Inside The Red Sox

Elite Red Sox Prospect Miguel Bleis Dominates In Grapefruit League Debut

Boston has some prospects with elite upside rising up the minors

Scott Neville

Elite Red Sox Prospect Miguel Bleis Dominates In Grapefruit League Debut
Elite Red Sox Prospect Miguel Bleis Dominates In Grapefruit League Debut /
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Since Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom took over the front office, there has been a heavy emphasis on the farm system. 

Now fans are starting to get a glimpse of the players Bloom has put his reputation on the line for. 

One of the top prospects in the system made his Major League Baseball spring training debut Monday and did not disappoint. 

Highly-touted outfielder Miguel Bleis -- the No. 5 Red Sox prospect according to MLB Pipeline -- started in right field, and threw out Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Brandon Belt at the plate by a country mile to kick off his debut in the bottom of the first.

Moments later, Bleis would step up against Blue Jays ace Alek Manoah and deliver a two-run, game-tying single. The 19-year-old looked comfortable at the plate and delivered against one of the best pitchers in baseball. 

Bleis did make a notable blunder in right field in the third inning when he attempted to charge a ground ball to make another throw to the plate but pulled his head up too quickly and missed the ball entirely. That mistake can be chalked up to trying to do too much after nabbing one baserunner early. 

Manoah got the better of Bleis in the second matchup, which ended with the youngster swinging at a nasty breaking ball.

The impressive debut comes one day following the strong 2023 Grapefruit League debut of shortstop Marcelo Mayer -- the No. 1 Red Sox prospect -- who doubled and grounded out to go along with smooth defensive play against the New York Yankees. 

Bleis and Mayer could headline a young core of future Red Sox players that also includes the versatile Ceddanne Rafaela, second baseman Nick York, shortstop Mikey Romero and outfielder Roman Anthony among others. 

The future is bright in Boston. 

More MLB: Red Sox Role Player Shines in WBC; Making Case For Additional Playing Time

Published
Scott Neville
SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the Boston Red Sox for Sports Illustrated's new page "Inside The Red Sox." Before starting "Inside The Red Sox", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer.  His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join the Sports Illustrated Media Group in his current endeavor as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Red Sox" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu

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