Beneath is an evaluation of the prospects within the farm system of the Boston Pink Sox. Scouting experiences have been compiled with info supplied by trade sources in addition to my very own observations. That is the fourth yr we’re delineating between two anticipated reduction roles, the abbreviations for which you’ll see within the “place” column beneath: MIRP for multi-inning reduction pitchers, and SIRP for single-inning reduction pitchers. The ETAs listed usually correspond to the yr a participant needs to be added to the 40-man roster to keep away from being made eligible for the Rule 5 draft. Handbook changes are made the place they appear acceptable, however we use that as a rule of thumb.
A fast overview of what FV (Future Worth) means might be discovered right here. A a lot deeper overview might be discovered right here.
All the ranked prospects beneath additionally seem on The Board, a useful resource the location presents that includes sortable scouting info for each group. It has extra particulars (and up to date TrackMan information from varied sources) than this text and integrates each staff’s checklist so readers can examine prospects throughout farm methods. It may be discovered right here.
Different Prospects of Observe
Grouped by kind and listed so as of choice inside every class.
Projectable DSL Hitters
Justin Gonzales, 1B
Christopher Alvarado, 2B
Jhoan Peguero, RF
Efren Teran, INF
Simply due to the best way my sources and obtainable video sources labored out, I’ve extra notes on Boston’s DSL Pink staff than their DSL Blue squad, so there’s outsized illustration of that group on this part of the org audit. Gonzales is certainly one of my extra trusted supply’s favourite DSL Blue hitters. He’s a 6-foot-4 first baseman who has been very powerful to strike out to date this summer time. Alvarado is just 5-foot-10, however he’s lengthy and sinewy in a means that looks as if he’s poised to fill out. He additionally has the most effective bat pace on the roster. Peguero is extra of a standard nook outfield energy projection man at 6-foot-2. Teran is a switch-hitting infielder (he’s taking part in throughout) with pure swing loft who must get stronger.
Compact Rookie-level Hitters
Anderson Fermin, CF
Avinson Pinto, SS
Raimundo De Los Santos, CF
Vladimir Asencio, OF
Fermin (DSL) tracks pitches very properly and has the pace to develop in middle. His sweeping, downward bat path produces little or no energy proper now. Pinto (DSL) is a 70 runner who rotates laborious, however his bat isn’t within the zone very lengthy. De Los Santos (FCL) is a plus runner who appears like a middle area match, however he’s very small and requires a ton of effort to swing laborious. Asencio signed for $1 million in January. He wasn’t somebody who my sources introduced up earlier than signing day as a participant I wanted to be on, and he’s struggling to date in professional ball.
Catchers
Nathan Hickey, C
Johanfran Garcia, C
Brooks Brannon, C/1B
Hickey was a 2021 fifth rounder out of Florida who hit 15 bombs in Portland final yr. I don’t assume he has the arm to catch and the strikeouts are an issue if we’re speaking about first base. Johanfran Garcia (Jhostynxon Garcia’s little brother) is a power-hitting catcher who blew his ACL in Could. He isn’t a lock to remain behind the dish and, like Hickey, the Okay’s will most likely be a problem if he can’t. Brannon was a highschool draftee who signed for simply north of $700,000 in 2022. He’s a stout, power-hitting catcher who has handled a knee subject this yr. He has nonetheless not performed very a lot precise baseball in elements of three seasons.
DSL Arms
Yoelvin Chirino, RHP
Dalvinson Reyes, RHP
Dariel Morillo, RHP
Chirino is a 19-year-old righty who appears like he’s had a progress spurt. He has most positively had an arm power bump this yr, sitting 94-95 within the DSL in comparison with 90-91 in 2023. A 6-foot-5 17-year-old righty, Reyes has a complicated two-seamer/changeup/slider combine and is sitting 90-91. Morillo is an undersized 17-year-old righty sitting 88-91, however he can spin his breaking ball within the 2,800-3,000 rpm vary.
Velo Solely
Ryan Zeferjahn, RHP
Helcris Olivarez, LHP
Wyatt Olds, RHP
Alex Hoppe, RHP
Zeferjahn has touched 100 this yr and was performing properly at Double-A, however issues have taken a flip for the more severe since his promotion to Worcester. Olivarez was as soon as a really thrilling teenage pitching prospect in Colorado who bumped into persistent harm hassle and altered orgs. He’s nonetheless throwing fairly laborious (as much as 98) and getting a variety of groundballs, however he isn’t throwing strikes. Olds is a low-slot righty with a really lengthy arm swing who sits 93-96 and has a tough-on-righties slider. Hoppe touches 100, however someway his fastball was solely producing an 8% in-zone miss charge as of my final sourced information replace.
Accidents
Bryce Bonnin, RHP
Bryan Mata, RHP
Brandon Walter, LHP
Bonnin has had many accidents courting again to school, they usually have been so persistent that he was launched by the Reds earlier than the season. He caught on with Boston and is touching 98 proper now. It’s an excellent story if he can stick with it. Mata is a well-known former high prospect whose stuff has by no means performed to its visible analysis, partially as a result of his fastball form isn’t efficient, partially as a result of his command is fairly tough. We’re on the level now the place he’s mainly out of choice years, and it’s powerful to worth somebody as a prospect once they may simply be freely obtainable very quickly. Walter was as soon as arguably a high 100 prospect in that 2021-2022 window when his stuff was peaking, however his stuff has both been down or he’s been harm for lengthy stretches the final couple of years. He’s at present on the IL with a shoulder harm.
System Overview
That is maybe the deepest system in all of baseball, and among the finest, proper up there with the Dodgers, Cubs and Orioles by way of the variety of 40+ FV or higher prospects.
The Pink Sox fill their system with toolsy, well-built athletes (everybody on their backfields appears like a Division-I defensive again) and have a tendency to coax extra energy out of their hitters as they mature. They typically goal gamers with demonstrated bat-to-ball competence, alter their strategy to be geared for energy, after which see whether or not their hit instruments can maintain as much as the adjustments. If, like most of the prospects above, it bends however doesn’t break, then you’ve a fairly harmful place participant prospect.
If I needed to gripe about one thing right here, it’s that watching Boston’s lower-level associates is usually a bit grating as a result of I’m fairly positive hitters on this system are being advised to swing much less and fewer. Should you comply with these prospect lists constantly (thanks, I’m virtually finished), you realize that there are gamers whose information signifies to me that they’re artificially affected person. Their swing and chase charges are extremely low, however whenever you take a look at the best way they swing and chase with two strikes, there’s an enormous spike as a result of when the hitter is actually compelled to find out whether or not or not a pitch is a strike, they will’t. It’s frequent sense {that a} hitter’s two-strike chase charge could be increased than their baseline chase as a result of it’s a must to defend in opposition to borderline pitches, however when the hole is like Cutter Coffey’s (his chase charge doubles with two strikes), it makes these early takes really feel premeditated. This dynamic is obvious up and down Boston’s system. Take a look at these stroll charges. Is it strategically sound? Positive. Is it annoying whenever you’re making an attempt to see Franklin Arias swing greater than as soon as in video games you flew to Florida to see? Sure. Once more, this can be a cranky, private gripe, however extra virtually (and to justify protecting this paragraph in right here), it’s additionally a phrase of warning to not take minor league stroll charges at face worth — the BoSox are removed from the one org whose hitters present this tendency.
On the pitching facet, Boston gravitates extra towards undersized prospects who’re plus athletes. The actual taste of athleticism could differ. There are guys within the explosive and highly effective bucket (like Luis Perales and Yordanny Monegro), after which there are these within the swish and free bucket (a lot of the school lefties on the checklist). In fact, a few of these gamers have been acquired by the earlier regime, however in lots of instances, they’ve solely not too long ago made developmental strides. The Pink Sox beneath Craig Breslow, who was beforehand liable for revamping the Cubs’ pitching dev infrastructure, appear to be making proactive adjustments to deliveries and repertoires, even when the participant they’ve acquired has had success working in a specific means as much as that time. Heck, Richard Fitts was coming off a robust upper-level 2023 marketing campaign and he has already modified fairly dramatically. This appears to be working, and the adjustments are stark sufficient that groups that really feel like they’re behind within the pitching dev house needs to be taking a look at what Boston is doing to attempt to reverse engineer some stuff.
