2026 SoxProspects Pre-Season All-Stars Pt. 2 - Pitchers

For the second and final part of SoxProspects.com's 2026 Pre-Season All-Stars list, we turn our attention to the mound and recognize some of the more well-regarded pitchers in the Red Sox farm system. This group of eight includes five starting pitchers who all rank in the system's top 10, and three relievers in the upper minors. 

-----

The first of three 2025 draftees on the list, Witherspoon will headline a stacked Greenville rotation in 2026. The first-round pick out of the University of Oklahoma was an NCAA First-Team All-American and Golden Spikes Semifinalist in 2025 after pitching to a 2.65 ERA with 124 strikeouts in 95 innings. The Red Sox drafted him 15th overall despite him being a consensus top-10 talent. In the Spring Breakout game, his fastball averaged 96 mph while also featuring a slider, cutter, and changeup. He only threw the changeup twice, and that will be a key pitch for him to develop to neutralize left-handed hitters. Red Sox fans will hope he follows in Payton Tolle's footsteps, as Tolle was promoted after just 49 2/3 innings with the Drive. 

-----

Valera was the 2024 SoxProspects.com Pitcher of the Year and a 2025 SoxProspects.com Pre-Season All-Star, but he spent a significant amount of time on the injured list beginning in May 2025 with elbow soreness. The 19-year-old has premium velocity, and he once again hit 100 mph in the Spring Breakout game. His fastball averaged 99 mph in that game while mixing in a cutter, changeup, sinker, and sweeper. Staying healthy while continuing to refine his secondary pitches could rocket Valera up the national prospect lists, and MLB Pipeline predicted he would be the system's top prospect in 2028. Valera has a high-variance profile, but his upside is up there with any prospect in the organization. 

-----

Bennett was acquired from Paul Toboni and the Washington Nationals in exchange for Luis Perales in December 2025. The Nationals drafted Bennett in the second round in 2022, and the 6-foot-6 left-hander took a big step forward in 2025. Also a product of the University of Oklahoma, Bennett was great in Low-A in his first full season in 2023, but he hurt his elbow in the summer and ultimately got Tommy John surgery. This caused him to miss the entire 2024 season and the first month of 2025. Once he debuted, his stock started to rise as he posted a 1.90 ERA in High-A and a 2.56 ERA in Double-A. He went to the Arizona Fall League, where he was named a Rising Star as he struck out 25 over 20 innings with a 4.50 ERA in the hitter-friendly environment. He is on the 40-man roster and slotted into Worcester's rotation, and he will look to push his way into the big league picture as an important depth piece. 

-----

Eyanson was arguably the breakout star of the Spring Breakout game on March 20. After topping out at 97 mph last year at LSU, Eyanson hit triple-digits with his fastball against the Orioles. His cutter and curveball were also very impressive as he struck out the side in his only inning of work. The 21-year-old fell to the third round in the 2025 draft, and Boston signed him to an above-slot deal valued closer to pick 39 than his actual draft position of 87. He was the number two starter on an LSU team that won the College World Series in 2025, and he also pitched for the Team USA Collegiate National Team. He finished third in Division I in strikeouts as a junior and was a First Team All-American. 

-----

The third pitcher on the list who the Red Sox drafted out of an SEC school in 2025 is Phillips. The 21-year-old was the number two starter for the University of Tennessee behind fifth-overall pick Liam Doyle. While Phillips did not hit triple digits in the Spring Breakout game, he did register a 100 mph fastball in college. The 33rd-overall pick pitched out of the bullpen in 2024, so he only threw 20 innings that season before ramping up to 83 innings as a junior. It will be interesting to see if the Red Sox manage his innings differently than Witherspoon or Eyanson, as Phillips is the lower-mileage arm of the three. The high-ceiling right-hander was originally slated to start the year in Low-A Salem, but the Red Sox decided to keep the three 2025 draftees together in Greenville. All three players lived together last summer in Fort Myers, and they continued to do so this spring. 

-----

Samaniego did his best to push for a major league roster spot this spring after throwing 5 1/3 shutout innings while allowing one hit and two walks to go with six strikeouts. He was ultimately optioned to Worcester, where he will be the top left-hander in the bullpen. The 27-year-old was acquired this offseason from Pittsburgh along with Johan Oviedo and Adonys Guzman in exchange for Jhostynxon Garcia and Jesus Travieso. Pittsburgh added him to the 40-man roster last November after he posted a 3.08 ERA over 26 1/3 innings with 30 strikeouts in Double-A. He is now getting his first taste of Triple-A as he looks to take another step forward in 2026. He did undergo an internal brace procedure in 2024, but he came back in 2025 with a cleaned-up delivery that helped improve his command and control.

-----

Song's time in the organization goes back to 2019, when he was a fourth-round pick out of Navy. He appeared in seven games after being drafted, but was then ordered to report to flight school in June 2020 while the minor league season was cancelled. He graduated in April 2022 from flight school, and he submitted a service waiver request to resume his baseball career. Before that was approved, the Phillies selected him in the 2022 Rule 5 Draft. His waiver was approved, and he returned to the mound in 2023. A back injury cost him three months, and the Phillies ultimately sent him back to the Red Sox in August 2023. He then had Tommy John surgery in April 2024 and returned to throw 55 innings in 2025. He was one of the more interesting players in camp in 2026, using a plus slider to allow one run on three hits over eight innings in spring training. The Red Sox plan to develop him as a multi-inning reliever, and he figures to be a fan favorite in Worcester's bullpen. 

-----

Wu-Yelland was a 2025 SoxProspects.com All-Star after striking out 71 over 45 2/3 innings between Greenville and Portland. The left-hander has struggled to stay on the mound throughout his career, but he is an impressive pitcher when healthy. Drafted in the fourth round in 2020, Wu-Yelland missed all of 2022 with Tommy John surgery, and he made only three rehab starts in 2023 before being shut down with another injury. He then missed about two months due to injury in 2024, and just under a month in 2025, with lower back stiffness. He drastically improved his control in 2025, and his deceptive delivery and intriguing arsenal have allowed him to miss bats at every level. Fans will hope he can build on his results with Portland last year, where he was dominant before a late-season trip to the injured list.