It might be hard to visualize with 13 players on the IL, a perpetually .500 record, and a long shot to make the playoffs this year, but the future is looking bright for the Red Sox. As evidence of that, Keith Law of The Athletic recently released his updated top-50 prospects list and three Sox prospects made the top 25.
The trio of Marcelo Mayer, Roman Anthony, and Kyle Teel represent part of the potential core of the next great Red Sox team. All three of them are mashing away with Double-A Portland and, barring any strange injuries, the three should all be up in Boston by the end of next year.
Mayer, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2021 MLB draft, is the most notable name in the group. Law has Mayer ranked at No. 4 on his prospects list, up from No. 8 at the start of the year. Law noted Mayer's improved pitch recognition and strong defense at short in this most recent write-up.
Mayer is batting .303/.364/.498 with six homers and 11 steals. Injuries have been a problem for him during the past couple of years, but if he's healthy and hitting well, he should find himself in Boston sooner than later.
Future Red Sox stars continue to climb Keith Law's prospect rankings
Teel has been tearing up Double-A this year, and judging by his play it's no wonder why evaluators boosted him up the rankings this year. He clocked in at 19 overall, with Law citing Teel's strong plate discipline and skill set behind the plate as his top skills.
Teel saw the biggest jump of the group — Law had him ranked at 54 overall coming into the season. With his play thus far, Teel jumped 35 spots, into the top 20.
Red Sox No. 3 prospect Kyle Teel hit .417 during the week of May 27-June 2 including a 3-run game-tying HR in the 9th inning on Friday and a go-ahead grand slam in the 9th inning on Saturday earning him Eastern League Player of the Week honors. https://bit. pic.twitter.com/N7OQaC5KSC
— Portland Sea Dogs (@PortlandSeaDogs) June 3, 2024
The Sox have been getting strong play from Connor Wong behind the dish so far, but given his advanced feel to hit, along with the need for a capable catcher on the major league roster, Teel could be called up to Boston before the end of the year.
Anthony is a polarizing player. Law has him ranked at No. 25, and third among Sox prospects. In FanGraphs' most recent write-up, Eric Longenhagen had Anthony at 15 overall, and the top-ranked player in the Sox system.
We've seen Anthony struggle a bit with advanced pitching at Double-A. He's striking out nearly 29% of the time, and though his walk rates are still strong, he's not hitting for as much power as fans would like to see.
However, at 20 years old, Anthony is the youngest player on the Sea Dogs roster, and he's young for the level in general. He has plenty of time to correct the issues we've seen this year and take another step forward in his development.
By the time all three of these guys reach the majors, the Red Sox should be in a position to compete for division titles and put the pressure on the rest of the AL East.