Miguel Bleis - OF
We're going for the Marcelo Mayer argument with Miguel Bleis, except we're turning it up to 11.
Miguel Bleis came into the 2023 season with unreal levels of hype. He crushed the FCL in 2022 and was primed for big things, starting the new season in Single-A.
Bleis started hot. The hype looked real following a three-hit game on May 10. That's when things went off the rails. Bleis would suffer an injury in the next game. After missing two weeks, he attempted to come back. Four games later, his season was over.
The right-handed hitter slashed .230/.282/.325 with three doubles, three triples, and one home run in 31 games (126 at-bats). Bleis drove in 16 runs, scored 18 more, and stole 11 bases.
So Bleis came into 2023 as this Pablo Sanchez-type prospect. He was a phenomenal hitter with plenty of power potential. Don't forget fantastic defense, a great arm, and elite speed.
A mediocre slash line and a season-ending injury have worked together to lessen the hype. It also doesn't help Bleis that the Red Sox saw some new prospects jump on the tracks of their hype trains (like Roman Anthony, Kyle Teel, and Yordanny Monegro).
Bleis is still 19, and he'll be 20 for all of next season. But some fans have cooled off on him a bit. I get it. The stock is lower.
And that's where we get to our point. Bleis is still this unreal talent. However, he now has all these things going against him.
He had low production. But he was also a teenager playing in Salem, a ballpark that does no one favors. Go ahead and look at Anthony's numbers in Single-A this year. The same goes for Allan Castro. It's not a ballpark for hitters.
He's coming off an injury. Let him prove he can get healthy before making any decisions. A healthy season alone would raise his stock.
Finally, he was only in Single-A. Even as a top-rated prospect, you're not going to get the best possible return out of someone so low in the minor leagues.
The Boston Red Sox would be selling low(ish) on someone like Marcelo Mayer after last season. They would be selling negligently low on Miguel Bleis. He'll likely make his way to High-A at some point in 2024. As the Greenville Drive love to say, let him cook.