Under is an evaluation of the prospects within the farm system of the Boston Pink Sox. Scouting reviews had been compiled with info offered by trade sources in addition to my very own observations. That is the fourth yr we’re delineating between two anticipated aid roles, the abbreviations for which you’ll see within the “place” column beneath: MIRP for multi-inning aid pitchers, and SIRP for single-inning aid pitchers. The ETAs listed typically 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. Guide changes are made the place they appear applicable, 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.
The entire ranked prospects beneath additionally seem on The Board, a useful resource the location affords 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 crew’s listing so readers can evaluate prospects throughout farm programs. It may be discovered right here.
Different Prospects of Word
Grouped by kind and listed so as of desire 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 crew than their DSL Blue squad, so there’s outsized illustration of that group on this part of the org audit. Gonzales is considered one of my extra trusted supply’s favourite DSL Blue hitters. He’s a 6-foot-4 first baseman who has been very robust to strike out thus far this summer season. Alvarado is barely 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 one of the best bat velocity on the roster. Peguero is extra of a conventional 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 velocity to develop in heart. His sweeping, downward bat path produces little or no energy proper now. Pinto (DSL) is a 70 runner who rotates exhausting, however his bat isn’t within the zone very lengthy. De Los Santos (FCL) is a plus runner who seems like a middle discipline match, however he’s very small and requires a ton of effort to swing exhausting. 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 thus far 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 suppose 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 Might. He isn’t a lock to remain behind the dish and, like Hickey, the Okay’s will in all probability be a difficulty 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 concern 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 seems like he’s had a progress spurt. He has most undoubtedly had an arm energy 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 adjusted orgs. He’s nonetheless throwing fairly exhausting (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 one way or the other his fastball was solely producing an 8% in-zone miss price as of my final sourced information replace.
Accidents
Bryce Bonnin, RHP
Bryan Mata, RHP
Brandon Walter, LHP
Bonnin has had many accidents relationship again to varsity, they usually had 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 awesome story if he can stick with it. Mata is a well-known former prime prospect whose stuff has by no means performed to its visible analysis, partly as a result of his fastball form isn’t efficient, partly 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 robust to worth somebody as a prospect once they would possibly simply be freely obtainable very quickly. Walter was as soon as arguably a prime 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 presently on the IL with a shoulder harm.
System Overview
That is maybe the deepest system in all of baseball, and top-of-the-line, proper up there with the Dodgers, Cubs and Orioles when it comes to the variety of 40+ FV or higher prospects.
The Pink Sox fill their system with toolsy, well-built athletes (everybody on their backfields seems 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 method to be geared for energy, after which see whether or not their hit instruments can maintain as much as the modifications. If, like lots of the prospects above, it bends however doesn’t break, then you might have a reasonably 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 certain hitters on this system are being instructed to swing much less and fewer. If you happen to observe these prospect lists constantly (thanks, I’m virtually accomplished), you understand that there are gamers whose information signifies to me that they’re artificially affected person. Their swing and chase charges are extremely low, however while you have 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 pressured to find out whether or not or not a pitch is a strike, they’ll’t. It’s widespread sense {that a} hitter’s two-strike chase price can be increased than their baseline chase as a result of it’s important to defend in opposition to borderline pitches, however when the hole is like Cutter Coffey’s (his chase price doubles with two strikes), it makes these early takes really feel premeditated. This dynamic is obvious up and down Boston’s system. Have a look at these stroll charges. Is it strategically sound? Certain. Is it annoying while 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 preserving 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 unfastened bucket (many of the school lefties on the listing). After all, a few of these gamers had 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 modifications 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 modifications are stark sufficient that groups that really feel like they’re behind within the pitching dev house ought to be taking a look at what Boston is doing to attempt to reverse engineer some stuff.
