Red Sox's Top Prospects, Farm System Progress Report, Draft Targets
The Boston Red Sox are hovering around the .500 mark this season, and it's hard to imagine where they would be offensively without the contributions of rookie outfielder Wilyer Abreu who has been one of the team's most consistent hitters.
Abreu has now seen enough action at the MLB level to exit the prospect ranks, and the same is true of infielder/outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela, so who might be the next player to emerge from the Boston farm system?
Outfielder Roman Anthony and middle infielder Marcelo Mayer are the consensus top prospects in the organization, while a system thin on high-ceiling pitching talent has a breakout arm in the form of Luis Perales.
Let's take a closer look at the Red Sox Top 10 prospect list, a general overview of their farm system and who might be on their radar when they are on the clock in the 2024 draft.
Updated Top 10 Prospect List
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Top 10 Prospects
1. OF Roman Anthony (No. 19 on B/R Top 100)
2. SS Marcelo Mayer (No. 21 on B/R Top 100)
3. C Kyle Teel (No. 37 on B/R Top 100)
4. RHP Luis Perales
5. OF Miguel Bleis
6. SS Yoeilin Cespedes
7. SS Nazzan Zanetello
8. 2B Nick Yorke
9. RHP Richard Fitts
10. RHP Wikelman Gonzalez
Farm System Progress Report
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The Red Sox checked in No. 18 in Bleacher Report's first farm system rankings of the year, which were released on April 16.
Top Hitter: Outfielder Roman Anthony hit .272/.403/.466 with 27 doubles, 14 home runs, 64 RBI and 16 steals across three minor league levels during a breakout 2023 season, closing out the year as a 19-year-old in Double-A. He is still one of the youngest prospects in the Double-A Eastern League this year where he has a .757 OPS with 15 extra-base hits and a solid .365 on-base percentage in 41 games.
Top Pitcher: An undersized 6'1", 160-pound right-hander, Luis Perales signed for just $75,000 as part of the 2019 international class. He has an electric fastball that touches 99 mph with good late life, and his secondary stuff has taken a step forward in a breakout 2024 season. The 21-year-old has a 2.87 ERA and 53 strikeouts in 31.1 innings, and he was recently promoted to Double-A.
Breakout Prospect: Perales is the biggest breakout Prospect in the Boston system this year, but since he was already mentioned above, how about a shoutout for Kristian Campbell. The No. 132 overall pick in the 2023 draft is hitting .311/.423/.570 with 13 doubles, eight home runs and 25 RBI over 41 games in his first full professional season, and he went 2-for-4 with a triple in his Double-A debut earlier this week.
Potential Draft Targets
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The Red Sox have the No. 12 overall pick in the 2024 MLB draft, which gets underway on July 14 during MLB All-Star weekend.
Here's a look at some recent mock draft projections:
MLB.com Mock Draft (5/31): OF James Tibbs III, Florida State
Viewed as one of the safest picks in the 2024 draft class and someone who could fly through the minors to make an immediate impact, Tibbs is hitting .362/.486/.781 with 25 home runs, 84 RBI and more walks (51) than strikeouts (30) in 60 games this spring. He has been steadily moving up draft boards all spring.
Baseball America Mock Draft (5/31): SS/OF Seaver King, Wake Forest
After two seasons starring for D-II Wingate, King put together an impressive run in the Cape Cod League last summer before transferring to Wake Forest. He has seen time at second base, shortstop, third base and center field this spring, and the outfield might be his best long-term fit in pro ball. He is hitting .308/.377/.577 with 14 doubles, 16 home runs and 64 RBI in 60 games, and his 55-hit, 65-speed profile speaks to his well-rounded game.
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