Boston Red Sox prospect watch: 2023 season has arrived

The Boston Red Sox prospect watch returns for the 2023 season

The 2023 season is now in full swing, with every level of the minor leagues officially underway. That means only one thing; we're back with another season of the Boston Red Sox prospect watch.

Like in years prior, we'll be going through each level of the minor leagues and highlighting players every week.

As usual, we're going to start with the major leagues. The Red Sox are off to a decent start, holding onto a 5-4 record through nine games. Some of their best performers have been the younger talent.

Triston Casas came into the year as one of the favorites for the American League Rookie of the Year award. He's slashing .185/.233/.481 with two doubles and two home runs in 2023. The left-handed hitter has driven in seven runs, scored three more, and is coming off his best game of the season on Sunday. Casas has also been a great glove at first base.

Masataka Yoshida has gotten flack for hitting the ball on the ground too much. He's still getting used to Major League pitching, though, and overall has been fantastic. The left-handed hitter holds a .233/.378/.367 slash line with one double and one home run. He's driven in six runs, scored eight more, and stolen two bases. The left fielder has looked decent in the field and has more walks (6) than strikeouts (2).

Connor Wong is off to a slow start with a .150/.190/.250 slash line, but he does have two doubles on the year. The right-handed hitter has driven in two runs and scored two more. His athleticism makes him an intriguing name at catcher, but Wong has lost some of the fanbase. It's important to remember he's had just 81 career at-bats in the Majors.

Josh Winckowski made 15 appearances in the big leagues last year and struggled with a high ERA, WHIP, and BAA. The right-handed pitcher made the move to the bullpen, and it's done wonders for him in 2023. Winckowski has a 1.29 ERA, .154 BAA, 0.71 WHIP, and seven strikeouts in seven innings this season.

Zack Kelly earned a shot in Boston's bullpen last year and didn't disappoint. He's off to another hot start in 2023. The right-handed reliever has given up just one run on four hits over 6 2/3 innings out of the bullpen. Kelly has five walks compared to five strikeouts, which is an issue. Everything else has been positive, though.