Boston Red Sox prospect watch: 2023 season has arrived

Red Sox Single-A (Salem) prospects

Miguel Bleis is the obvious attraction of Salem. The 19-year-old outfielder is one of the top prospects in baseball and is only projected to rise up the ranks more. His Single-A start has to be encouraging. The right-handed hitter is slashing .357/.471/.429 with one double. He's driven in three runs, scored four more, and stolen one base.

Allan Castro is raking out of the gate. The switch-hitting outfielder is slashing .462/.563/.615 with two doubles. He's driven in three runs, scored three more, and stolen one base.

Roman Anthony is slashing .231/.353/.231. The left-handed hitting outfielder has driven in two runs, scored two more, and stolen one base. Anthony has plenty of raw power so don't expect that slugging percentage to stay low for long.

Ahbram Liendo gave us a small glimpse of his talent in Single-A last year, and he continues that trend in 2023. The switch-hitter holds a .167/.500/.167 slash line with three runs scored. Yes, the average is low, but Liendo does have four walks compared to no strikeouts. He's also stolen two bases and made some great defensive plays at second base.

Cutter Coffey is slashing .200/.467/.300 with one double this year. The right-handed hitting shortstop has driven in one run and scored one more. He's also walked more times (5) than he's struck out (3).

Lyonell James already has a big game under his belt. Thanks to it, the right-handed hitting corner infielder is slashing .429/.500/.571 with one double. He's driven in three runs, scored two more, and stolen one base.

Luis Ravelo is 3-for-12 with one double and three walks this season. The 19-year-old switch-hitting shortstop has driven in two runs and scored four more.

Daniel McElveny has played just one game but already made an impact. The right-handed hitter is 2-for-4 with a walk and two runs scored. McElveny has only appeared in games at catcher in Single-A, but he's also made appearances at second base and left field in Rookie Ball.

Yorberto Mejicano is 1-for-4 with a double, two runs driven in, and one run scored this season. The right-handed hitter had a strong 2022 campaign while spending time at catcher and first base.

Juan Chacon is 1-for-6 with two RBI and two runs scored this season. The right-handed hitting outfielder has walked twice and stolen one base as well.

Luis Perales was the most anticipated pitching prospect for Boston this offseason. Naturally, his first start lasts 2/3 of an inning. The right-handed pitcher struggled mightily. He allowed four runs on four hits and a walk. The 19-year-old has minimal Low-A experience, so a rough start isn't crazy. Perales also managed to record both outs via strikeout, so that's something.

Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz walked five batters in three innings in his first start of the year. That sounds bad, but everything else was great. The righty struck out two batters and allowed no runs on zero hits. Obviously, the command needs work, but everything is there.

Luis De La Rosa is another piece in that Andrew Benintendi trade. The right-handed pitcher tossed three innings in his first appearance. He gave up two runs but only allowed three hits and walked none. De La Rosa struck out four batters and forced a lot of swing-and-misses.

Nathan Landry has already made two appearances in just three games. The lefty reliever has allowed no runs on two hits in 2 1/3 innings in that time. He's struck out two batters compared to zero walks so far.

Luis Talavera tossed 2 1/3 shutout innings in his lone appearance this season. The right-handed reliever walked three batters compared to no strikeouts but only allowed one hit.

Gabriel Jackson allowed one run in 2 1/3 innings pitched. The right-handed pitcher gave up one hit and two walks while striking out one batter. Jackson had some command issues in 2022. Can he correct that in 2023?