The votes are in, and the Boston Red Sox will take first place in at least one category this year.
MLB executives recently graded Boston’s farm system as the best in the league, earning 32% of the vote. The Rays came in second with 20% of the vote, followed by the Tigers with 10%. Even after trading Kyle Teel and Brayden Montgomery, who ranked fourth and fifth in the Sox prospect list, the Sox are still viewed as having the top farm system.
Who has the best farm system?
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) January 9, 2025
Front office executives weigh in on that and much more: https://t.co/Q6CGlO94nj pic.twitter.com/1bxs2S1bPK
Three Sox players made MLB’s top 10 prospect list in 2024, which likely won’t change this spring. Roman Anthony, ranked as the No. 3 prospect with his swift swing, may move up to the No. 2 spot this year if Dylan Crews, who owned the top position, makes the Nationals’ Opening Day roster. Marcelo Mayer, who possesses admirable plate discipline and a solid pull swing, isn’t far behind Anthony at No. 7. Boston’s third-best prospect, Kristian Campbell, adds productivity and power as the 10th-highest prospect in the league.
Red Sox top MLB executives' poll of baseball's best farm systems
Beyond their three leading players, the Sox also have Franklin Arias in the top-100 list, one of the best international hitters from the 2023 draft class. At only 18 years old, Arias has the hitting IQ and bat-to-ball skills many college players wish they had.
Boston can thank its scouting staff for its distinguished farm system. Second only to the Dodgers, 14% of MLB executives listed the Sox as the team that drafts the best.
Expectations are high for Anthony and Mayer, but luckily, the Sox have a knack for developing hitters. Jarren Duran and Rafael Devers are evidence of the Sox tying the Orioles for the MLB team with the best ability to develop hitters.
The Sox haven’t cracked the top-five farm system rankings since 2015. Back then, Yoán Moncada, Eduardo Rodríguez, and Manuel Margot were still in Boston. The next year, the Sox made a blockbuster trade that sent Moncada to Chicago in exchange for Chris Sale. Little did fans know this move would become pivotal for the Sox to win the World Series in 2018.
If history repeats itself, one can only hope the Sox will win the Series before 2028.