Red Sox's Top Prospects, Farm System Progress Report, Draft Targets
The Boston Red Sox have a strong history of developing top-tier position-player prospects into stars, with Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers among their biggest success stories. Rookie Triston Casas is hoping to join that group someday.
There is more young talent in the pipeline, led by 2021 first-round pick Marcelo Mayer, who is one of the top prospects in all of baseball.
On the flip side, the Red Sox system is extremely thin on pitching talent, though there are some intriguing arms off to strong starts this year.
Let's take a closer look at the Red Sox's top-10 prospect list, a general overview of the farm system and who might be on their radar when they are on the clock in the 2023 draft.
Updated Top 10 Prospect List
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Top 10 Prospects
1. SS Marcelo Mayer (No. 17 on B/R's Top 100 list)
2. IF/OF Ceddanne Rafaela (No. 67 on B/R's Top 100 list)
3. OF Miguel Bleis (No. 81 on B/R's Top 100 list)
4. 2B Nick Yorke
5. SS Mikey Romero
6. OF Roman Anthony
7. LHP Shane Drohan
8. C Nathan Hickey
9. 1B/3B Blaze Jordan
10. LHP Dalton Rogers
Farm System Progress Report
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The Red Sox checked in at No. 21 in our most recent farm system rankings, which were updated on May 25.
Top prospect Marcelo Mayer began the season at High-A Greenville, where he hit .290/.366/.524 with 19 extra-base hits in 35 games to earn a quick promotion to Double-A. The 20-year-old has gone just 3-for-23 in six games since moving up a level, but he remains on the fast track.
In a system thin on pitching, left-hander Shane Drohan has emerged as the team's top arm. The 24-year-old had 157 strikeouts in 129.2 innings last season, and he opened the year with a 1.32 ERA and 0.82 WHIP over six starts at Double-A. He has since moved up to Triple-A, where he has struggled a bit, but a 2023 debut is still in the cards.
Fellow southpaw Dalton Rogers also earned a quick promotion from Single-A to High-A, and he has a 3.06 ERA with 54 strikeouts in 35.1 innings on the season. The 22-year-old was a third-round pick in last year's draft.
Potential Draft Targets
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The Red Sox have the No. 14 overall pick in the 2023 MLB draft, which gets underway on July 9 during MLB All-Star weekend.
Here's a look at some recent mock draft projections:
MLB.com Mock Draft (6/1): C Blake Mitchell, Sinton High School (TX)
Mitchell is the top high school catcher in the 2023 class by a wide margin, and he slots alongside Virginia catcher Kyle Teel as the top catching options in this year's draft pool. With a 55-hit/55-power offensive profile and a rocket arm that has delivered 97 mph fastballs on the mound, he has the talent to be a top-15 pick, but teams are often hesitant when it comes to high school catchers.
The Athletic Mock Draft (5/24): SS Tommy Troy, Stanford
Troy is hitting .410/.489/.738 with 16 doubles, 17 home runs, 57 RBI and 17 steals in 53 games during his junior season at Stanford. He doesn't have any flashy tools, and he may ultimately fit best at second base defensively, but his elite contact skills, polished approach and gap power give him one of the highest floors among this year's crop of college hitters.
Baseball America Mock Draft (5/11): LHP Thomas White, Phillips Academy (MA)
White plays his high school ball roughly 25 miles north of Fenway Park at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, so this would be a local pick of sorts for the Red Sox. The 6'5", 210-pounder is the best prep lefty in this year's prep class, and he provides a solid mix of present stuff and future projection for a team that is thin on young pitching talent.
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