Every year we have this discussion about how the Boston Red Sox aren’t going to have a ridiculous breakout-star prospect because it’s simply not realistic. Yet, without fail, every year, they have one.
I really want to stress that this is not normal. It shouldn’t be happening at the rate that it’s happening for the Red Sox. Let me just rattle off some random names quickly: Roman Anthony, Kristian Campbell, Payton Tolle, Jhostynxon Garcia, Anthony Eyanson -— I mean, it’s getting ridiculous.
An organization would be thrilled to get that type of massive prospect jump once every few years. It’s happened to the Red Sox nearly five years in a row.
This year, prospects in every level of Boston's minor league system emerged as appointment viewing. We’re going to go position by position and build the 2026 all-breakout team for the Red Sox prospects.
Breakout prospects at every position in the Red Sox organization
Catcher: Franklin Primera
Catcher was probably the weakest position in 2025 for the Red Sox farm system (maybe besides first base). They made it a clear focus during the offseason, and wow, was it noticeable.
Shoutout to just about everyone. I won’t name all the names because we’ll be here all day, and we’re supposed to focus on the big breakout at each position.
Then there’s Franklin Primera. A 19-year-old catcher with a strong arm, plus defense, and legitimate elite bat potential (who hit .330 in Single-A this season). Sign me the hell up.
What exactly did Primera do? The right-handed hitter slashed .367/.499/.581 with 16 doubles, one triple, and 13 home runs between the FCL and Single-A. He drove in 53 runs, scored 66, and stole six bases. Primera walked 48 times and only struck out 36. Sure, the FCL numbers can’t always be trusted because FCL competition is a bit funky. However, Primera didn’t slow down when he got to Salem. He’s legit.
First Base: Brooks Brannon
Brooks Brannon’s season kind of mirrored Willson Contreras' — he's a former catcher who moved to first base, which revitalized his career. It’s weird to say that about someone as young as Brannon (22), but hear me out.
He had defensive potential thanks to being such an athletic specimen (dude is also built like a tree trunk), but it was only really flashes behind the plate. Meanwhile, the defensive workload seemed to be hurting Brannon’s offense, and he kept getting injured.
Brannon made the move to first base last year, and this year it became a full-time position. How did he do? How does a .280/.355/.560 slash line sound? The right-handed hitter mashed 28 doubles, two triples, and 22 home runs (the most by a Portland Sea Dogs player since Jeremy Barfield in 2017). He drove in 70 runs, scored 50, and stole two bases. Brannon did all that while looking like a legitimate first baseman on defense.
Second Base: Ahbram Liendo
Full disclosure, I’m bending the rules a bit here. I make the rules, though, so I can do whatever I want. Ahbram Liendo played a hefty majority of the season at third base, but he did spend a bit of time at second. Yoeilin Cespedes had a solid bounce-back year, but not a “breakout year.”
Liendo has been steadily improving over the last few seasons with the bat. Meanwhile, his defense has consistently remained utterly elite. The right-handed hitter hit .239 with a career-high .368 slugging percentage, thanks to eight home runs (double his previous career-best of four).
Liendo stole 25 bases in 2026, which was actually down from years prior. However, he scored 53 runs (three off his best) and demolished his previous RBI mark of 32 with 55 this year. The defense and speed will always be there; a second straight season of offensive improvement for Liendo is encouraging.
Third Base: Jack Winnay
Jack Winnay was a 13th-round pick in 2025. He got a taste of Single-A (and looked great) to finish that year. People in the organization were definitely pretty bullish on him entering 2026.
Even with the high expectations, Winnay surpassed them. The right-handed hitting corner infielder slashed .261/.405/.449 with 14 doubles and 17 home runs between High-A and Double-A. He drove in 46 runs and scored 69. Winnay struck out just 87 times in 432 plate appearances (20.1%). Meanwhile, he recorded a phenomenal 16.7% walk rate thanks to 72 free passes.
The power is legit, and Winnay’s patience at the plate adds a lot to his presentation. He did just enough to beat out Louis Andujar, who at least deserves a quick mention.
Shortstop: Marvin Alcantara
Marvin Alcantara is one of those prospects who was getting moved up because he was a great defensive infielder and a leader (someone who has been heralded by teammates and coaches for being a locker room guy).
Alcantara’s career-high in home runs entering 2025 was three, a mark he hit in each of the previous two seasons. In 2026, Alcantara managed to hit six home runs in 277 ABs. That’s 160 fewer than it took him to hit half as many homers last season. He did so while also setting a new career-best with 15 stolen bases.
Alcantara isn’t going to become an offensive juggernaut suddenly. He still hit .238 with a .288 OBP. However, his slugging percentage jumping from .307 in 2025 to .368 in 2026 feels significant enough. For an elite defensive infielder with good baserunning, if he can add some offense, maybe there’s something there.
Outfield: Isaiah Jackson, Andrews Opata, Justin Gonzales
Isaiah Jackson came over to the Red Sox this offseason as the return for Vaughn Grissom from the Los Angeles Angels. The scouting report on Jackson was that he would give you top-tier defense in the outfield. Meanwhile, he had some pop and a bit of stolen base potential.
The base stealing didn’t show up much in 2026. He finished with 12, solid. However, everything else was there. Jackson routinely made phenomenal plays in the outfield. He’s clearly a natural out there. Offensively, the right-handed hitter slashed .242/.341/.460 with 19 doubles, two triples, and 21 home runs between High-A and Double-A. He drove in 70 runs and scored 69. The defense and power combination made Jackson a welcome newcomer and a massive breakout star.
Andrews Opata went undrafted in 2025. In 2026, the right-handed-hitting outfielder slashed .257/.374/.404 with 15 doubles, three triples, and 11 home runs. I’d be impressed with the power potential already, just considering playing in Salem’s ballpark saps everyone’s power numbers.
Then you look at the 56 RBI and ridiculous 81 runs scored (second-most on the team was 60). Of course, there’s the Salem franchise record of 54 stolen bases as well. Opata has fantastic speed, power potential, and a good glove in the outfield. 2026 was an amazing first year, and if he can work on the swing-and-miss, then the Red Sox knocked it out of the park with him.
Justin Gonzales entered the year as one of the most intriguing prospects to watch in baseball. However, he was a bit of an “if.” The 19-year-old is a monster of a man with legitimate power potential. He was hitting the ball on the ground too much (57.4% ground ball rate), and that led to just four home runs in 359 ABs in 2025. There were also questions of how he’d handle higher levels of the minor leagues.
The right-handed-hitting outfielder/first baseman slashed .266/.385/.449 with 14 doubles, three triples, and 19 home runs between High-A and Double-A this season. That’s a 15-homer increase. He did so thanks to a drastically decreased ground ball rate of 46.3%.
Gonzales drove in 69 runs, scored 82, and stole 12 bases. He didn’t strike out too much (19.9%), and he had a strong 13.4% walk rate. Meanwhile, his arm in the outfield became the stuff of legend on Red Sox Twitter. Gonzales was already a big name, but he went from having potential to legitimately arriving in 2026.
DH: Ronny Hernandez
When the Red Sox traded for Ronny Hernandez, it was to help shore up the catcher position in the minor leagues. They may have overcorrected a bit. It’s not a bad thing, but it did lead to a logjam at the position — specifically in the lower levels of the minor leagues.
Due to an injury, Hernandez didn’t appear in a game until May 6. That put him behind the eight ball when it came to carving out playing time (even though he could play catcher and first base).
Or, at least, it would have led to issues for Hernandez if he didn’t burst onto the scene in such dramatic fashion. In his first game in the organization and his first game in High-A, Hernandez went 4-for-4 with a walk and two home runs.
The left-handed hitter finished the year slashing .304/.407/.548 with 11 doubles and 15 home runs. He drove in 45 runs and scored 50 in 67 games in High-A. The 21-year-old drew the same number of walks (40) as he had strikeouts (40).
Hernandez wasn’t a terrible defender at catcher or first base, but it was the bat that made him such a star. He was constantly hitting the ball hard, rarely struck out, and was Greenville’s best bat from the moment he joined the lineup (despite being far from the biggest name).
Hernandez was overshadowed thanks to multiple trades at the catcher position this offseason. But he simply never stopped producing with the bat in 2026.
Pitchers: Sadbiel Delzine (RHP), Devin Futrell (LHP), Jason Gilman (LHP), Barrett Morgan (RHP), Blake Wehunt (RHP), Steven Brooks (RHP)
Sadbiel Delzine is the big name on the list. The righty turned up in Single-A late in the year after dominating in the FCL. He quickly showcased that he’s the real deal, striking out 36 batters (and walking only six) in 25 innings. Delzine didn’t have a bad outing. The 18-year-old has some of the best raw stuff on the mound (and elite presence) in the system.
Devin Futrell started the season in Single-A and ended the year in Double-A. That should tell you how well his 2026 season went. The lefty posted a 3.98 ERA and racked up 130 strikeouts with just 19 walks in 115 1/3 innings between the three levels. Futrell doesn’t throw hard, but the command is strong.
Jason Gilman was a 16th-round pick in 2025 out of a Division III College (Kean). Expectations likely weren’t super high. How does a 3.49 ERA, .190 BAA, and 109 strikeouts in 77 1/3 innings between Single-A and High-A for the left-handed pitcher sound?
Barrett Morgan was an 11th-round pick in 2025 out of Cowley County Community College. Again, maybe not high expectations in year one. The right-handed pitcher posted a 2.25 ERA, .153 BAA, and 0.93 WHIP in 56 innings between Single-A and High-A.
Blake Wehunt set career highs in games (23) and innings pitched (100 1/3). That makes me happy because I’ve been very loud about my feelings on Wehunt over the last few years. If he could stay healthy, he’d prove how talented he is. The right-handed pitcher recorded a 3.50 ERA, .247 BAA, 1.29 WHIP, and racked up 104 strikeouts between Double-A and Triple-A.
Steven Brooks posted a 4.06 ERA, .243 BAA, and 1.49 WHIP in 39 appearances (two starts) between High-A and Double-A. Those are solid numbers, but breakout numbers? Well, Brooks also struck out 93 batters in 64 1/3 innings. That’s a 13.01 K/9 rate, a ridiculous and a massive jump from his 8.86 K/9 in 2025. It bodes well for his development if he’s missing bats like that.
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