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Boston Red Sox: 5 Greenville Drive storylines to follow in 2024

The minor leagues are always filled with intriguing storylines to follow as prospects try to make their way to the Majors. Here are a few you should follow for the Boston Red Sox High-A team in Greenville.

By Hunter Noll

Rows of empty seats at Fluor Field Tuesday, June 30, 2020. The Greenville Drive and all other Minor
Rows of empty seats at Fluor Field Tuesday, June 30, 2020. The Greenville Drive and all other Minor / JOSH MORGAN/Staff via Imagn Content
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Can the Greenville Drive repeat as champions?

Winning the first half of the season guaranteed the Boston Red Sox High-A affiliate a spot in the playoffs. However, the second half of the regular season was much different.

A lot of the star players were gone. Marcelo Mayer and Blaze Jordan were promoted early in the season, as was Nathan Hickey. They no longer had ace Wikelman Gonzalez, who was also in Double-A. Hunter Dobbins, Isaac Coffey, Angel Bastardo, Grant Gambrell, and Christopher Troye were all promoted as well.

They added Roman Anthony and Kyle Teel in the second half, but both got the call to Portland a week before the playoffs. Mikey Romero was promoted to High-A but got hurt before the postseason. It felt like Greenville would have a short playoff run.

Technically, they did have a short playoff run. Not because they got bounced quickly, but because they never lost a game. Greenville swept both opponents, going 4-0 in the postseason.

In those four games, we saw a lot of wild stuff. There was a Luis Perales masterclass of a start, and Yordanny Monegro showed off his swagger. Zach Penrod dominated, Dalton Rogers looked great, and Felix Cepeda led the bullpen with a few saves.

On offense, everyone contributed. Kristian Campbell was rarely not on base. Ronald Rosario had a clutch home run. Eddinson Paulino drove in a ton of runs, Tyler Miller was in the middle of things, and Allan Castro continued to look great.

Even without many "star" prospects, Greenville ran away with the championship. Can they repeat in 2024?

Well, let's look at a few things. Castro will be back to start the year. Romero should be healthy and spend the season with Greenville. Campbell is looking like a breakout star, and Cutter Coffey could bounce back nicely.

On the pitching end, Luis Perales and Yordanny Mongero should get a decent amount of innings in High-A in 2024. Jedixson Paez and Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz could join them.

Speaking of players that could make their way to High-A, we could see Miguel Bleis there by the end of the season. Maybe Johanfran Garcia, Brooks Brannon, Nazzan Zanetello, and other young Single-A studs could be in Greenville for a playoff push.

The Red Sox have more than enough talent in the lower levels of the minor leagues to put together a highly competitive High-A team in 2024. Don't be surprised if they make another run at SAL gold this season.