The Boston Red Sox have seen something unlikely happen three years in a row. In 2021, Brayan Bello broke out as a top-tier pitching prospect. Then, in 2022, we saw the rise of Ceddanne Rafaela into one of the best prospects in baseball. Finally, in 2023, we all acknowledged Roman Anthony.
Having a prospect go from "exciting name" to "elite potential" in a single season is something that every team dreams about. Somehow, the Red Sox struck lightning in a bottle in three consecutive years.
It's not something you should get used to. Not because the Boston farm system isn't talented (it is) but because it's just not fair to expect players to make that jump.
I've gotten the question on Twitter before "Who will be the next Roman Anthony?" I don't want to put that on anyone. If someone outperforms expectations and rises the ranks, that's awesome. But it's not doing them any favors comparing them to the absurdity that was the Anthony jump.
With all that in mind, the Red Sox farm system is loaded. They aren't top-heavy, either. It's a deep system that features quite a few candidates to take a step forward in 2024.
Again, this isn't comparing them to Anthony, Rafaela, or Bello. I'm not saying you should expect them to go out there and become a top-50 prospect in baseball overnight. But let's look at a few prospects in the Red Sox system that could start creeping toward that top-100 status and, at the very least, make some new fans next season.