From day one in the Boston Red Sox system, whether you were a top prospect or a guy fighting for a role, you felt like part of the plan. When I made my debut on Aug. 1, 2014, the club was in last place and had just sold at the deadline, and I still went up and down (after winning all three starts) three times in a matter of weeks because they had a role mapped out for me. That's how the organization operates.
Firing Alex Cora on April 25 with the team sitting at 10-17 sent a shockwave through the clubhouse and the fan base, and plenty of people didn't like it. But Chad Tracy came up from Worcester and led a second-half turnaround that earned him a three-year deal as the 49th manager in franchise history. Like it or not, this is the culture now, and it's worth understanding.
A big part of that culture is turning overlooked players into contributors. Payton Tolle, the former Wichita State two-way player who transferred to TCU, went from second round pick to Wild Card Game 1 starter and just finished his first full season with 171 strikeouts in 148 2/3 innings. Alec Gamboa, a former Dodgers farmhand who spent last year in Korea, signed a minor league deal and posted a 1.91 ERA. Wyatt Olds, a seventh-rounder in his sixth season in the system, finally got the call in August.
All eyes are already on the names at the top of the system, and for good reason. Franklin Arias hit .323 with 25 homers between Double-A and Triple-A and looks like the shortstop of the future, Justin Gonzales is a Top 100 bat at 19, Juan Valera brings a 65-grade fastball (coming back from Tommy John surgery), and $10,000 signing, Franklin Primera turned into a breakout prospect. And after Craig Breslow shipped prospects to Baltimore for Adley Rutschman, the depth behind them matters even more.
This list focuses on that next layer, but it comes with a grain of salt. None of these six are on the 40-man roster yet, so all of it depends on roster space, timing and the injuries that inevitably pop up. Wehunt and Brannon are Rule 5 Draft eligible this December, which means Breslow has to decide soon whether they're worth a spot.
Red Sox prospects who can bridge the gap to 2027 contention
Blake Wehunt, RHP
Wehunt grew up helping on his family's chicken farm in Carnesville, Ga., spent three years at Southern Miss and transferred to Kennesaw State before going in the ninth round in 2023. The 6-foot-7 righty mixes in six pitches and had a 3.52 ERA with 72 strikeouts in 53 2/3 innings at Portland before a 3.47 ERA at Worcester. With Sonny Gray and Patrick Sandoval gone, he's a natural depth starter.
Brooks Brannon, C/1B
The Red Sox in 2022 took Brannon out of a North Carolina high school in the ninth round, and injuries followed, including hamate surgery this March. He still hit 22 homers with a .915 OPS in 93 games at Portland. Boston hit just 163 homers this year, fifth-fewest in baseball, so a plus-plus right-handed power deserves a look, and at-worst provides depth at DH.
Henry Godbout, 2B/SS
Godbout played high school ball with Nick Kurtz in Tennessee, starred at Virginia and became a compensation pick for Nick Pivetta's departure. A pitch broke his left hand in May, but he came back to post a .973 OPS in 22 games at Portland. With Trevor Story entering the final year of his deal, an elite contact bat up the middle buys time for Arias, if he struggles at all or isn't ready yet.
Jack Winnay, 1B/3B
Winnay is a great local story. He grew up in Newton, Mass., starred at Wake Forest and lasted until the 13th round in 2025. In his first full season, he climbed to Portland with 17 homers and a .405 on-base percentage. His range at third needs work, but that approach plays as a corner depth option.
Steven Brooks, RHP
Brooks was an 11th-rounder out of Cal Poly whose fastball topped out around 93 on draft day. This year, his strikeout rate jumped from 8.86 per nine innings to 13.01 across High-A and Double-A, and leaps like that are how bullpen arms suddenly appear. He will have to repeat it again at Double-A, but if he does, Boston may push him.
Isaiah Jackson, OF
Breslow sent Vaughn Grissom to the Angels for Jackson last December, and the left-handed-hitting Arizona State product hit 21 homers while playing plus defense in center. He only reached Portland in September, so he's more of a late-2027 option, but he's exactly the type of trade pickup this organization develops well.
Every one of these six guys arrived without much fanfare and aren’t household names yet (although the chicken farming story seems like it could catch fire quickly). Tracy spent years managing players just like this group in Worcester, and he knows the Red Sox don't need all six to hit. In a division this loaded, they just need two or three to be ready when the plan calls their name in Boston.
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