Red Sox have three prospects in Baseball America’s 2021 Top 100 list

Three Red Sox prospects were ranked in Baseball America’s Top 100

The Boston Red Sox don’t have one of the strongest farm systems but they do have premium talent at the top. Baseball America has released their annual preseason Top 100 prospect rankings which include a trio of players from the Red Sox organization.

Triston Casas rates the highest among Red Sox prospects at No. 47 on the list. Baseball America called him one of the team’s cornerstones of the future and praised his preternatural hitting ability to go along with his impressive power.

The 2018 first-round pick turned 21 years old this month and he’s yet to advance beyond High-A Salem. Casas hit .256/.350/.830 with 20  home runs and 81 RBI in 120 games split between two levels of A-Ball in 2019. The Red Sox named him as their 2019 minor league offensive Player of the Year.

He impressed at the alternative training site in Pawtucket last summer but still has a long road ahead of him before he’s ready for the big leagues. We could see Casas fly towards the top of the list a year from now when he’s closer to the majors.

Downs comes in at No. 71 on the list. The 22-year-old was acquired from the Dodgers as part of last year’s blockbuster Mookie Betts trade.

Baseball America predicts that Downs will “provide offensive thump at a middle-infield position.” The pop in his bat was on display in 2019 when Downs hit .276/.362/.526 with 24 home runs and 35 doubles in 119 games split between two levels of the Dodgers organization.

Downs has split time between both middle infield positions but seems destined to be the second baseman of the future in Boston with Xander Bogaerts locking down shortstop for the foreseeable future. The Red Sox have been scanning the free-agent market for second base options but anyone they add should be signed to a short-term deal with Downs potentially a year or two away.

Sliding in near the bottom of the rankings is Bobby Dalbec at No. 90. He’s the only one of this trio of Red Sox prospects who has already made his major league debut. Dalbec hit .263/.359/.600 last season and his eight home runs ranked third on the club despite that he played in only 23 games.

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As Baseball America noted, “Dalbec has some of the most prodigious power in the league but needs to make more contact for it to matter.” The upside for 30+ homers is clearly there but Dalbec’s staggering 42.4 K% would have been the second-worst in the majors if he had enough plate appearances to qualify. Dalbec can crush the ball when he makes contact but his approach leaves him susceptible to piling up whiffs.

The cancelled 2020 minor league season made it challenging for scouts to evaluate prospects, hindering the ability to make significant leaps in these rankings. The shortened MLB season provided fewer opportunities for first-year players to accumulate enough time to lose their prospect status. That includes Dalbec, who remains rookie eligible in 2021 but will no longer be considered a prospect if he sticks on the major league roster long enough.

As more players graduate from prospect status it will clear a path for Casas and Downs to climb the list. It may even open spots for more Red Sox prospects to join the Top 100 if they show encouraging progress in the minor leagues this year.

Boston’s farm system remains relatively weak but Chaim Bloom has gradually been improving the organization’s depth. As their top assets develop into elite prospects, the Red Sox system will be viewed far more favorably in upcoming years.