Red Sox Pitcher Soars Up MLB’s Updated Team Prospect Rankings

The Boston Red Sox have welcomed top-flight hitting prospects to the big leagues this season. They’re now developing a rising pitcher among their next wave of young talent.

MLB recently added Payton Tolle to its updated top-100 prospect rankings, but another Red Sox southpaw shot up when they released each team’s new top 30 on Wednesday. Brandon Clarke rose from No. 26 to No. 5 among Boston prospects.

Clarke trails top-100 prospects Roman Anthony (No. 1 overall), Franklin Arias (No. 35), Jhostynxon Garcia (No. 91) and Tolle (No. 95).

The Red Sox selected Clarke with the No. 148 pick of last year’s draft. He’s impressed in his professional debut, registering a 2.65 ERA and 53 strikeouts in 34 innings.

Clarke quickly earned a promotion to High-A by allowing just two hits in three starts at Single-A Salem. He hasn’t dominated to the same extent at Greenville, allowing 17 walks with nine hit batters and 10 wild pitches over 24 1/3 erratic innings.

Yet the left-hander has demonstrated tantalizing stuff, operating in the high 90s while occasionally reaching 100 mph on his heater. MLB’s scouting report grades his slider a 70 on an 80 scale, noting that the “devastating” pitch has “huge sweep as well as depth.”

“Still very much a work in progress, Clarke stands out more with his athleticism and quick arm than his polish,” MLB’s scouting report reads. “He gets down the mound well, creating a low release height with plenty of extension, but he lacks a smooth delivery and currently doesn’t repeat it easily enough to have more than fringy control. He comes with a high ceiling and a good deal of reliever risk, making him an intriguing development project.”

Baseball America is even higher on Clarke, ranking him No. 74 in its overall top 100 updated earlier this month. He has a long road ahead before he arrives in Boston, but the 22-year-old could develop into an impact pitcher.