Red Sox Prospects Have Opposite Trajectory In Midseason Ranking

The process of scouting Major League Baseball prospects is exhausting, which is seemingly why a few members of the Boston Red Sox farm system have shot in opposite directions.

Marcelo Mayer, who was drafted by the Red Sox at No. 4 overall in the 2021 MLB Draft, has long been one of baseball’s most highly-touted prospects. The 20-year-old shortstop immediately took over one of the top spots in every ranking once he got drafted, and held onto it all the way up until Wednesday.

Kiley McDaniel of ESPN released his midseason top prospects list, sliding Mayer down to No. 11 on the list, a considerable drop from his No. 3 spot in May.

“Mayer can also probably stick at shortstop, and he has plenty of offensive upside to profile well even if he doesn’t,” McDaniel said. “The buzz is now that he’s more of a solidly above-average offensive threat than a truly elite one. (But hitting .260 with 25 homers at shortstop is still really good!)”

Mayer’s biggest issue in 2023 has been injuries, with shoulder inflammation having a clear impact on his swing and leading to a few absences. If he can get right, there’s no reason to think he can’t boost his batting average back into the mid .200s.

The Red Sox didn’t just see a slide, however, as High-A outfielder Roman Anthony made a huge jump (No. 49 to No. 31) on McDaniel’s list.

“Anthony has continued his arrow-up campaign with easy plus power and patience, but he needs to lift the ball more to do the damage that would allow him to profile in a corner spot,” McDaniel said.

Anthony has been a stud this season, boosting his stock in and out of the organization. The 19-year-old has smoked the ball to the tune of a .302/.425/.617 slash line, 11 home runs and 10 doubles in 40 games at High-A Greenville.

If that’s the Red Sox’s second-best player on the list, then they’re doing all right.