropping the next two on Thursday and Friday. It was a snow day on Saturday as they were postponed again before salvaging the series with a win on Sunday. While they lost the series, there were some bright spots, namely Bryan Bello making his third rehab start following a shoulder strain. He fired off four innings on Friday, allowing two earned runs on no walks and four hits while striking out five. The Red Sox hit the road to take on the Rochester Red Wings, Washington Nationals Triple-A affiliate, for a six-game set that kicks off on Tuesday evening. Featured Prospect: Roman Anthony Roman Anthony, the organization's number one prospect and number two ranked prospect in all of baseball by MLB Pipeline, had yet another impressive week that fell right in line with his performed throughout his professional career to date. He went 7-for-19 on the week, posting a .903 OPS and a .368/.429/.474 slash line. On Sunday, Anthony hit a single up the middle that came off the bat at 113.1 mph. That mark leads all Red Sox hitters across all levels, including the majors. After an impressive performance in spring training, Anthony continues to see the ball well, consistently making hard contact to all fields. It's only a matter of time before Boston calls on him to beef up the big league lineup. Portland Sea Dogs (Double-A): 2-2 (5-2 overall) The Sea Dogs also faced some undesirable conditions, only getting four of their six scheduled games in as they were postponed due to snow on Saturday and rain on Sunday. However, Portland managed to split the four-game set with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, the Toronto Blue Jays Double-A affiliate. Headlined by a 14-3 beat down on Thursday, the Sea Dogs outscored New Hampshire by a score of 20-12 on the week. The offense was led by Ahbram Liendo, the 21-year-old switch-hitting prospect, who went 4-10 over three games, posting a .955 OPS. While the bats were solid, it was really the pitching that came through for the Sea Dogs. Despite only having played four games, they led all Eastern League teams in strikeouts this past week with 63, while also posting a league-best 2.13 ERA. While there were multiple impressive performances on the mound, it was arguably Jack Anderson's 4 2/3 scoreless innings of relief while striking out 10 and allowing just four baserunners that shined brightest. The Sea Dogs currently sit in second place in the Eastern League, while they lead the northeast division with their 5-2 record. They will be on the road this week to face the Hartford Yard Goats, Colorado Rockies Double-A affiliate. Featured Prospect: Connelly Early The team's 10th-ranked prospect, Connelly Early, was one of the top pitchers at Portland this week. He made his first start of the 2025 season on Wednesday, firing off 3 2/3 scoreless innings while allowing just two walks, no hits, and one unearned run. Early was the team's fifth-round pick (151st overall) out of the University of Virginia in 2023. In his first full professional season last year, the lefty tossed 103 1/2 innings across 23 games at High-A Greenville and Portland, posting a 3.99 ERA and a 30.8% strikeout rate. Early is certainly a pitcher to keep tabs on moving forward, as he has a great ability to miss bats and induce plenty of ground balls and soft contact. Greenville Drive (High-A): 2-3 (3-5 overall) The Drive were in Asheville last week to take on the Tourists, Triple-A affiliate of the Astros. Although they were clear of the snow the teams further north had to deal with, they still dealt with postponement and a half due to weather. Their game on Thursday was suspended midway through the game and finished on Saturday, while their game on Friday was canceled due to rain. Greenville took down the Tourists in the second and third games of the series, dropping the opener and final two match-ups. There were some encouraging signs on both sides of the ball, as the offense mounted a late three-run comeback in Wednesday's 5-4 win, while the pitching staff threw a three-hit shutout in the third game of the series. There's a lot of depth on the pitching side as the staff features multiple top 30 organizational prospects including Payton Tolle (#17), Juan Valera (#19), Jedixson Paez (#21), and Jojo Ingrassia (#29). However, it was Hayden Mullins, the 24-year-old, left-handed 12th-round pick, who had the best performance, throwing four scoreless innings while striking out seven on Thursday. That brought his total line on the season thus far to 8 IP, 0 ER, 6 H, 1 BB, 13 K. The Drive will be home in Greenville this week as they take on the Winston-Salem Dash, the High-A affiliate of the White Sox. Featured Prospect: Yophery Rodriguez The team's 11th-ranked prospect Yophery Rodriguez was the top hitter for Greenville this week, posting a .944 OPS and a .286/.444/.500 slash line over 18 plate appearances. Rodriguez was a recent addition, acquired in a trade from the Brewers on April 7, which included a competitive balance draft pick and a PTBNL for RHP Quinn Priester. Rodriguez was Milwaukee's seventh-ranked prospect by MLB Pipeline. At just 19, Rodgriguez is a well-rounded outfielder who has bounced around all three outfield positions. He spent the entirety of 2024 at Low-A Carolina where he posted a 117 wRC+ over 484 plate appearances. Salem Red Sox (Single-A): 1-5 (4-5 overall) After opening the season with an undefeated weekend, Salem struggled this past week, dropping five of six to the Fredricksburg Nationals, the Washington Nationals' Triple-A affiliate. The series opened with a walk-off 9-8 win for the Nationals before the Red Sox won their only game of the series on Wednesday. Thursday was another tough loss as the Red Sox gave up a 4-2 lead in the eighth inning, surrendering five runs and dropping the game 7-4. They would go on to lose the next three games as well. Despite the losing record, some good came from the series. Starlyn Nunez, the 19-year-old shortstop out of the Dominican Republic, had one of the top performances across all of Low-A. He went 4-for-15 on the week with three extra-base hits and two home runs. Freili Encarnacion, another young Dominican shortstop, included a home run of his own while going 6-for-18 on the week and posting a .961 OPS and a .333/.350/.611 slash line. The Red Sox will be at home this week as they take on the Lynchburg Hillcats, the Cleveland Guardians' Low-A affiliate. Featured Prospect: Brandon Clarke Brandon Clarke's professional debut was the main story of the pitching staff this week. Clarke was the team's fifth-round pick in the draft just a year ago out of State College of Florida. The 22-year-old lefty got the start on Thursday and proceeded to fire off four perfect innings while striking out five. He threw 40 pitches, 30 of which he landed for strikes, and ran his fastball up to 99 mph. The physical tools and fastball velocity offer a lot to like about Clarke. He's certainly an interesting pitcher to follow as he has a high ceiling, but the current expectation is that he will end up in the bullpen long-term. View full article