Top Red Sox Prospect ‘Close To Being Ready’ For Triple-A Promotion

The Boston Red Sox have kept a keen eye on the future since Chaim Bloom took over as chief baseball officer.

As we get further and further away from Bloom’s arrival, the future drawn closer. If you need an example, look no further than Ceddanne Rafaela.

Rafaela, the No. 82 prospect in Major League Baseball, according to MLB.com, is approaching the one year anniversary of his call up to Double-A Portland. The electrifying defender has been tremendous during his stay, slashing .281/.325/.467 in 123 games with 17 home runs, 84 RBIs and 41 stolen bases.

The 22-year-old flew through High-A Greenville with a season that saw him collect a bevy of organizational awards, but has gotten an extended look with Portland as he awaits the call to Triple-A Worcester. That call might not be too far off in the distance.

“His training off the field has been great,” Red Sox farm director Brian Abraham told Alex Speier of The Boston Globe. “It’s been consistent. He’s worked his butt off. He’s very aware of who he is and where he needs to go to have more success at the upper levels. He’s certainly pushing. He’s starting to show that he’s close to being ready for it.”

“He’s starting to show that he’s close to being ready for it.”

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Red Sox farm director Brian Abraham

Rafaela’s stay in Double-A has seen him focus on cutting down on his chase rate to become a more disciplined hitter.

“(Being tentative) was a bit of a problem at the beginning of the season,” Rafaela said in May, per Speier. “I wasn’t really pulling the trigger. I wasn’t, ‘Yes, yes, no.’ I was more like, ‘No, no, yes.’ I was missing balls, swinging and missing.

“So I switched how I am, just keep doing my thing (attacking pitches), and just letting the bad ones go. I’m starting to get it right now.”

The adjustments made by Rafaela have compromised his on-field production a bit, with less headlines revolving around him and shifting toward gaudier numbers other places in the Red Sox system. They’ve had great returns in his long-term production, however, as his walk rate has more than doubled and his strikeout rate dropping by over 40%.

The name might not be at the top of everyone’s mind like it was in 2022, but Rafaela’s work has him much closer to the end goal than his gaudy numbers did.