With the Major League Baseball trade deadline in the rearview and members of the 2022 MLB Draft class being sent all over the country for their first taste of professional baseball, prospect rankings are being updated for the final time of the season.
The Boston Red Sox's new top 30 received notable reinforcements thanks to the new draft class according to MLB.com, which placed four draftees on the list.
First-round pick Mikey Romero fittingly tops the incoming class as the No. 9 prospect in the farm system.
Boston's third selection, outfielder Roman Anthony, comes in at No. 11. Anthony went 79th overall but received the highest bonus in the Red Sox draft class. He is already making waves in his first couple of weeks in the Florida Complex League.
Cutter Coffey, the Red Sox's second selection in the draft (No. 41 overall) enters as Boston's No. 18 prospect and Brooks Brannon rounds out the incoming class as the No. 27 prospect in the system. Brannon was considered to be an absolute steal in the ninth round, as he was selected over 100 picks later than expected.
As far as the prospects already in the system being reshuffled, two players stood out for polar-opposite reasons. Versatile Ceddanne Rafaela is having a breakout season at the plate and is a plus defender at nearly every position (including center field and shortstop). He jumped from No. 28 in the preseason rankings to No. 4.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Jeter Downs, the highest-rated prospect acquired in the Mookie Betts trade, has fallen from the No. 7 prospect to No. 26 after two lackluster seasons in a row.
Overall, the farm system has grown from No. 25 in the league according to MLB.com when chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom took over in 2020, to No. 11 in the latest update.
