Boston Red Sox prospects have garnered plenty of hype in this offseason's rankings, but Roman Anthony was recently dethroned from his No. 1 spot on Baseball America's list after the Dodgers signed Roki Sasaki.
Despite playing (and dominating) in four seasons of Nippon Professional Baseball for the Chiba Lotte Marines, Sasaki holds prospect status because of his young age. The 23-year-old signed an international amateur free agent deal, but he's sure to be added to LA's rotation quickly, which will erode his prospect status early in the season.
Keith Law of The Athletic acknowledged that Sasaki hardly counts as a prospect due to his years of experience in Japan and on the international stage. He reserved his No. 1 spot for Anthony (as he should.)
Law also acknowledges Kristian Campbell (No. 9), Marcelo Mayer (No. 28), Franklin Arias (No. 42) and Yoeilin Cespedes (No. 97). Anthony stands alone as the only pure outfield prospect listed among Boston's selected players, but Campbell can also slot into the pastures.
Roman Anthony takes No. 1 on Keith Law's top 100 prospects list, four other Red Sox featured
These are baseball's stars of tomorrow.@keithlaw has examined all 30 MLB farm systems and assembled his top 100 prospects. How many players from your club feature on his list?
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) January 27, 2025
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Anthony, Campbell and Mayer are the Sox's new "Big Three" after the Garrett Crochet trade, which sent catching prospect Kyle Teel to the White Sox. Teel is also listed in Law's top 100 at No. 37, just above fellow former Red Sox prospect Braden Montgomery. Anthony and Campbell have dominated headlines this offseason as both hope to make the Opening Day roster, but Mayer likely won't be alongside them. The shortstop's 2024 season ended prematurely after a lower back injury and he was not able to appear in any Triple-A games. Law factored injury-proneness into his ranking for Mayer, which is quite a bit lower than Baseball America's No. 15 placement for the young infielder.
Arias and Cespedes are intriguing additions to Law's top 100. Both are 19-year-old shortstop prospects with two seasons of pro ball under their belts. Arias batted .309/.409/.487 and with a .896 OPS over 87 games, and he reached Single-A Salem by the end of the season. Cespedes' season ended after just 25 games after he landed on the 60-day injured list with a broken hamate bone. He slashed .319/.400/.615 with a 1.015 OPS and five homers in rookie ball.
Even after Boston traded Teel, Montgomery and two other top prospects to Chicago for Crochet, its depth of talent, particularly in the middle infield, remains impressive. Law mentions that Cespedes likely won't stick at shortstop, and the rest of the Sox's prospects' futures are also unknown. Hopefully, Anthony, Campbell and Mayer will make their marks in the big leagues this year, and Arias and Cespedes jump a few levels in the farm system.