These Five Intriguing Red Sox Prospects Landed On Baseball America's 2023 Top 100 List
The Boston Red Sox have a bright future.
Boston has made an effort to replenish the team's farm system in recent years and it's certainly paying off. Baseball America released its list of the top 100 prospects in baseball for 2023 on Wednesday morning and five members of the Red Sox organization cracked the list. Only the New York Mets, Tampa Bay Rays, Los Angeles Dodgers, Cleveland Guardians, and Baltimore Orioles had more prospects earn spots on the list.
The Red Sox are represented on this year's top 100 list by Marcelo Mayer, Triston Casas, Ceddanne Rafaela, Masataka Yoshida, and Miguel Bleis.
Mayer unsurprisingly was the team's highest-rated prospect and landed the No. 10 spot overall on Baseball America's 2023 list. The shortstop was drafted with the fourth overall pick in the 2021 MLB June Amateur Draft and has shined in the minor leagues since. The 20-year-old slashed .280/.399/.489 in his first full professional season in 2022 to go along with 13 home runs, 53 RBIs, 17 stolen bases, 30 doubles, and 68 walks in 91 games.
Casas nabbed the No. 29 spot in this year's top 100 list. The slugger is expected to play a major role with Boston this season as the team's everyday first baseman. The 23-year-old appeared in 27 games for Boston down the stretch in 2022 and clubbed five home runs and drove in 12 runs. Casas has shown some power throughout his time in the Red Sox farm system to date and should have a big impact in Boston for the foreseeable future.
Rafaela has been a player that has popped up in trade rumors throughout the offseason so far and landed on Baseball America's top 100 list at the No. 71 spot. The 22-year-old has spent time in center field, at shortstop, and third base so far throughout his young career and was promoted to the Portland Sea Dogs in 2022.
Yoshida certainly is the oldest Red Sox prospect on this list. The 29-year-old outfielder technically is considered a prospect by Baseball America as he's still a rookie, but has seven years of professional baseball experience in Japan and will play a major role with the Red Sox in 2023 after inking a five-year deal this offseason. Yoshida landed at the No. 87 spot on this year's Baseball America top 100 list.
On the flip side, Bleis is the youngest member of the Red Sox organization to make Baseball America's top 100 list for 2023. The 18-year-old slashed .301/.353/.542 in 2022 for the Florida Complex League Red Sox to go along with five home runs, 27 RBIs, 14 doubles, and four triples in just 40 games.
Boston certainly has a bright future no matter what happens in 2023.
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