The Boston Red Sox just received another indication their farm system is trending in the right direction.
Baseball America on Wednesday released its Top 100 Prospects list for the 2022 MLB season, and four Red Sox minor leaguers cracked the rankings: Marcelo Mayer (No. 15), Triston Casas (19), Nick Yorke (31) and Jarren Duran (91).
The Boston Globe's Alex Speier noted this is the first time since 2016 that the Red Sox have four players on Baseball America's annual preseason list. Mayer, Yorke and Duran are new to the rankings, while Casas appeared among the Top 100 in both 2020 and 2021.
Jeter Downs and Bobby Dalbec made the list alongside Casas in 2021, but the former struggled for most of the season at Triple-A Worcester and the latter served as Boston's starting first baseman for a large chunk of the year. As such, they're no longer on the list.
Casas, a hulking first baseman, could debut in the majors as soon as the 2022 season. The 22-year-old slugger had an excellent 2021 that included a strong performance for Team USA at the Olympics.
The Red Sox selected Mayer, a shortstop, with the No. 4 pick in the 2021 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. Many mock drafts had Mayer going No. 1, but he ultimately fell into Boston's lap after Henry Davis (Pittsburgh Pirates), Jack Leiter (Texas Rangers) and Jackson Jobe (Detroit Tigers) went in the top three
Yorke, a second baseman, was Boston's first draft selection in 2020, going 17th overall in a shocking pick that now looks like a genius move in hindsight. He'll turn 20 in April, so there's still plenty of room for growth, but Yorke definitely turned heads with his bat in 2021.
Duran, a speedy outfielder, debuted with Boston in 2021, slashing .215/.241/.336 with two home runs, 10 RBIs and two stolen bases in 112 plate appearances across 33 big-league games. He'll presumably enter 2022 fighting for a role in the Red Sox's outfield.
