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Red Sox top-30 prospect rankings after the 2018 season

By Hunter Noll

BOSTON, MA - SEPTEMBER 18: Dave Dombrowski the President of Baseball Operations of the Boston Red Sox stands at home plate before a game against the New York Yankees at Fenway Park on September 18, 2016 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Red Sox won 5-4. (Photo by Rich Gagnon/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - SEPTEMBER 18: Dave Dombrowski the President of Baseball Operations of the Boston Red Sox stands at home plate before a game against the New York Yankees at Fenway Park on September 18, 2016 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Red Sox won 5-4. (Photo by Rich Gagnon/Getty Images) /
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BOSTON, MA – RED SOX SEPTEMBER 14: A view of the grandstand during the seventh inning at Fenway Park on September 14, 2017 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

30. Roniel Raudes

Roniel Raudes comes in at number 27 in MLB’s rankings of Red Sox prospects. So there really isn’t much of a change here.

The 20-year-old starting pitcher signed with Boston in 2014 and has already built a solid résumé. That includes a 3.67 ERA over 54 innings for the Advanced-A Salem Red Sox this year.

Despite the low number of innings due to injury, the clear improvements are encouraging. 2018 was Raudes’ second season in Advanced-A pitching, and it saw his ERA drop almost a full run. The biggest improvement was his two home runs allowed in 54 innings, compared to 14 allowed in 116 innings last season.

Raudes doesn’t have an overly dominant pitch, but he has three plus-offerings. The right-handed pitcher has a low-90s fastball with a solid curveball and changeup.

Raudes is going to need to find more command over the years. He’s not overly-wild but with no dominant pitches and a fastball that doesn’t top out over 95, there are some control problems. That’s led to high WHIPs (1.53 and 1.43) over the last two seasons.

Through four seasons in the system, Raudes has amassed a 3.76 ERA and 1.28 WHIP. 73 of his 72 appearances have been starts. It’s way too early for Boston to consider switching him to the bullpen, and that’s a good thing as he could turn into an above-average starter in the Majors.

The Red Sox have quite a few young pitching prospects. Roniel Raudes may not be at the top of the list, but there’s plenty of potential and room to grow. After two seasons in Advanced-A, there’s reason to believe he’ll make the jump to Double-A in 2019. That could drastically change the trajectory of his career.

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