FanGraphs on Wednesday released its top 100 prospects list ahead of the 2023 Major League Baseball season, and several Boston Red Sox players made the cut, including one lower-level minor leaguer who’s starting to generate serious buzz.
The aforementioned Red Sox contingent consists of the usual suspects when it comes to 2023 MLB prospect rankings: Marcelo Mayer, Miguel Bleis, Triston Casas and Ceddanne Rafaela.
Nick Yorke also appears on the list, though he’s outside the top 100 at No. 102. (FanGraphs chose to include 112 players, so as to highlight other prospects with future values comparable to those toward the back of the top 100.)
The real story, though: Bleis’ ranking. The 18-year-old outfielder checks in at No. 20 despite entering 2023 with just 76 games (303 plate appearances) of professional experience, none above rookie ball.
That’s far higher than where The Athletic’s Keith Law (No. 72), ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel (No. 95), Baseball America (No. 88) and MLB Pipeline (No. 93) ranked Bleis, who signed with the Red Sox as a 16-year-old international free agent in January 2021.
“When you bounce his skill set off of those of recent top high school prospects, Bleis’ compares favorably,” FanGraphs’ scouting summary reads. “If you dropped him into the 2022 draft class (with high schoolers Bleis’ age), he’s going in the top five picks.”
FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen even went so far as to predict in a subsequent chat regarding the top 100 list that Bleis will be the No. 2 prospect in baseball come 2024, behind James Wood of the Washington Nationals. Wood, of course, was part of the massive prospect package the Nats received from the San Diego Padres in the Juan Soto trade.
“This is one of the toolsiest prospects in all the minors and one of the players on the Top 100 who has a chance to ‘Chourio,’ i.e. leap into the top-10 overall prospect mix within the next year,” FanGraphs’ summary of Bleis reads.
FanGraphs isn’t alone in its high expectations for Bleis. Ian Cundall, director of scouting for SoxProspects.com, has been singing Bleis’ praises since before last season. And he recently doubled down by suggesting Bleis — “a potential five-tool guy” — could be among MLB’s top 25 prospects by the end of 2023. SoxProspects currently lists Bleis as Boston’s No. 3 prospect, behind Mayer and Casas.
FanGraphs lists Mayer at No. 18, Casas at No. 29 and Rafaela at No. 49 on its top 100 list.
