Improving the farm system has been a point of emphasis for the Red Sox, and based on Baseball America's assessment, Boston is trending in the right direction ahead of the 2023 season.
Baseball America on Wednesday released its organizational talent rankings, which place an emphasis on top prospects but also factor in the depth of each farm system.
The Red Sox ranked 10th, sandwiched between the No. 9 St. Louis Cardinals and the No. 11 Pittsburgh Pirates.
This is a slight improvement over last year, when the Red Sox ranked 11th, but a significant upgrade over 2021 and 2020, when they checked in at No. 20. Boston ranked 30th in 2019, one year after winning 108 regular-season games and a World Series title.
Here's what Baseball America wrote about the Red Sox for its 2023 preseason rankings:
Slowly but surely, Boston's system is improving. The group isn't deep, but it's led by near-ready first baseman Triston Casas and talented shortstop Marcelo Mayer. Breakout prospect Ceddanne Rafaela and toolsy wunderkind Miguel Bleis add upside to the system, and Japanese import Masataka Yoshida gives Boston a plug-and-play outfielder for its new-look lineup.
The Athletic's Keith Law recently placed the Red Sox at No. 23 in his farm system rankings, citing concern over Boston's group of pitching prospects. And ESPN's Kiley McDaniel had Boston at No. 14, explaining last season was a "mixed bag" beyond the continued ascents of Triston Casas and Marcelo Mayer.
Clearly, there's a ton of variance when it comes to how industry experts view the Red Sox's pipeline, with Baseball America higher than most on what Boston has coming up through the minors. This speaks to how crucial this season could be for chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom and the Red Sox's quest to build a sustainable contender after an underwhelming 2022 at the big league level.
The Baltimore Orioles have the No. 1 farm system in Major League Baseball, according to Baseball America's organizational talent rankings, followed by the Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Dodgers at Nos. 2 and 3, respectively.
