Boston Red Sox: Predicting the 2030 Opening Day Roster

Red Sox Infield

Boston’s offense can be inconsistent at times. But it certainly tends to lean on the side of dominant. They tend to have a lot of power, although speed has been absent for a while now it seems.

The good news is they should have a nice mix of contact, power, and speed with their future talent.

Catcher – Ronaldo Hernandez

One of the two catchers on the roster will be Ronaldo Hernandez. He’ll be 32 to start the 2030 season. Hernandez has an elite arm and really solid defense. There’s also got a dangerous bat though. Could hit for a good average and rack up the doubles with a good 15-20 home runs thrown in. The right-handed hitter does not walk much though, which is his big negative.

Hernandez will be a defensive force and limit base stealers. That’s something Red Sox fans would love to see as they had such a problem with that this year. The fact that he’s no slouch offensively makes him that much more exciting.

Catcher – Kole Cottam

The other catcher will be Kole Cottam. At the start of the 2030 season, Cottam will also be 32. He might not be as polished defensively but he’s worked really hard to sharpen that part of his game. It deserves recognition as it went from being a weak-point in his game to being solid. If he keeps working on it Cottam could be fantastic. He’s already a very good game-caller.

Most importantly though, Cottam can mash. The average will be solid and he has tons of power. Could hit 30 doubles and 20 home runs in a season and I wouldn’t bat an eye.

These two together will be incredible and the only issue would be trying to get them both a lot of playing time.

First Base – Triston Casas

You had to see this one coming. Triston Casas is the prize of the minor leagues. He’s set to be a star in Boston for a long, long time.

Casas will be just 30 in the 2030 season, and manning first base. There really isn’t much that needs to be said here as everyone already knows how good he is. Middle-of-the-order left-handed bat. He’s solid defensively and has the ability to be a .300 hitter with 30-plus homers and 100-plus RBI.

MVPs could be in his future. And yes, I said “MVPs” with an “s” at the end. Plural.

Second Base – Nick Yorke

At second base will be Nick Yorke who looked amazing in 2021 and shocked a lot of people. The right-handed hitter was seen as a solid prospect, but someone that Boston reached for in the 2020 draft. Instead he was their best hitter in the organization this season.

Yorke plays a good second base and will 28 for the 2030 season. He’s going to hit over .300 and walk a good amount, setting up a lot of RBI opportunities for the middle of the order. Decent enough power, will rack up the extra-base hits and even steal a few bases. Nothing not to love.

Shortstop – Marcelo Mayer

Marcelo Mayer will be holding down the shortstop position. The Red Sox somehow got him at fourth overall in the 2021 draft despite being the consensus top prospect.

Mayer will be 27 for the 2030 season and the left-handed hitter should bring everything to the team. He’s very good defensively and could win some Gold Gloves. Meanwhile, his offensive game is phenomenal. Mayer has the ability to steal a handful of bases, hit over .300, and manage 25-plus home runs. Just elite stuff.

Third Base – Rafael Devers

It’s wild to think, but Rafael Devers will not only still be on the team, but there are some people in this article that are older than him – and they haven’t even played in the Majors yet. Devers will still be just 33 for the 2030 season. That’s pretty insane.

At that point, the left-handed hitter might be one of the best players in Red Sox history. He certainly has all the offensive tools to do just that. And he’ll still be young enough that he could be in his prime – which is just ridiculous. We could still be getting 30-40 home run seasons from him at that point.

Third Base – Blaze Jordan

Blaze Jordan’s offensive game is just fun. There’s really no other way to put it. He’s going to be that tape-measure home run type of player. Like when Giancarlo Stanton gets a hold of one and it leaves the park in two seconds and you’re wondering if it went over 500 feet. Yeah, that’s going to be Jordan.

The right-handed hitter is solid defensively and should be good at third base. He’ll be 27 for the 2030 season and might be flirting with 200-plus career homers at that point. Should hit for a decent average and rack up the extra bases, home runs, and RBI.

Middle Infield – Jeter Downs

I have Jeter Downs set as a backup. The 2021 season certainly didn’t do him any favors. However, the right-handed hitter has already been correcting that issue. He finished the year strong and has looked great in different leagues this offseason already.

Downs should still get a decent amount of playing time in this scenario. He can plays second base and shortstop and maybe will even throw in some time at third base. Due to limited time his numbers might not be insane, but could be the guy that you trust at any time and will fill in like a superstar when needed. He’ll be 29 to start the season and the biggest issue might be that he’d want to go to a team where he gets more playing time because he could be a star.

Utility-man – Ceddanne Rafaela

Ceddanne Rafaela will be the utility-man. Brock Holt 2.0. And I know this is going to get a lot of hate because Holt is a legend and everyone in Boston loves him (as they should). But I’m going to say it anyways. Rafaela will be infinitely better – and just 29 at the start of the 2030 season.

Holt was very good defensively at second base. I honestly think he could have won a Gold Glove at some point if he played there full time. But everywhere he was average.

Rafaela is a stud everywhere. Legitimately can play all three outfield spots, third base, shortstop, and second base. And he is a Gold Glover at all of them. The right-handed hitter also has a lot going for him on offense. Elite speed that could warrant 25-30 steals. Decent contact and pop that could see 10-plus homers as well and a lot of extra base hits.

He’ll get a lot of playing time because he can go anywhere.