Keith Law Identifies ‘Sleeper’ Red Sox Prospect Before 2022 MLB Season

The Athletic’s Keith Law on Tuesday revealed his list of the top 20 prospects in the Boston Red Sox system ahead of the 2022 Major League Baseball season.

He also included a few supplemental notes, including his “sleeper” Red Sox prospect: Matt Lugo.

“I think this is Lugo’s year to take that big step forward at the plate, with harder contact and better at-bats translating at least into doubles power,” Law wrote.

Lugo, a second-round draft pick in 2019, checked in at No. 9 on Law’s Red Sox prospects rankings, sandwiched between left-hander Brandon Walter and right-hander Bryan Mata.

Here’s what Law wrote about the 20-year-old shortstop:

Boston’s second-round pick in 2019, out of a Puerto Rico high school, Lugo started to fill out and showed more doubles power in 2021, his full-season debut. He’s an athletic shortstop who should get to at least average power, and showed solid zone awareness last year in Low A, with just a 20 percent strikeout rate despite having played just two games outside the complex league before last year. His defense at shortstop has improved significantly, and the quality of his at-bats also improved over the course of 2021. He might be a level per year guy but projects to be an everyday player at shortstop when he gets there.

Lugo, who will turn 21 in May, batted .270 with four home runs, 50 RBIs, 15 stolen bases and a .701 OPS in 105 games (469 plate appearances) last season at Single-A Salem.

For comparison, MLB Pipeline has Lugo as the No. 12 Red Sox prospect. SoxProspects.com has Lugo at No. 28.

Law recently included four Red Sox farmhands among his top 100 MLB prospects. He listed Boston, as a whole, at No. 20 in his farm system rankings.