Red Sox Prospect Watch: Just a couple of games in

BOSTON, MA - JULY 18: Brian Johnson
BOSTON, MA - JULY 18: Brian Johnson
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BOSTON, MA – OCTOBER 09: Andrew Benintendi #16 of the Boston Red Sox celebrates with Mookie Betts #50 after hitting a two-run home run in the fifth inning against the Houston Astros during game four of the American League Division Series at Fenway Park on October 9, 2017 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA – OCTOBER 09: Andrew Benintendi #16 of the Boston Red Sox celebrates with Mookie Betts #50 after hitting a two-run home run in the fifth inning against the Houston Astros during game four of the American League Division Series at Fenway Park on October 9, 2017 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

The minor league season is only a few games in, but it’s still not too early to talk about some prospects. Who’s off to a hot or cold start so far?

The Boston Red Sox have benefited from quite a few fantastic prospects over the last few years.

Mookie Betts and Andrew Benintendi provide a lot of everything at the top of the order, while Jackie Bradley Jr.’s defense always brings highlights. Christian Vazquez is a fantastic catcher and Xander Bogaerts already has multiple Silver Slugger awards at shortstop.

The newest mainstay homegrown addition to the lineup is the powerful Rafael Devers at third base.

Meanwhile, the pitchers are benefiting from arms like Matt Barnes and Eduardo Rodriguez (yes I’m counting him because he never played a game in the Majors for anyone else).

So many major contributors to the Red Sox are players that were once prospects in their organization. With that in mind, it’s easy to get excited to see who will be the next star to come out of the minors for Boston.

At the moment, the Red Sox are considered to have one of the weaker minor league systems in baseball. That doesn’t mean they don’t have at least a little star power though. Then there are the hidden gems, the players with plenty of potential but none of the recognition.

We’re going to keep track of these prospects throughout the year and see how their stocks rise and fall. Who’s going to get buried in 2018, and who’s going to emerge as a new star in the system? Only time will tell.

So far, we’re only a few games into the season. That doesn’t mean we can’t start discussing though.

Schedule