Ayden Mason

The Minor League Baseball season has been over for some time, and having digested all of the numbers (and a painful Red Sox playoff run), it's time to award the top prospects in the organization. Boston’s best pitchers in the farm system did take quite a hit in 2026; Juan Valera underwent Tommy John surgery in May, and top prospects Anthony Eyanson and Kyson Witherspoon were sent to the Orioles for Adley Rutschman. Those departures gave fans some leeway to look for diamonds in the rough, though, and there are more than a few standouts worthy of placement here. Ranking Red Sox’s Best Minor-League Pitchers of 2026 Honorable Mention: Anthony Eyanson (High-A Greenville/Double-A Portland) Eyanson would easily have been in the #1 spot, but it is only right to rank the players who pitched the entire season for their respective organizations. The Southern California native was sensational this year, especially with Boston’s affiliates, posting a 1.32 ERA across 68 ⅓ innings with Greenville and Portland. Along with his outstanding season, he was named the 2026 Eastern League Pitcher of the Year. The best part of Eyanson's game in college was generating swings and misses; that impressive trait carried over to the minors, where he punched out 94 batters while in the Red Sox organization. #3: Blake Wehunt (Double-A Portland/Triple-A Worcester) The most consistent of the bunch here, Wehunt had a major bounce-back season after a rough 2025 in Double-A. The right-hander allowed just one fewer run than last year, but this season he logged 37 more frames, ending 2026 with a 3.50 ERA and 104 strikeouts over 100.1 innings. The former ninth-rounder uses his gigantic 6’7” frame very well, creating a massive amount of extension, 6.8 feet off the rubber, in the 88th percentile for Triple-A pitchers. Wehunt’s specialty this season was filling up the strike zone; he might not strike out many batters, but he trusts his defense behind him to make plays. His 49.3% and 51.9% strike-zone percentages across Portland and Worcester, respectively, were the key to his success. Drafted back in 2023, Wehunt made his organizational debut that same year, throwing only one inning. He looked solid in 2024, making 22 starts with a 3.88 ERA—however, he struggled to work deep into games, registering only a single quality start. He has made tremendous strides since then, completing five quality starts this season. #2: Hayden Mullins (Double-A Portland/Triple-A Worcester) Drafted in the 12th round of the 2022 draft, Mullins is a very interesting pitcher. Throughout his career, he has always generated a large number of strikeouts. His windup creates massive deception, rotating his body in a way that hides the ball behind him, then delivering the pitch with a low release point. The 26-year-old southpaw struggled immensely in June and July before getting extremely hot in the final two months. Through his six starts in August and September, Mullins pitched at least five innings five times, struck out at least eight batters four times, and gave up just one earned run or fewer each time out. That's straight dominance and a perfect way to build momentum ahead of the offseason. Similar to 2025, Mullins struck out batters at an elite rate this season; his 135 strikeouts ranked fifth in the Eastern League. Naturally, a 12.70 K/9 and 33% strikeout rate were both career highs for the lefty. #1: Dylan Brown (Low-A Salem/High-A Greenville) In his first professional season in Boston’s organization, Brown undoubtedly sealed the Red Sox MiLB Pitcher of the Year award. The Old Dominion product led all of the org's minor-league affiliates with 143 strikeouts through 106.2 innings. As a 6’5” left-hander, Brown is not known for lighting up radar guns, averaging just 92 MPH with his fastball, but a blend of deception and command is his bread and butter. Brown’s mechanics are a bit generic, however, his arm slot and the spot on the mound where his plant foot lands make it hard for batters to read the ball out of his hand. His metrics show he has been elite in every category except for contact allowed inside the zone, but that does not matter as long as batters punch out and make weak contact. The 2025 eighth-round pick had some ups and downs, but he dominated overall, posting a 3.46 ERA over 106.2 innings and an extremely impressive 3.86 K/BB ratio. Dylan looks to carry this exceptional season into 2027, where he could emerge as the next in a long line of top Red Sox pitching prospects. View full article

Boston Red Sox Affiliate Recap (September 17) Triple-A Worcester Red Sox Season Record: 75-66 Despite Worcester’s offense having no life, the pitching staff looked great in their 2-0 loss to the Durham Bulls (Tampa Bay Rays). The WooSox tallied just two hits, not a recipe for success. Allan Castro cracked a two-out double in the first, and Tomás Nido hammered a one-out single in the ninth, but Worcester could not string together any more hits to bring them in. Pitching just one game for Boston back in March, Johan Oviedo made his first rehab appearance since suffering a right elbow strain. Johan was the centerpiece of a trade involving Jhostynxon Garcia, one of Boston’s top prospects. The right-hander pounded the strike zone through 2 ⅓ innings, throwing 20 of his 30 pitches for strikes, generating three whiffs and four strikeouts. John Holobetz dominated out of the bullpen, striking out eight Bulls and recording an absurd 20 whiffs while not allowing any runs over 4 ⅓ innings. Tyler Samaniego gave up a run in his lone inning, but with how miserable the offense looked, it did not seem to matter. Noah Song finished off the final 1 ⅓ innings, shutting out Durham with one strikeout and just one base runner allowed. Standout Performances: Johan Oviedo: 2 ⅓ IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K John Holobetz: 4 ⅓ IP: 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 8 K View full article

Boston Red Sox Affiliate Recap (September 16) Triple-A Worcester Red Sox Season Record: 75-65 Worcester’s third straight win came on WWE Night, as the WooSox defeated the Durham Bulls (Tampa Bay Rays) 8-5. The WooSox collected 10 hits, with multi-hit games from Braiden Ward (3), Tsung-Che Cheng (2), and Allan Castro (2), who became the hero once again in back-to-back nights, and cracked two homers for his squad. While Worcester was facing a 3-0 hole in the third, they showcased perfect baseball. Cheng started things off with a single, then advanced to second on a Ward sacrifice bunt. Franklin Arias followed up with a single of his own, bringing in Cheng. Now with Arias aboard, Castro smacked his first of two homers, a two-run shot to tie the game 3-3. Another obstacle was in Worcester’s way in the seventh, now facing a two-run deficit. Singles from Cheng and Ward gave the Sox some life once again. After breaking the record for most stolen bases in Triple-A Red Sox history with 58, Braiden stole two bases, including his 60th, to put two runners in scoring position. Arias recorded his 2nd RBI of the night with a sacrifice fly, cutting the deficit to one run. Then came the hottest hitter on the team, Castro, who clobbered another two-run bomb, giving the Sox their first lead of the game, 6-5. In the eighth, Nate Baez gave the WooSox some comfort with a sacrifice fly, then Ward’s third hit of the night was a big one, extending the lead to 8-5 with an RBI single. Sam McWilliams shut the door in the ninth with a hitless inning, earning his second save of the season. Blake Wehunt, one of Boston’s top pitching prospects, pitched his last regular-season game. The right-hander was not at his best over his five-inning start, but he did not let the game get out of hand, allowing four runs on seven hits and three walks, with three strikeouts. Seth Martinez earned his fourth win out of the bullpen with a dominant seventh inning, striking out the side. Standout Performances: Allan Castro: 2-for-3, 2 HR, 2 R, 4 RBI, BB Braiden Ward: 3-for-4, R, RBI, 2 SB Franklin Arias: 1-for-3, R, 2 RBI, SB View full article

Boston Red Sox Affiliate Recap (September 15) Triple-A Worcester Red Sox Season Record: 74-65 In the midst of a late push for the MiLB playoffs, Worcester walked it off in the 10th, 2-1, against the Durham Bulls (Tampa Bay Rays). The story of the game was not the offense; neither team strung together many hits, but their pitching staffs traded blows. Jedixson Paez was outstanding through his six-inning start. The only run the right-hander allowed was a solo home run to the second batter he faced; after that, he dominated the rest of the way, punching out four batters with just three hits allowed. Tanner Houck significantly improved in his third rehab appearance and first in Worcester. He threw a scoreless seventh inning, striking out the first batter he faced on six pitches, walking the second on six as well, then punching out the next two Bulls to end the inning. Houck relied on his splitter while generating four whiffs, averaging 92.2 MPH on the sinker and 94 MPH on the fastball. This was another short outing that Chad Tracy mentioned, but he also mentioned a longer outing later this week in the 40-50-pitch range. Osvaldo Berrios threw a perfect eighth inning, then Hobie Harris came up big for the WooSox, tossing scoreless ninth and tenth innings, essentially giving Worcester a win. Not only was Allan Castro the only Sox hitter with multiple hits, but he was also the hero in extra innings. Down to their last out, Max Ferguson as the ghost runner, Castro crushed a line drive into right field to bring in the winning run, walking it off for the WooSox with a final score of 2-1. Standout Performances: Jedixson Paez: 6 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 4 K Tanner Houck: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K Allan Castro: 2-for-4, RBI, BB View full article

Boston Red Sox Affiliate Recap (September 10) Triple-A Worcester Red Sox Season Record: 72-63 One big inning was all Worcester needed to come out with a 7-4 victory against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs (Philadelphia Phillies). The WooSox batted around the entire lineup in the first inning, putting up five runs in the meantime. Braiden Ward got it started with a leadoff walk, then immediately stole his 57th base of the season. Franklin Arias did what he does best: putting the ball in play. This time, it was a grounder up the middle into the outfield to bring in Ward. Allan Castro and Vinny Capra got on base, bringing up Tyler McDonough with one out, who then smacked an RBI single to make it 2-0. Nathan Hickey came through with a two-run bases-loaded single, then a groundout from Tsung-Che Cheng brought in McDonough to extend Worcester’s lead to 5-0, putting Lehigh Valley in a massive hole. McDonough continued to stay hot since returning to Worcester, hammering a solo blast in the third inning to make it 6-1. Arias, who has recorded an RBI in five of his last six games, put another on the board with a single, bringing in Hickey to give Worcester a commanding 7-2 lead. Blake Wehunt got the start on the mound for the WooSox and pitched solid through six innings. The 6’7” right-hander gave up two runs in the first three innings, but he cruised the rest of the way. Tyler Samaniego was outstanding in his relief appearance, tossing two perfect innings with three strikeouts. Osvaldo Berrios gave up two runs in the final inning but finished it off, ending it 7-4. Standout Performances: Tyler McDonough: 2-for-4, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI Franklin Arias: 2-for-4, R, 2 RBI Blake Wehunt: 6 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 4 K Double-A Portland Sea Dogs Season Record: 69-65 The Sea Dogs blew out the Binghamton Rumble Ponies (New York Mets) 14-6 at home. Portland’s offense had a tremendous night at the plate, completing two six-run innings. Mason White gave the Rumble Ponies trouble all night, getting on base five times with three knocks, two walks and a stolen base, including a solo homer in the seventh. Binghamton was winning through three innings, as a matter of fact, but Ahbram Liendo snatched away their lead in the blink of an eye, crushing a grand slam over the green monster. Then came another bomb, this time a two-run homer from Ronald Rosario to put Portland up 7-3. Johanfran Garcia and Yoeilin Cespedes had just one hit, but they made it count in the eighth, each bringing home a run with hard-hit line drives. Caden Rose put this game completely out of reach with the lone hit he had, blasting a three-run bomb to extend their lead to 14-4. Devin Futrell was not at his best, but he still got through a reasonable outing, striking out five batters and allowing three runs (one unearned) through 3 ⅔ innings. Tyler Davis and Caleb Bolden were dominant, punching out eight batters and allowing just one unearned run through 4 ⅓ innings. Erik Rivera struggled a bit, giving up two runs in the ninth but still ended the game 14-6. Standout Performances: Mason White: 3-for-3, HR, 2B, 4 R, RBI, 2 BB, SB Ronald Rosario: 2-for-4, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI Ahbram Liendo: 1-for-4, HR (Grand Slam), R, 4 RBI Caden Rose: 1-for-4, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, BB View full article

Red Sox Affiliate Recap (September 9) Triple-A Worcester Red Sox Season Record: 71-63 The WooSox bounced back with an 8-3 victory on the road against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs (Philadelphia Phillies). Worcester’s offense was phenomenal, collecting 14 hits as a group. Five hitters had multi-hit games; Allan Castro and Vinny Capra each ended the game with three knocks and an RBI. Castro brought in Franklin Arias (who tallied two hits) with a soft-hit single in the fourth and Capra put this game to bed in the ninth with a solo blast. With two runners aboard, Nathan Hickey smacked a base-clearing triple to bring home Capra and Tyler McDonough, who also hammered a sharp line-drive RBI single beforehand, bringing in Mikey Romero, another WooSox batter with multiple hits. Along with Hickey, Nate Baez had a two-RBI night; a hard-hit groundball through the middle brought in two runs. Other than a rough eighth inning, Worcester’s pitching staff was excellent. Jedixson Paez made his first minor league start since the aftermath of his Boston debut. The 22-year-old was solid through 3 ⅓ innings, striking out four batters and giving up just four hits and no earned runs. Noah Song followed up with 2 ⅔ no-hit innings with three punchouts. John Brebbia struggled in the eighth but still got through it without the game getting out of hand, giving up three runs on four hits. Angel Bastardo finished off the game with a clean-handed ninth inning with one strikeout. Standout Performances: Vinny Capra: 3-for-5, HR, 2 R, RBI Allan Castro: 3-for-5, R, RBI, SB Franklin Arias: 2-for-3, 2B, R, 2 BB Double-A Portland Sea Dogs Season Record: 68-65 One rough inning ended with the Sea Dogs losing 5-2 to the Binghamton Rumble Ponies (New York Mets). Portland's pitching staff should not get all the blame, since the offense scored only two runs on six hits and three walks. The top of the lineup Justin Gonzales, Will Turner, and Brooks Brannon all ended their nights hitless. Henry Godbout had two knocks to extend his multi-hit streak to five games, but his teammates were not able to bring him home. In the 2025 offseason, Boston traded away infielder Vaughn Grissom for outfielder Isaiah Jackson. In his first season with a new club, the former eighth-rounder from Arizona State has been outstanding. Along with his 21 homers, his elite defensive tools earned him a promotion to Double-A Portland. In his first start, Jackson crushed a double in the right field gap, bringing in Ronald Rosario. Hayden Mullins deserves some flowers in his six-inning start. Despite not having the best command, the southpaw battled and gave up just one run with five strikeouts. The results of this outing and what he has done over the last month are catching Boston fans' attention for what is to come in the future. Griffin Kilander was outstanding through the final two innings, recording four punchouts and just one hit allowed. Standout Performance: Hayden Mullins: 6 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K View full article

Red Sox Affiliate Recap (September 8) Triple-A Worcester Red Sox Season Record: 70-63 Worcester suffered a heartbreaking 5-4 walk off defeat in extra-innings to the Lehigh Valley IronPigs (Lehigh Valley IronPigs) The bats for the WooSox racked up 10 hits, outhitting the IronPigs, who had seven. Braiden Ward and Mikey Romero delivered three hits apiece while Franklin Arias had one, including two RBI’s. The one-two punch of Ward and Arias put the Sox on top early in the first, 1-0. Ward blasted a leadoff triple, then crossed the plate with the help of an Arias sacrifice fly. The duo helped bring in another run in the fifth; Braiden tallied another extra-base hit, a double, followed up by a bloop fly ball to right field by Franklin, making it a 2-0 game. The scoring continued; however, Romero’s third hit of the game was a line drive single, bringing in Arias to extend Worcester’s lead to 3-0. Lehigh Valley clawed back slowly, tying the game 3-3 and prompting an extra-inning affair. Allan Castro’s sacrifice fly brought in Romero to make it 4-3. It might have been enough, but it seemed hard to believe since the IronPigs bats were catching fire. The Lehigh Valley offense certainly stayed hot; one walk and an intentional walk loaded the bases with one out, then came a hard-hit grounder through the infield, bringing in two runs to walk it off 5-4. The Sox rolled out a bullpen game, with just three of their six pitchers coming out of their outings with no damage. Devin Sweet served as the opener once again, who got into trouble with two baserunners aboard but came out with a spotless inning. Seth Martinez dominated in his two shutout innings of work, allowing just one hit and one walk while punching out four batters. Sam McWilliams was brought in the middle of the eighth inning with two runners on base and no outs; a soft infield bunt single jammed the bases with no outs to put McWilliams in a hole. Despite the game becoming tied, the right-hander did the best he could, striking out the very next batter, giving up just one run on a sacrifice fly, and a lineout limited the damage. He came into the ninth and punched out two batters to send the game to extras. Standout Performances: Mikey Romero: 3-for-5, 2B, R, RBI Braiden Ward: 3-for-5, 2 R, 3B, 2B Double-A Portland Sea Dogs Season Record: 68-64 The Portland Sea Dogs opened their final regular season homestand with an 8-6 victory over the Binghamton Rumble Ponies (New York Mets). Portland’s offense got it done by hammering extra-base hits; eight of their 11 hits went for extra bases, six doubles and two home runs. Justin Gonzales, Henry Godbout, and Johanfran Garcia each tallied multiple hits. A two-out rally began in the first inning for the Sea Dogs; Garcia’s first of two doubles brought in Gonzales, then Will Turner’s two-run blast put Portland on top 3-0. The Rumble Ponies did not take long to respond, putting together a four-run third inning to take the lead 4-3. Then came the Sea Dogs’ double party in the bottom half of the third. Godbout led off the inning with a two-bagger, followed up by an RBI double from Brooks Brannon to tie the game. Afterward, the third straight double was also Garcia’s second double of the game, taking back the lead for Portland 5-4. Binghamton took over the lead once again in the fifth to make it 6-5, but Portland tied it in the seventh after a Godbout RBI single brought in Ahbram Liendo. Ronald Rosario became the hero in the eighth as a pinch hitter, blasting a go-ahead two-run homer, giving Portland an 8-6 lead. Steven Brooks came in from the bullpen and closed it out in the ninth, earning his first save for the Sea Dogs. Tanner Houck made his first 2026 appearance since having Tommy John surgery. The former first-round pick registered a 2.54 ERA in 2024, earning himself a well-deserved All-Star appearance in his age-28 season. Going into 2025, many Boston fans were looking forward to the two-headed monster of Garrett Crochet and Houck, but he struggled mightily; his season ultimately ended with Tommy John surgery. It was a bit of a rocky outing in his first rehab appearance of 2026; he was only allowed to throw 20 pitches (8 for strikes), giving up one run (RBI groundout), two walks, and recording just two outs. Standout Performances: Johanfran Garcia: 2-for-4, 2 2B, R, 2 RBI, SB Ronald Rosario: 1-for-1, HR, R, 2 RBI Henry Godbout: 2-for-4, 2B, R, RBI View full article

Boston Red Sox Affiliate Recap (September 1) Triple-A Worcester Red Sox Season Record: 67-61 Worcester’s outstanding offense and pitching staff helped blow out the Buffalo Bisons (Toronto Blue Jays) 9-1. Romy Gonzalez had a great day at the plate, although he grounded into a double play in the first; a run still came across the plate. Later on in the seventh, the first baseman blew the game open with a three-run blast, his third homer in the minors, making it a 6-1 game. Former Red Sox first-rounder Mikey Romero was outstanding for Worcester, collecting a four-hit day while getting on base five times. The infielder brought in two runs; both came in the third inning after he cracked a hard-hit two-run double into center field, bringing in Franklin Arias and Braiden Ward, who both had multi-hit games. It is easy to see why Anthony Seigler became a fan favorite in Boston very quickly; he showed immense passion, came up clutch in big moments, and filled in the hole at second base that the Red Sox needed most. The 27-year-old was demoted back to Worcester when Trevor Story got the call to Boston, but he wasted no time with the WooSox, hammering a bases-loaded ground-rule double in the ninth, bringing in two runs. After a rough three-game stretch, Gage Ziehl returned to the dominant form we are used to seeing. The righty tossed 6 ⅔ one-run innings with four strikeouts while also earning his second win in Worcester and eighth on the season. Noah Song and Sam McWilliams followed with 2 ⅓ combined shutout innings with four strikeouts to end it 9-1. Standout Performances: Gage Ziehl: 6 ⅔ IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 4 K Mikey Romero: 4-for-4, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB Romy Gonzalez: 2-for-5, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI Double-A Portland Sea Dogs Season Record: 64-62 A blunder from Portland’s pitching staff gave them a 6-4 defeat to the Chesapeake Baysox (Baltimore Orioles). Things looked bright for the Sea Dogs when Henry Godbout once again blasted a homer; this time it was a two-run bomb, making it a 2-0 game in the third. Then came the sixth inning when both Dalton Rodgers and Cooper Adams struggled badly, giving up five runs combined to lose the lead 5-2. Caden Rose’s RBI double in the seventh and Nelly Taylor’s sacrifice fly in the ninth put the game within reach, but the offense did not have anything else going. Rodgers was actually dominating through 5 ⅓ innings before Chesapeake’s run barrage, striking out seven batters with just one hit allowed. Adams came in and did not stop the bleeding the rest of the way, tossing the next 2 ⅔ innings with three earned runs on six hits, ending the game with a 6-4 final score. High-A Greenville Drive Season Record: 57-67 Greenville’s absurd offensive display led to a comeback 13-11 victory over the Bowling Green Hot Rods (Tampa Bay Rays). The Drive’s bats tallied just one walk but collected an outrageous 18 hits. Yophery Rodriguez and Antonio Anderson played a key part in this victory, both having three hits each. Yophery cracked an RBI double in the second inning and an insanely clutch three-run bomb in the ninth, giving Greenville a 12-10 lead. Anderson also hit a bomb, a two-run shot in the fifth, and an RBI single in the third. 2026 first-rounder Jake Schaffner blasted his first home run in the Red Sox organization; a solo bomb in the second inning was the first of two hits he had. Nazzan Zanetello made one of his two knocks count as well; a solo blast late in the ninth inning gave Greenville somewhat of a comfortable 13-10 lead. After Bowling Green responded with a one-out solo bomb in the bottom of the ninth, Aaron Nixon came into the game and finished it off with no damage done, earning his second save of the season. Standout Performances: Yophery Rodriguez: 3-for-4, HR, 2 2B, 4 R, 4 RBI, BB Antonio Anderson: 3-for-5, HR, R, 3 RBI Nazzan Zanetello: 2-for-5, HR, R, 2 RBI Jake Schaffner: 2-for-6, HR, R, 2 RBI Low-A Salem RidgeYaks Season Record: 53-73 The RidgeYaks' miraculous comeback ended with an 8-7 walk-off victory against the Hill City Howlers (Cleveland Guardians). Through four innings, Salem was facing a 4-0 deficit. They quickly responded in the fifth with a fielder's choice from Avinson Pinto that brought in Andrews Opata, then two RBI singles from Anderson Fermin and Martin Shelar made it a 4-3 game. Once again, Salem faced another deficit, now trailing 6-3 entering the eighth. In the middle of Starlyn Nunez stealing his 20th base of the year, Louis Andujar scored, then a throwing error from the catcher on a pickoff attempt led to Nunez scoring. With a runner on third and one out, Adonys Guzman came up big, cracking an RBI double to tie it up 6-6. Now in the 10th, a Howlers runner crossed the plate, putting them up 7-6. In the bottom half, with the ghost runner aboard for Salem, Opata delivered a clutch leadoff RBI double to bring in Nunez, tying the game 7-7. On the very next pitch, Guzman’s second hit of the game was a big one: a line drive into the outfield brought in Opata, walking it off 8-7 for the RidgeYaks. View full article