The Boston Red Sox prospect watch is here again. We're undergoing a facelift for the 2025 season, so expect a few changes. With all four minor league levels underway, there's plenty to discuss. We've got big games, slow starts, early promotion candidates, and more.
As usual, we will go level by level to talk about each team. Instead of giving you everyone's weekly performances and stats, we'll focus on a few standout examples at each level.
We'll fixate on the biggest weeks and improvements at all levels of Boston's minor league system. Here are 20 standout performances from the first week of the minor league season and our first round of players you should keep an eye on this year.
Boston Red Sox Prospect Update: The best performances of the week at each level of the Red Sox farm system
Worcester Red Sox (Triple-A)
Marcelo Mayer had a big week that included his first two Triple-A home runs. The left-handed hitting shortstop is slashing .267/.313/.467 with nine RBI. He's even stolen one base.
Mayer's only drawback at the moment is the nine strikeouts compared to two walks. However, it's early in the year, and this is his first taste of Triple-A. It's unsurprising that the strikeouts might creep up a bit.
Mayer has restored a lot of excitement from the fanbase in his stock this year, thanks to a massive spring training. Don't expect him to do anything to temper that excitement any time soon.
Shane Drohan's journey has been an interesting one. He's back in the Boston system now, though, and he's cooking. The left-handed pitcher tossed two shutout innings out of the bullpen his first time out. His second outing of the season came this week.
Drohan surrendered just one hit over four shutout innings in a start. He struck out six batters without walking any. The fastball is sitting around 94, and he's limiting walks. Through six innings, Drohan has a 0.00 ERA, 0.77 BAA, and 0.25 WHIP. It's a small sample size, but it's a dominant start, nonetheless.
Luis Guerrero made three appearances this week and looked great each time out. In one of those appearances, he posted a four-pitch inning. The right-handed reliever has a 0.00 ERA over five innings. He's walked two batters and struck out four. Oh, and he's yet to allow a hit.
Guerrero not making the major league roster out of spring training was surprising to some people. He looked great in Boston last year and didn't do anything to lose his role in the spring. The good news is Guerrero should be one of the first calls for bullpen help, and he could find himself back at Fenway Park soon enough.
Brian Van Belle made his season debut on April 5. The righty allowed one run on three hits over 2 2/3 innings. He walked one batter and struck out two.
The move to the bullpen last season revitalized BVB's career. While this wasn't a perfect outing, it's still a great start to the season. Van Belle has yet to make his Major League debut but should garner some interest as someone who can eat bulk innings out of the bullpen.
Boston has a few people ahead of him in the pecking order, but a Major League debut certainly isn't out of the question for Van Belle in 2025. Due to that, you might want to keep an eye on him.
Bryan Mata had a phenomenal spring, turning heads and impressing plenty of people. He started his 2025 regular season in Triple-A by tossing a perfect inning and striking out one batter.
The second time out wasn't as clean for the right-handed pitcher. Mata allowed one run on four hits and two walks in 2 2/3 innings. Despite allowing six base runners, he only surrendered that one run. Mata also struck out six batters. He's topping out at over 98 MPH. The stuff is legit.
Portland Sea Dogs (Double-A)
Mikey Romero was the catalyst in the season opener for Portland. Leading off, the shortstop went 2-for-4 with a double, a home run, and two walks. He also drove in three runs.
Romero didn't do much the rest of the series (0-for-7 with a walk), but his plate appearances impressed. The left-handed hitter was consistently working deep counts and showing improved plate discipline.
We saw what a healthy version of Romero could do in 2024. Adding muscle and an improved eye, he could continue to improve. While it wasn't a perfect week, Romero gave himself some fantastic building blocks to begin the year.
Jhostynxon Garcia also didn't put up eye-popping stats, but again, it was the quality of his plate appearances that should get you excited. The big question marks surrounding The Password heading into the season were his swing decisions and whiffs.
In the first three games, Garcia walked more times (5) than he struck out (4). Despite going just 2-for-10 with a double (.200), his .467 OBP is sky-high. Don't worry about the average or power at the moment. It's much more important that we saw an improved approach, and that's what Garcia gave us in the first series.
Corey Rosier was the surprising big bat of the series. The left-handed hitting outfielder went 3-for-8 with three walks, stole one base and scored three runs. He also hit a grand slam and drove in a team-leading six runs. Rosier had multiple hard-hit balls only rivaled by the consistency of Romero (and maybe Ronald Rosario, who had some terrible luck in this series).
Rosier struggled in Triple-A in 2024 but could figure things out in Portland and find his way back at some point this season, especially if Roman Anthony goes to the show.
Connelly Early had the strikeout pitch working early and often in Reading. The left-handed pitcher allowed one unearned run over 3 2/3 innings in his first start of the season. He didn't allow a hit, walked two, and struck out seven batters.
Early quietly put together a fantastic 2024 season between High-A and Double-A. Now, he's off to a great start in 2025. Early was sitting around 93-94 MPH with his sinker. His slider was playing decently well, and his changeup (low-80s) produced some ugly whiffs from opposing hitters.
David Sandlin did not have his best stuff in his first start of the season. Despite that, he was still effective. The left-handed pitcher allowed two runs on three hits over five innings. He struck out three batters and walked three.
Sandlin made some adjustments in the fifth inning, and the velocity began to jump back up. He has a great fastball that can hit 100 MPH and some devastating breaking stuff. The fact that this was a start where Sandlin didn't have his "A" stuff should tell you how talented he is.
Greenville Drive (High-A)
Nazzan Zanetello might've had the most disappointing 2024 season. The strikeout rate was astronomically high, and the slash line wasn't pretty. However, it was evident that he was trying to play through some injuries.
Clearly, the Red Sox liked something that they saw in him this offseason. Despite his struggles, Zanetello was not only put on the Greenville roster but is leading off for the team. In two games, the right-handed hitter is 3-for-4 with four walks compared to just one strikeout. He's doubled, scored four runs, and stolen one base.
Zanetello was drafted as a raw prospect with hyper-exciting tools. He's still only 19 and had about as encouraging of a first series as you could've asked for.
The Nelly Taylor hype train is leaving the station — hop on now before it's out of sight. The left-handed hitting outfielder is an elite defender, and the offense just keeps getting better.
Taylor went 3-for-7 with a double and a home run in the first series. He drove in four runs and scored one more. Taylor drew one walk and only struck out once. His defense and speed are advanced. Now he's flashing some serious power. The Red Sox's surplus of talented, left-handed hitting outfielders only seems to be growing.
Juan Valera had an eye-popping High-A debut. I saw some (slight) negativity surrounding him because his stat line wasn't great. Let me just say this. It's High-A. Don't look at stat lines too much. Pitchers are working on things.
Also, he's 18. In High-A. Throwing 100 MPH (seriously, he hit 100 MPH). The ridiculous skill is what should jump out at you, not that an 18-year-old with 23 innings in Single-A walked three batters in his High-A debut.
Valera allowed two runs on three hits (and those three walks) in 3 2/3 innings. He struck out seven batters. His fastball hit 100 MPH, his slider looked good, and his changeup was disgusting. It's okay to get excited.
Jojo Ingrassia surrendered a home run to the first batter he faced in his High-A debut. After that, he allowed just one hit over 4 1/3 innings. The final line was fantastic.
Ingrassia allowed one run on two hits in 4 1/3 innings of relief. He didn't walk anyone and struck out eight batters. The left-handed pitcher doesn't throw 99 MPH, but he has a good mix that includes a sweeper and a changeup. The mix of speeds and breaks confuses hitters and produces bad swings.
Ingrassia had a fantastic 2024 season in Single-A (1.85 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, .179 BAA). If he continues to cook in High-A, the chatter will get much louder.
Hayden Mullins didn't get talked about enough in 2024. The left-handed pitcher posted a 3.94 ERA with 118 strikeouts in 89 innings in High-A.
Despite those big numbers, he's starting 2025 in High-A as well. Attribute that to the ridiculous pitching depth the Red Sox have in their minor league system.
Well, he's going to get love now. In his season debut, Mullins tossed four scoreless innings. He allowed four hits and one walk while striking out six batters. Mullins led the team in strikeouts by a wide margin in 2024. He'll be near the top as long as he's with the team in 2025, too (he's got some fun competition, though).
Salem Red Sox (Single-A)
Blake Aita 100% deserves the first shoutout here. The 2024 sixth-round pick made his Single-A debut on April 4. Aita promptly tossed five no-hit innings. The right-handed pitcher didn't allow a run on just one walk (no hits). Aita struck out four batters and threw 38 of his 56 pitches for strikes (68%).
The minor leagues (especially lower levels) are where you'll see guys working on things like command. That tends to lead to pitchers not being the most efficient with their pitches. Obviously, five no-hit innings is the story here. Don't overlook the fact that Aita only needed 56 pitches to get through those five innings, though.
Aita was drafted out of Kennesaw State (shoutout to Bron Breakker). It wouldn't have been shocking if he didn't stay in Single-A too long because of that. Now, it feels even less likely that his Salem stay will extend into the summer.
Joe Vogatsky came in as relief for Aita and picked up where the starter left off. Brought in via trade for Enmanuel Valdez, Vogatsky introduced himself to Red Sox fans in a great way.
The right-handed reliever allowed two hits over three shutout innings. He walked one batter and struck out three. Vogatsky's sweeper looked great, and his fastball played well. Salem's pitching features a lot of college arms who could be too advanced for the level. Add Vogatsky as a name to watch on that list.
Franklin Arias has reached base three times in all three of his games. The right-handed hitter is 7-for-12 with two doubles. He's drawn one walk (compared to one strikeout) and has been hit by a pitch. Arias has two RBI, five runs scored, and one steal.
The 19-year-old already looks too mature for Single-A. You could argue that the sample size is too small, but don't forget that he also spent some time last year at the level. Arias will be a top-50 prospect in baseball by midseason.
Freili Encarnacion hit the ball hard last season, but the results weren't there. He slashed .244/.290/.329 over 80 games. It was a combination of bad luck and Salem's ballpark being the number one hater of hitters everywhere.
Due to that, it appears Encarnacion doesn't want to stay in Salem for long in 2025. The right-handed hitting infielder is 5-for-13 (.385) with two doubles and a home run through three games. He's driven in five runs and scored three more.
Encarnacion has legitimate pop in his bat, and he was a big international signing not that long ago. Don't be surprised if 2025 is a big year for him.
Natanael Yuten became one of my favorite players to watch last season, mainly due to his timely clutch hitting. The 2025 season is off to a good start for the left-handed hitter. He's 2-for-6 with a double and three RBI. Yuten holds a .500 OBP thanks to two walks (compared to two strikeouts).
Last season, Yuten slashed .450/.532/.600 in the ninth inning and .400/.455/1.200 in extra innings. He has yet to get a chance late in the games, but if he's already showing fireworks early in contests. I can't wait to see what happens when he does. Yuten is only 20 with a frame that can fill out a ton. If he adds muscle, there's power waiting to be unlocked.