Red Sox Earn Impressive Rating In Latest Baseball America Farm System Rankings
With all of the success the Boston Red Sox are having at the Major League level, it’s been easy to overlook the progress they’re making in the Minor Leagues as well.
On Wednesday, Baseball America released its updated farm system rankings to account for the MLB Trade Deadline. The Red Sox ranked fifth behind the Milwaukee Brewers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Detroit Tigers and Minnesota Twins.
That’s great news for Boston, which still has five prospects in the top 100 after graduating Roman Anthony and Kristian Campbell this year and trading James Tibbs III and Blaze Jordan at the deadline.
Despite already making his MLB debut earlier this season, Marcelo Mayer ranks 10th. The 22-year-old infielder was off to a solid start before landing on the injured list in late July, batting .228/.272/.402 with 13 extra-base hits, 20 runs and 0.2 WAR in 44 games.
Left-handed pitcher Payton Tolle is the organization’s top pitching prospect at No. 41. The 22-year-old southpaw was promoted to Triple-A earlier this month and could make his Red Sox debut in September.
Franklin Arias ranks No. 51. The 19-year-old infielder moved up to High-A this season and has shown plenty of promise in his Minor League career, hitting .304/.381/.439 with 77 extra-base hits and 49 steals in 217 games.
Kyson Witherspoon — Boston’s first-round draft pick this summer — slots in at No. 65. The 21-year-old righty starred at Oklahoma, where he went 10-4 with a 2.65 ERA and 124 strikeouts in 95 innings for the Sooners this spring.
Like Tolle, Jhostynxon Garcia (No. 79) is also in Worcester and could make his MLB debut later this season. The 22-year-old outfielder has demolished Triple-A pitching, batting .293/.362/.562 with 16 homers and 49 RBI in 61 games for the WooSox.
With the Red Sox fighting for a playoff spot, their strong farm system could provide key reinforcements in September to help push them over the hump.