What Talented Red Sox Prospects Still Have To Prove In Triple-A

WORCESTER, Mass. -- The Boston Red Sox are a step closer to seeing their future stars reach their destination.

Marcelo Mayer, Roman Anthony and Kyle Teel arrived in Worcester this week to begin their Triple-A journey with the WooSox as the trio continues development just shy of the majors.

The production, talent and pure expectations could easily blur the vision of the work that these Red Sox prospects have left to do following their promotion from Double-A Portland. Instead, the mindful players understand the task at hand and identified their priorities on their new team.

"The most important thing to me is competing with what you have every day," Teel told reporters. "... I feel like at the past levels, in Double-A especially, we have a routine set to go out there and be ready every day. It's just to continue to do that and play the game the right way."

"Obviously, we're not in the show yet, so there's always things you can improve on," Mayer told reporters at Polar Park. "Even when you're in the big leagues, you can always get better. I think you can always improve on stuff. For me personally, I think the biggest thing is swing decisions. I think I'm definitely gonna hone in on that a little more just so one day when I get the call, I'll be a little more prepared."

In addition to the focus on their work and game experience, all three prospects understand how much they can learn from players and coaches with big-league experience around Triple-A.

"Being (that) it's the final level before the big leagues, it's polishing up every little thing," Anthony told reporters. "At the end of the day, we've hit and we've done what we have to do to get here. We know that and having that confidence and knowing and (having) the willingness to learn."

WooSox manager Chad Tracy feels the excitement of working with special talents while also laying out his own vision on how to develop the best versions of the three Red Sox prospects during their time with Worcester.

"I've told all three of the kids, this is finishing school now," Tracy told reporters. "You're talented. You go through A-ball and Double-A and you're talented. This is where you have to start thinking along with the pitcher and be able to execute things."

Tracy continued: "The jump from here to the big leagues is just as big, if not bigger. This piece is big for them to go out and face (a big leaguer) and understand that they're gonna be able to locate stuff and do what they want with the ball. It's finishing school. We'll teach them along the way and give them every little bit of advice we can give them each game. That's how you learn. Go out there and play."

Mayer hopes to enter the lineup soon after dealing with a lower back injury while Anthony and Teel prepare for their Triple-A debuts on Tuesday night for the Red Sox affiliate.