The Red Sox had four players on the Top 100 Prospects list Baseball America released in January before the 2022 Major League Baseball season.
Now, Boston is even better represented.
Baseball America unveiled its updated rankings Wednesday, and a fresh face (Brayan Bello) has joined the Red Sox's previous quartet (Marcelo Mayer, Triston Casas, Nick Yorke and Jarren Duran).
Here's where each currently ranks on BA's list for May (along with their previous rankings in parentheses):
Marcelo Mayer, SS -- 14 (15)
Triston Casas, 1B -- 18 (19)
Nick Yorke, 2B -- 33 (29)
Jarren Duran, OF -- 84 (88)
Brayan Bello, RHP -- 97 (NR)
There almost certainly will be additional movement in the months ahead, for better or worse, especially as prospects across the league reach the majors and eventually graduate from the list. Five players among the top nine, for instance, already have debuted in The Show: Julio RodrÃguez (2), Bobby Witt Jr. (3), Spencer Torkelson (5), Shane Baz (8) and CJ Abrams (9).
Duran, of course, debuted with Boston last season, totaling 112 plate appearances across 33 MLB games. The 25-year-old likely will return at some point in 2022 despite some initial struggles at the highest level. He's been playing well at Triple-A Worcester this season.
Mayer, a first-round pick in 2021, and Yorke, a first-rounder in 2020, likely are a few years away from reaching Fenway Park, but Casas is knocking on Boston's door. The Red Sox drafted Casas in the first round in 2018, and the 22-year-old slugger has performed at every level to this point, including for Team USA at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Bello is the newcomer to BA's list and the only Red Sox pitcher to crack the Top 100, but his ascent really began last season when he was named Boston's Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Year. The 22-year-old right-hander has carried that momentum in 2022, dominating through four starts with Double-A Portland and making a strong case to arrive in the majors later this summer.
