Four Red Sox Prospects Crack MLB Pipeline’s 2023 Midseason Top 100 List

We’ve reached an inflection point in the Boston Red Sox’s 2023 season, with the Major League Baseball All-Star break and trade deadline officially in the books.

The Red Sox have their sights set on the postseason, with an American League wild-card spot still within reach, but this also marks a good opportunity to take stock of Boston’s minor league system.

MLB Pipeline this week released its midseason top 100 prospect rankings, and four Red Sox farmhands cracked the list: Marcelo Mayer (No. 11), Roman Anthony (No. 37), Ceddanne Rafaela (No. 78) and Kyle Teel (No. 88).

Mayer, the fourth overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, entered the season as the Red Sox’s top prospect and has continued to look the part. The 20-year-old shortstop started the year at High-A Greenville but since was promoted to Double-A Portland. He could blossom into an All-Star when he eventually joins The Show.

Anthony has been Boston’s breakout prospect of 2023, bursting onto national lists while showcasing plenty of pop and the type of exit velocities that make evaluators salivate. The 2022 second-round pick just turned 19 in May. His stock is on the rise.

Rafaela is on the cusp of reaching the majors, having advanced to Triple-A Worcester, where he’s done nothing but rake recently. It’s unclear whether he’ll make his way to Boston this season, but the future sure looks bright for the 22-year-old. He’s an excellent (and versatile) defender who’s made major offensive strides.

And Teel is a newcomer to the Red Sox system. Boston drafted the 21-year-old catcher out of Virginia with the 14th overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft — a selection that drew rave reviews from experts — and he already is turning heads in the batter’s box and behind the dish. It could be a rapid ascent for the young backstop, who’s even drawn comparisons to former San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey.

The one notable Red Sox omission from MLB Pipeline’s updated rankings: Miguel Bleis, a toolsy 19-year-old outfielder who landed on Baseball America’s 2023 midseason top 100 list despite suffering a season-ending shoulder injury in June.