Red Sox top-30 prospect rankings after the 2018 season

29. Michael Osinski

Michael Osinski is the first third base prospect that appears on this list but certainly isn’t the last. He’s also the first “Hunter Noll Guy” to find his way into the top-30 (shoutout to Paul Heyman). Just to be clear. I’m classifying a “Hunter Noll Guy” as someone who I’m extremely-high on but feel is underrated by the MLB rankings and by the Red Sox system.

Like someone who will be mentioned soon, I feel like he’s getting buried because of who else the Red Sox have at the position. Rafael Devers is in the Majors, and Michael Chavis and Bobby Dalbec are two of the top prospects. Due to that, a lot of people won’t pay as much attention to other names at the position.

Osinski’s definitely playing like a top prospect though.

In his first full season in the minors, Osinski slashed .296/.370/.368 while splitting time between Full-A and Advanced-A. He hit 14 doubles and one triple, as well as three homers. There isn’t much there power-wise, but he could be a fantastic doubles-hitter.

Osinski’s biggest plus at the plate is his clutch-hitting. The right-handed batter had 47 runs scored and 48 RBI – hitting .309 with runners in scoring position.

While he doesn’t have much speed, he did manage eight steals this year and could sneak a few in the Majors.

Osinski started the year at third but ended up playing more first base than anything. This is great for him because while there are some great first base prospects on the team, it’s not as loaded as third base. His defense also plays better there, masking an average arm. The range looks a lot better at first as well.

The 23-year-old can add some weight which could lead to more power. At 6’2″, 195 it’s definitely not out of the question.

While there’s no elite part of his game, Michael Osinski is a professional hitter. Both his defense and home run power have the potential to improve. Could be an impact player for the Red Sox in the future.