In 2024, the Boston Red Sox told the national media what some fans already knew. Their farm system is stacked.
Roman Anthony is the top prospect in baseball. They have three other prospects in the top 26. A few more found their way into the top 100 (with Luis Perales dropping out following an injury).
It's not just the top 100 players that make this system great, though. The Red Sox have incredible depth. It's a strength that will help them in future trades and when constructing the team down the line.
Multiple players made notable jumps and drastically improved their stock this season. But which prospect's stock rose the most? We'll go through the system and name five prospects who saw some of the most dramatic boosts. There are a few rules before we do, though.
The prospects need to have been in the system before this season. So, no one from the draft (Braden Montgomery, Conrad Cason, etc.) and no one signed as an international free agent this year (Justin Gonzales, Dalvinson Reyes, etc.) Everyone else is fair game.
We're looking for players who not only created opportunities for themselves in the Red Sox organization but also became legitimate trade pieces to be used in potential trades this offseason (or at the following trade deadline).
Don't just expect the biggest of names, either. The five players range from top-tier prospects in baseball to fringe top 30 guys in the Red Sox organization. All five created legitimate buzz for themselves this year.
5 Red Sox prospects whose stock dramatically rose this season
Kristian Campbell - INF
Kristian Campbell is the most obvious name on this list. The second baseman started the year as a prospect with a little bit of buzz in High-A. It didn't take him long to tear through the level and find his way in Double-A.
Campbell slashed .306/.418/.558 in 40 games with Greenville. That's impressive, but it's nothing compared to what he did in Portland. The right-handed hitter batted .362/.463/.582 in 56 games. This led to another promotion, this time to Triple-A. Campbell only appeared in 19 games at the level but still impressed. He hit .286 (.412 OBP) with two doubles and four home runs.
The Georgia Tech product finished the year with a total slash line of .330/.439/.558 with 32 doubles, three triples, and 20 home runs between the three levels. He drove in 77 runs, scored 94 more, and stole 24 bases.
Campbell went from someone around the top 20 prospects in the Red Sox system (far from the top 100 overall) to potentially the MiLB MVP (not just in the system). He's now much closer to one than 100. It could be argued that he is the second-best prospect in the system (behind only Roman Anthony, who is the top prospect in baseball, per Baseball America).
Campbell came into this year viewed as a good contact guy who could add a little bit of power. He kept the contact but added a lot of pop. Campbell can play multiple positions, including center field, shortstop, and third base, but second base is where he's best.
Oh, would you look at that? Boston's biggest position player needs are a second baseman and some right-handed hitting.
Jhostynxon Garcia - OF
Jhostynxon Garcia would be the breakout star of basically any system in 2024. Unlucky for him, he's in the same system as Campbell.
Garcia posted a special year, though — he even got the Roman Anthony treatment. The outfielder started the year in Single-A and made his way up to Double-A for the final stretch.
Garcia looked great in Single-A (the stats won't blow you away, but hitting in Salem's ballpark is not easy, go look at Anthony's stats there). He went to High-A after 24 games and couldn't stop hitting home runs. Between Garcia and first baseman Bryan Gonzalez, the owners of the condos in left field better have had some good window insurance.
Garcia was promoted to Double-A after 53 games with Greenville. In Portland, he continued to show some pop and put up decent numbers across the board. The right-handed hitter slashed .286/.356/.536 with 24 doubles, five triples, and 23 home runs. Garcia drove in 66 runs, scored 78 more, and stole 17 bases. He did all of this while playing fantastic defense in the outfield.
Entering 2024, Garcia wasn't on many radars. He was probably most well known for being the older brother of Johanfran Garcia, who is one of the top catching prospects in Boston's system. But the older Garcia has taken control of his narrative. He's a right-handed hitting outfielder who mashes, and the Sox desperately need right-handed pop. The power potential is real, while he has impressive athleticism and handles the outfield well.
In Garcia's highlights, fans can see his ridiculous power and a slew of people in the comments replying that he's their favorite prospect in the system. His stock in the eyes of the fans has gone up a ridiculous amount.
Meanwhile, it's clear the Red Sox have loved what they've seen. They moved him all the way up to Double-A. Ian Cundall and Chris Hatfield of SoxProspects.com mentioned on the Section 10 Podcast that Garcia was praised in spring training for the shape he had gotten himself into.
That hard work has paid off.
Franklin Arias - INF
Franklin Arias was a fun high-upside lottery ticket prospect entering 2024. He wasn't completely buried, but he didn't have nearly the hype of a prospect like Yoeilin Cespedes.
Arias started the year in the FCL (Florida Complex League). How good was he there? Arias was named an FCL all-star and the league's MVP.
On July 23, Arias made his Single-A debut. The right-handed hitting shortstop slashed .257/.331/.378 with nine doubles and three home runs in 36 games with Salem. He finished with 26 RBI, 18 runs scored, and five stolen bases. Those are phenomenal numbers playing your home games at Salem. That's especially true for an 18-year-old.
Arias has flown up the rankings. He's the number seven prospect on SoxProspects.com and has cracked the top 100, according to Baseball America. The Red Sox appear to have high views of Arias, as well. He was strictly hitting leadoff for Salem and spending all his time at shortstop. At a level where there tends to be a lot of moving people around to see what sticks, they had a plan for Arias.
The Caracas, Venezuela native passed every test with flying colors, too. Despite only appearing in 36 games in Single-A, it feels like a legitimate question to wonder if he'll start 2025 in High-A.
Arias will likely be in Salem for Opening Day, but Greenville will be calling his name by the end of the first month. Arias saw his stock go from "lottery ticket" to "potential franchise shortstop" in the span of a few months.
As much as his stock rose in 2024, expect the Arias stock to go through the roof in 2025.
Juan Valera - RHP
Juan Valera wasn't even ranked in the SoxProspects top 60 entering 2024. As of this article, he's all the way up to number 24. Valera struggled in the DSL in 2023 but dominated the FCL early this season.
The right-handed pitcher was promoted to Single-A Salem on July 23 and quickly became a star in their rotation. Valera posted a 1.99 ERA, .125 BAA, and 0.85 WHIP between the FCL and Single-A. He struck out 68 batters compared to 28 walks in 63 1/3 innings. The craziest part, though? Valera had six separate outings of at least four no-hit innings. He was the literal definition of unhittable.
The 18-year-old might still be seen as a lottery ticket, but he's a lottery ticket with a few numbers guaranteed to be right. Valera gives something the Red Sox need.
The reason his stock rose so much (outside of the dominant season) is that Boston needs pitching prospects. They have a few — Luis Perales has the potential to be an ace, Yordanny Mongero is exciting, and Hunter Dobbins looks like a legitimate rotation guy. There are a few others. However, very few get the fan base excited.
That's where Valera steps in. He appears to be someone who can fly up the rankings next year as he gets more time in affiliated ball. The rising stock this year is much different from what it could be next year. We saw Valera go from completely off the radar to one of the top pitching prospects in the entire system.
He'll start next year at just 18. It's the 2025 season where we could see him turn into an ace. This was an important step in his development and one that saw him become someone that the Red Sox didn't want to part ways with during a trade deadline that featured Boston moving a lot of "lottery ticket" pitchers.
Mikey Romero - INF
Mikey Romero was the first-round pick for the Boston Red Sox in 2022. He entered this year with 53 games in the minor leagues (35 above Rookie Ball). Injuries had seriously derailed his career, and even this year, he started on the IL.
Romero came back swinging. In 59 games in High-A this season, the left-handed hitter slashed .271/.319/.498 with 20 doubles, four triples, and 10 home runs. He had 40 RBI, 40 runs scored, and one steal. His stellar play led to a promotion. In 16 games with Double-A Portland, Romero mashed six home runs.
The shortstop looked great defensively and was showing plenty of pop. What's exciting about that, is that Romero told "The Pesky Report MiLB Talk" podcast that he is looking forward to a healthy offseason and getting in the weight room.
Romero already has possibly the prettiest swing in the entire system. It led to a lot of easy-looking hard-hit balls. Now imagine Romero with some extra muscle. Woo, buddy.
Romero was in a weird spot entering 2024. He was still an extremely young former first-round pick. However, he had a few things going against him. He's a middle infielder, a position where the Red Sox have a massive logjam. That pile-up includes prospects Marcelo Mayer, Campbell, Chase Meidroth, Arias, Yoeilin Cespedes, and more. There are also players like Vaughn Grissom, Trevor Story, and Ceddanne Rafaela available at those positions.
Romero's also a left-handed hitter. That's not something the Red Sox need in any way. Then, of course, there were the injury issues.
However, fans don't care about any of that when someone is good. Romero has finally gotten to play healthy for an extended period, and he looked like the first-round pick Boston was hoping for. Romero put himself back in the conversation, and that's incredible. He's arguably a top-10 prospect in the Boston Red Sox system and is suddenly a few steps away from the majors.
There are still roadblocks, but if Romero continues to play like this no roadblock will matter. Worst case scenario, he's a legitimate trade piece that can be one of the headliners in a trade for a starting pitcher.