Craig Breslow Weighs In On Development Timeline Of Top Red Sox Prospects

The Boston Red Sox “Big Three” prospects may not be stepping foot in Fenway Park as quickly as expected.

Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow believes it is important to not rush the development of Marcelo Mayer, Roman Anthony and Kyle Teel. While the trio’s stats have popped in Double-A with the Portland Sea Dogs, Breslow thinks there is more to development than just stats.

“I think the question is really where is the best development environment for them,” Breslow said on MassLive’s “Fenway Rundown” podcast. “Each of those guys has very specific development goals that they are working through and for right now Portland is the best place for them. That very well could change.”

Teel has moved up Boston’s farm system quickly, moving from rookie ball to Double-A in under a year. Through 63 games in the 2024 season, the catcher is batting .301 with 49 RBIs and eight home runs.

Breslow believes that Teel still is learning the day-to-day of becoming a professional baseball player and the Sea Dogs are helping with that adjustment.

Another prospect that has jumped out is Mayer who was drafted in the first-round at No. 4 in 2021. The 21-year-old has had a jump in his development offensively this season, going from a .236 batting average to .306. He is also leading the Eastern League in average, doubles and runs.

While he has shown development, the Red Sox believe there is more to “capture” while he stays in Portland.

For Anthony, he got a call-up to Double-A in the final 10 games of the 2023 MiLB season. In 2024, he is batting .242 with 10 homers and 27 RBIs. The 19-year-old is ranked at No. 17 in the 2024 Top Prospects List.

“We feel that Portland is the best place for them right now,” Breslow said. “The moment that changes it would be irresponsible to ignore. I think that’s the lens to which we are looking at this. I know that a lot of the surface line numbers are really impressive at first glance that merits saying ‘Hey, why don’t we move these guys up,’ but I think in today’s player development department, there’s more to it than how many home runs do they have, what’s their batting average.”

The top prospects have taken the same stance as Breslow and have made sure to not try and rush their development. Despite being tagged as the “Big Three,” they have not paid much mind to what outside noise has said about them.