Boston Red Sox outfield prospect Allan Castro
Allan Castro emerged as a legitimate prospect in 2023.
The switch-hitting outfielder slashed .261/.368/.405 with 31 doubles, four triples, and seven home runs between Single-A and High-A. He drove in 46 runs, scored 62 more, and stole 19 bases in 112 games (417 at-bats).
Castro struck out 90 times (18.3%) and drew 68 walks (13.8%). Those are encouraging numbers. Even more so when considering he doesn't turn 21 until May 24 of next season.
Castro probably should have received more hype due to his performance last season, but he had a few things going against him.
First, he wasn't on many people's radars. Second, he spent his first 69 games in Single-A. Salem is notoriously not hitter-friendly. Third, Castro is playing at a premium position.
The Red Sox entered 2023 with Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu as top outfield prospects. Miguel Bleis was the talk of the system and ready to start the year in Single-A.
There's someone else, though. Who am I missing? Oh, yeah, Roman Anthony. Anthony took nearly all of the spotlight (deservedly so) due to a ridiculous breakout season. It was hard to talk about too much else going on in the Boston system when Anthony was putting up unreal numbers every night.
However, a lot has changed in a year. Castro has much more hype surrounding him. He's a prime breakout candidate. No longer worried about playing at Salem, Castro showed how talented he is offensively with Greenville.
His ability to limit strikeouts while working counts and drawing walks will get him on base a lot, but also lead to Castro seeing good pitches to hit. And as we saw last season, he can hit mistakes to different area codes.
Castro's a solid enough defender in the outfield. He likely won't be winning awards out there, but it's not going to hold him back. Meanwhile, he has the speed to swipe some bags, adding to his game.
We only saw seven home runs from Castro last season, but the power potential is real. It could be something that he leans into heavily this year with the more hitter-friendly park and the maturing of his body.
If Allan Castro is the big breakout star of the Boston Red Sox farm system, expect him to post a high OBP and drop 20-plus home runs.