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The Boston Red Sox are plenty occupied right now as they make an unexpected run at a 2024 American League Wild Card bid. Their future, however, may be even brighter.
ESPN published its midseason top 100 prospect rankings on Wednesday, August 14, and Boston has two players among the 10 best in the game.
Double-A shortstop Marcelo Mayer comes in at No. 5 overall and new Triple-A right fielder Roman Anthony is 7th, both making significant jumps from the preseason where they ranked 28th and 23rd respectively.
Kiley McDaniel, who compiled the list, explained his methodology which, coincidentally, pulled six of his top seven prospects from American League East teams.
“As always, this is my ranking of how I rank these players long-term, taking into account their upside, risk, and proximity to the big leagues, in consultation with scouts and execs around the league,” McDaniel wrote.
Red Sox Prospects Marcelo Mayer and Roman Anthony Are Projected All-Stars
McDaniel divided his list into tiers, with the top being his “60 FV” players, which is baseball scout lingo for a projected future All-Star.
At 21 years old, Mayer is a lefty-batting shortstop who has been raking in Portland. Over 77 games, he’s hitting .307 with an .850 OPS and 13 stolen bases.
“Mayer is now looking like the guy the Red Sox were expecting when they took him No. 4 overall in the 2021 draft,” McDaniel wrote. “He projects for 20-25 homers at peak with at least average on-base skills and a steady glove at short.”
Mayer isn’t letting the high expectations get to him.
“I always kind of make this joke nowadays — there’s Perfect Game, all these ranking websites,” he told Boston.com. “So I’ve been ranked since I was like five years old. So you kind of grow up with that pressure.”
Anthony is also a lefty, and at 20 years old is hitting for power and working plenty of walks. He hit 15 home runs and 20 doubles with a walk rate of 12.8% in 84 games with Portland before the Red Sox moved him up to Triple-A Worcester. He went 3-4 with a double and run scored in his first game in the International League on Tuesday.
“Anthony has plus power and patience, solid enough bat-to-ball skills, and is athletic enough to play center field if needed,” McDaniel wrote.
Franklin Arias and Jhostynxon Garcia Make List of Top Risers
Mayer and Anthony weren’t the only two Red Sox prospects represented in McDaniel’s list. Catcher Kyle Teel (No. 34) and second baseman Kristian Campbell (No. 54) both made the cut with Franklin Arias and Jhostynxon Garcia (aptly nicknamed “The Password”) listed at the end as two of the top risers in the game.
Arias is just 18 years old and playing in Low-A, so there’s still a lot of “wait and see” with him. What we have seen so far, however, has been electric. In 51 games in Rookie Ball this year, he hit .355 with a 1.055 OPS and 30 stolen bases. The Red Sox moved him up to Low-A Salem where he is still trying to find his footing through 16 games. His .180 average will surely improve, but he also has a pair of home runs and four steals in 67 plate appearances.
Garcia is 21, so he’s a little older, but has climbed through the Red Sox farm system this year, going from Salem to High-A Greenville and now Portland. In 53 games with Greenville, he hit .311 with 16 homers. He’s only two games into his Double-A career and is 1-7 so far with an RBI.
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