The Boston Red Sox can be happy about their minor league development.
The Red Sox entered this season with one of the best farm systems in Major League Baseball, and things continue to trend in the right direction for many of the organization’s top prospects. Mookie Betts, Blake Swihart and Henry Owens on Tuesday were named to MLBPipeline.com’s First-Half All-Prospect team for their standout performances through the first few months of 2014.
Betts recently graduated to the majors, but the 21-year-old second baseman/outfielder absolutely tore up Double-A and Triple-A before earning his first call-up. He hit .345 with eight homers, 48 RBIs, a .437 on-base percentage and 29 stolen bases in 77 games split between the two levels.
Swihart, a 2011 first-round pick, has spent his entire season with Double-A Portland. The 22-year-old catcher hit .294 with nine homers, 44 RBIs and a .347 on-base percentage through 71 games while also throwing out 53 percent of would-be base stealers.
Owens has dominated Double-A through 17 starts this season, making it possible he could find his way to Triple-A Pawtucket before long despite the PawSox’s already strong pitching depth. The 21-year-old left-hander owns a 12-3 record, 2.21 ERA and 1.03 WHIP.
The only requirement for a player to be considered was that he was on a team’s Top 20 Prospects list at the start of the 2014 season.
