You don’t need to tell us about the many exciting prospects currently developing in the Boston Red Sox’s farm system.
Yet while rebuilding the minor league talent pool for the future was a stated mission for chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom, fans won’t necessarily need to wait years to see their team’s young talent at Fenway Park. According to MLB.com’s recent roundup of the most “stacked” teams in each MLB franchise’s minor league system, some of Boston’s most exciting prospects aren’t very far from debuting with the big club.
Here’s what MLB.com had to say about the 2021 WooSox:
Worcester is a brand-new team with a brand-new ballpark and the most exciting prospect in the Red Sox system, center fielder Jarren Duran, whose combination of speed, power and performance (.263/.372/.588) should land him in Fenway Park very soon. The WooSox also include a second Top 100 Prospect in middle infielder Jeter Downs and the pitching staff should receive a big boost once right-handers Tanner Houck and Connor Seabold return to full health.
After much of the past decade alternating between worst- and first-place finishes, a quick survey of the Red Sox’s prospect list suggests more stability and consistency could be on the way. Not only do the Red Sox have the aforementioned Triple-A talent on the cusp of reaching the majors, but they’re also in solid position to rebuild the lower end of the system, as well.
Down in Double-A, the organization’s top overall prospect, Triston Casas, is tearing the cover off the ball for the Portland Sea Dogs. Meanwhile, close observers have declared that Low-A outfielder and switch-hitter Gilberto Jimenez might have the highest ceiling of any player in the organization. Having the No. 4 overall pick in next month’s first-year player draft certainly doesn’t hurt, either.
In other words, the Red Sox — who, as you might have noticed, are exceeding expectations at the major league level this season — appear to be building a good foundation for success in both the short- and long-term future.
