The Greenville Drive is the High-A affiliate for the Boston Red Sox. Their season is starting to creep up on us, and we're going to see a lot of fresh faces at the level.
Boston's 2024 draft featured plenty of talent yet to make their minor league debut. The 2025 season will be the start of the professional careers of many of those players, and Greenville is the likely destination for most.
Who could be featured in the 30-man roster on Opening Day, though? We'll unpack our predictions here.
Projecting the 2025 Opening Day roster of the Greenville Drive
Catchers
- Brooks Brannon (C/1B)
- Hudson White
- Enderso Lira
Brannon doesn't have a ton of experience in Single-A, but he's shown he can mash, so the promotion makes sense. The right-handed hitter might also get a semi-decent amount of time at first base. He could be one of the biggest bats in the lineup. Expect plenty of home runs now that he's out of Salem.
White didn't do much after being drafted last season, but he should have his legs under him. The right-handed hitter should be a great compliment to Brannon.
Any production from Lira that you get from the bat is a plus. He's here for his defense and phenomenal arm.
Infielders
- Albert Feliz (1B)
- Andy Lugo (1B/2B/3B/OF)
- Justin Reimer (2B/SS)
- Karson Simas (2B/3B/SS/OF)
- Fraymi De Leon (2B/SS/3B)
- Marvin Alcantara (2B/SS/3B)
Feliz had a tough year in 2024 with Salem. However, the power should play nicely in Greenville. Expect Big Al to be a fan favorite.
Lugo plays all over the field and hit well last season. He didn't get much attention but was one of the most consistent hitters in Single-A.
Reimer should fill the hole that Chase Meidroth left when he was traded to the White Sox for Garrett Crochet. He's a contact hitter who won't hit many home runs but won't strike out either. Reimer will get on base at a hefty clip.
Simas spent time in High-A, Double-A, and Triple-A last season. He could be back in High-A simply because his numbers didn't wow at any level, and the Red Sox have so many mouths to feed.
De Leon is a phenomenal defender who flashed some potential with the bat at times. He could be a sneaky good bottom-of-the-order batter.
Alcantara didn't hit for any power in Single-A last season but had some big moments at the plate and looked good in the field. He can maybe flex his muscles a bit more in Greenville.
Outfielders
- Nelly Taylor
- Miguel Bleis
- Zach Ehrhard
- Caden Rose
- Kolby Johnson
Taylor is one of the big stars of the lineup. The left-handed hitter showed off some power after his promotion to High-A. His incredible defense and lightning speed were the true stars, though.
Bleis is another big star here. The right-handed hitter has struggled with consistency and health in the past. However, the raw tools are evident, and we've seen how dangerous he can be. Very few balls will land with Bleis and Taylor in the outfield.
Erhard is indeed the younger brother of Drew Ehrhard. The 2024 draft pick didn't put up huge numbers following his selection, but he should get plenty of opportunities in 2025.
Rose has some serious pop. Hopefully, we'll see him flex that with a healthy season. The 2023 draft pick only appeared in 35 games last season.
Johnson signed out of Indy ball this offseason. He showed off a good combination of power and speed in 2024. We'll see if he brings that to Greenville.
Starting Pitchers
- Jedixson Paez
- Payton Tolle (L)
- Brandon Clarke (L)
- Trennor O'Donnell
- Noah Dean (L)
- Jojo Ingrassia (L)
- Brady Tygart
- Dalton Rogers (L)
Paez has the best command from a prospect I think I've ever seen. He saw the tiniest velocity bump last year. If he can get his fastball closer to 95 MPH, he'll be impossible to ignore as one of the better pitching prospects in baseball.
Tolle was Boston's second-round pick in 2024. The left-handed pitcher has yet to appear in a professional game. He's already seen an uptick in his velocity this spring and should be ready for High-A to start the year.
Clarke was the Sox's fifth-round pick in the 2024 draft. He's another lefty who hasn't appeared in a professional game yet. Clarke can hit 100 MPH on his fastball and has some interesting off-speed stuff.
O'Donnell is a massive human being, listed at 6'7". Don't let that distract from the fact that the righty struck out 71 batters compared to 21 walks in 63 innings with Salem last year.
Dean completely erased a puzzling 2023 season with a dominant 2024 campaign. The left-handed pitcher struck out 116 batters in 79 2/3 innings. He still had control concerns (54 walks) but countered that by posting a ridiculously low .152 BAA. Dean might need to piggyback with all the starters on the team and his experience out of the bullpen.
Ingrassia would've thrown some innings in High-A before the end of last year if it weren't for an injury. The lefty started the year in the bullpen before moving into the rotation. He finished with a 1.85 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, .179 BAA, and 93 strikeouts in 58 1/3 innings. Ingrassia could be another piggybacker.
Tygart was the 12th-round pick for the Red Sox in 2024. The right-handed pitcher sits low-to-mid 90s in his fastball and has a fantastic repertoire of off-speed pitches.
Rogers had a tough 2024 but still flashed some of the potential he showed in 2023. He's another candidate for a piggyback role.
Relief Pitchers
- Max Carlson
- Danny Kirwin
- Darvin Garcia
- Isaac Stebens
- Michael Sansone (L)
- Nathanael Cruz
- Adam Smith
- Erik Rivera (L)
Carlson struck out a lot of people last year between Single-A and High-A. The right-handed pitcher could assume a closer-type role for the team, but he could also be used in multi-inning roles.
Kirwin was solid in Salem in his first professional season. The righty can eat innings and does a good job of limiting baserunners. Garcia was brought in from the Pittsburgh Pirates via the Rule 5 draft.
Stebens was sneaky good last season, posting a 3.18 ERA between Single-A and High-A. The righty racked up 87 strikeouts in 62 1/3 innings. Sansone posted a 3.11 ERA and 1.01 WHIP in 72 1/3 innings for Salem last year. The lefty doesn't strike out many batters, but he limits baserunners.
Cruz didn't put up eye-popping numbers in Single-A last year, but he improved in some crucial areas. That should be enough to give him a look in High-A. Smith had trouble with his strikeouts and walks in 2024. With the arm talent in the low levels of the minor leagues, he'll need to improve on those in 2025.
Boston signed Rivera to a minor-league deal this offseason. The lefty walked a few too many people last year but has good strikeout numbers. His breaking pitches will play.