Red Sox

These 7 Red Sox prospects are tearing up the minors

Marcelo Mayer wasn't the only Red Sox prospect to earn a promotion recently.

By Peyton Doyle

May 31, 2023

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While shortstop Marcelo Mayer is generating a ton of well deserved buzz as a top-five prospect in all of baseball, there are plenty of other Red Sox minor leaguers who have been excelling so far this year.

This week, Mayer earned his first promotion to Double-A Portland after hitting .321 with six homers in May at High-A Greenville.

The 20-year-old is one of the most hyped prospects the Red Sox have had in years, earning the No. 3 spot in ESPN’s recent ranking of the top-50 prospects in baseball.

Beyond Mayer though, the Red Sox have prospects at all different levels who have been lighting it up to start the year.

The prospects range from first-round picks to 17th-rounders to international signees. Here are seven of the top performers in the Red Sox system, organized by their current minor league assignments.

Worcester

Ceddanne Rafaela and Roman Anthony have each seen their names on top-100 prospect lists, but so far this year, Wilyer Abreu has been the most impressive outfielder in Boston’s system.

The 23-year-old Abreu was acquired by the Red Sox in the Christian Vazquez trade last year and is already paying dividends. Through 39 games at Triple-A, Abreu has an OPS of .875, eight homers, and walks 20 percent of the time.

The outfielder has also shown to be a major speed threat in the past, swiping 31 bags last year, but he has just three so far this season.

Portland

Nick Yorke was Boston’s first-round selection a year before Mayer. The second baseman will form a dynamic double play duo with Mayer at Double-A once the latter makes his debut for the Sea Dogs this week.

So far this season, the 21-year-old has an .887 OPS and has flashed plenty of speed. Yorke currently leads Portland with three triples, and is second in homers and walks.

On the pitching side for Portland, Luis Guerrero has been lights out so far as the team’s closer. The 22-year-old has a 1.31 ERA in his first 17 career appearances at Double-A, as well as eight saves.

Guerrero was a 17th-round pick out of Chipola Junior College in 2021 and now has allowed just eight runs over his last 33.2 innings.

Christopher Troye earned his promotion to the Sea Dogs on Tuesday after blowing through his High-A competition with the Drive.

The reliever made 14 appearances for Greenville this season, striking out 37 batters in just 17.1 innings. The former 12th-round pick also posted a 1.96 ERA and a .152 batting average against at High-A.

Greenville

While Troye held down the back end of games for the Drive this season, Isaac Coffey was cutting down hitters in the opening innings.

The 22-year-old righthander has made eight starts this year at High-A and has posted a 2.89 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP.

His command has been most impressive so far, registering 61 strikeouts and just seven walks in 43.2 innings.

Blaze Jordan initially gained fame for hitting 500-foot blasts as a high schooler but has since turned into a very well-rounded hitter for the Red Sox.

Starting the season at High-A for the first time, the 20-year-old Jordan is hitting .313 and slugging .512 in 42 games. His six homers are second on the team only to Mayer’s seven, and his 13 doubles lead the Drive.

Salem

Jose Ramirez has been the best starter in Boston’s system to start the season. The rail-thin (6-feet, 142 pounds) righty has a 1.30 ERA in his seven starts for the Salem Red Sox.

To go along with his sub-two ERA, Ramirez has a 0.92 WHIP and .162 batting average against this year.

Among Single-A pitchers with at least 30 innings this year, Ramirez is first in ERA and third in WHIP and batting average against.