One of the Boston Red Sox’s top developing prospects is receiving heaps of praise for exceeding his extremely high expectations this season.
If you only heard the quotes coming from those evaluating the outfielder on a daily basis, you’d assume he’s got to be not only the top prospect in the Red Sox system but in all of baseball. Miguel Bleis, who is the No. 5 prospect in Boston’s rising system, showed seemingly unlimited potential in his stint with the Florida Complex League.
The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier called the 18-year-old sensation “Arguably the organization’s first true five-tool talent since Mookie Betts,” after his 40-game stretch with the FCL concluded.
That wasn’t the only aggressive quote in reference to Bleis’ ability.
“It’s sort of a right-handed version of (Rafael) Devers,” FCL co-manager Tom Kotchman told Speier. “It’s loud. It’s the same sound. He can mis-hit balls and they go out. Does he have holes? Yes. But there’s no doubting the sound that the ball makes with the bat and there’s no doubting him as a runner and how he runs, because it’s easy.”
Given his 6-foot-3, 170-pound frame, Bleis fits the mold of Betts much better than Devers (though Betts is six inches shorter), but that doesn’t mean he can’t hit the ball as hard as the face of the Red Sox’s franchise.
Bleis hit .301/.353/.542 with 14 doubles, four triples, five home runs, 27 RBIs and had 18 steals in 21 attempts in his 40 games of rookie ball. The right-handed hitter currently is battling lower back tightness that has kept him off the field since Aug. 16, but Speier believes he could see some time with Single-A Salem before season’s end should he heal up soon.
