No. 5: Right-handed pitcher Yhoiker Fajardo
The Red Sox acquired Yhoiker Fajardo last offseason for relief pitcher Cam Booser. Let that sink in. No disrespect to Booser, but he was a 32-year-old (now 33) left-handed reliever with 42 2/3 innings in the majors. In 2025, he posted a 5.52 ERA over 31 innings with the Chicago White Sox. Fajardo, meanwhile, just turned 19 in October.
At 18, in his 2025 campaign, Fajardo posted a 2.98 ERA, .229 BAA, and 1.23 WHIP in 13 starts in Single-A. The right-handed pitcher struck out 59 batters compared to 20 walks in 51 1/3 innings.
If you add in his stats from the 20 2/3 innings he pitched in the FCL, the numbers would somehow get significantly better. In the 72 innings he pitched between the two levels, Fajardo didn’t allow a single home run.
Fajardo features a mid-90s fastball with incredible life to it. He can pump it in the zone and miss bats with it. Importantly, he saw a pretty significant tick up in velocity from 2024. At just 19, we could see another speed bump.
The changeup is my favorite pitch, and Fajardo uses his perfectly. It sits in the mid-80s with a good late drop that generates whiffs. He throws it with a deceptive delivery, looking like his fastball out of his hand.
Finally, there’s a solid slider. While it’s the worst of his pitches, it’s still usable and has potential to get better. A teenager having three pitches this good is terrifying. It sits in the low-mid 80s with a great break to it, but it can be inconsistent.
Fajardo has solid command for his age, a fantastic (and improving) pitch mix, and a classic pitcher build (6’3”, 181 lbs). There’s a lot to love about the Big Fajita. Yes, he’s still a “lottery ticket” prospect, considering he’s a 19-year-old pitcher who hasn’t moved past Single-A yet. However, Fajardo isn’t a normal lottery ticket. You already know you have two numbers and the Powerball correct.
Fastball: 60
Changeup: 60
Slider: 45
Control: 55
Overall: 55
No. 4: Right-handed pitcher Juan Valera
Juan Valera was a top 100 prospect at one point during the 2025 season, but he missed a large chunk of time due to injuries, and with some slumping (and the draft adding names), he slid out. Valera started the year as an 18-year-old in High-A with just 23 innings of experience in Single-A.
The right-handed pitcher posted a 5.45 ERA, .281 BAA, and 1.39 WHIP in 10 starts. He struck out 46 batters compared to 10 walks in 38 innings, and was stung by the home run bee (surrendered six).
Valera already possesses an elite fastball. It sits in the high-90s with the ability to reach 100 MPH. The pitch has plenty of life and generates whiffs at a high rate. If he can get it completely under control, this is one of the best right-handed fastballs in baseball.
Next is a changeup that has an argument as his best secondary. It hilariously works in the mid-90s with a solid dip. He has a deceptive delivery with it and can get whiffs. However, it can be flat, turning it into, essentially, a slower and worse version of his fastball.
Valera also has a slider competing with the changeup for his best secondary pitch. It hovers around 90 MPH. He has better control of this pitch than the changeup and is a bit more consistent with it. It has decent break and can get some swing-and-miss.
Finally, there’s an okay sweeper. It feels like a slower version of his sweeper with less command. Occasionally, he’ll snap off a devastating one, but it’s the pitch most prone to being abused.
Valera is still incredibly young at just 19. Listed at 6’3”, 205 lbs, he’s a big boy (which bodes well). There’s a lot of room for growth for Valera, and areas that he clearly needs to improve on. His raw stuff and pitch mix have to get you excited, though.
With him being so far away, it’s hard to be 100% certain how his career will go. There is an ace ceiling, though.
Fastball: 70
Changeup: 55
Slider: 55
Sweeper: 40
Control:45
Overall: 55
No. 3: Outfielder/First baseman Justin Gonzales
Justin Gonzales is a fascinating prospect. The right-handed hitting outfielder slashed .298/.381/.423 with 23 doubles, two triples, and four home runs in Single-A. He drove in 27 runs, scored 45 more, and stole 11 bases. Gonzales struck out just 14.6% of the time and walked 9.8%. However, he slumped in a short sample size with High-A Greenville (.186/.265/.186 in 11 games).
Gonzales is a monster of a man, listed at 6’4”, 210 lbs. He has an incredibly advanced eye and doesn’t strike out much. He struggles to put the ball in the air. Gonzales hit ground balls 57.4% of the time in 2025. That’s aggressively high. To make it even more frustrating, Gonzales has superhuman power potential. If he can fix his swing to generate more loft, we could see a Roman Anthony-type of rise.
Gonzales isn’t slow, but he’s not exactly fast, either. He could lose some speed if he fills out more. Right now, he works well in the outfield. They had him playing a lot in center field, but if he sticks in the outfield, it will likely be in a corner spot. That being said, it wouldn't be shocking to see him moved back to first base (his primary position in the DSL in 2024, but a position he didn’t play at all in 2025).
Gonzales has legitimate 40-homer power potential. He's going to get on base, drive in runs, and won't be a liability in the outfield (or first base). Gonzales played one game in the FCL, and the Red Sox had seen enough to promote him to Single-A. He finished the year as an 18-year-old in High-A. The Red Sox are clearly high on him. You should be, too.
Hit: 45
Power: 70
Run: 40
Arm: 65
Field: 45
Overall: 60
No. 2: Shortstop Franklin Arias
Franklin Arias entered 2025 with considerable hype. He managed to outperform that hype. The right-handed hitter cruised through a month in Single-A to start the season. He then had some ups-and-downs (mostly ups) in High-A, before finishing the year as a 19-year-old in Double-A.
Arias slashed .278/.335/.388 with 27 doubles, one triple, and eight home runs between the three levels. He drove in 66 runs, scored 62 more, and stole 12 bases.
Arias has elite bat-to-ball skills. In 526 plate appearances, he struck out 53 times. That’s a 10.1% K rate, which would be absurd for anyone, let alone a 19-year-old. However, he only walked 38 times (7.2%).
Arias has a problem in that he’s too good at putting the bat on the ball. It limits strikeouts, but he also doesn’t make the best swing decisions. That means when he swings at a bad pitch, it (usually) leads to bad contact. If he can work on that, one of his few weaknesses goes away. Arias isn’t a big power bat, but 15ish home runs from a shortstop isn’t bad. He’s got enough speed to be a threat on the base paths.
Meanwhile, his defense is fantastic. Arias makes all the routine plays, he makes hard plays look easy, and he makes impossible plays look possible. He made it a habit to make plays you’d expect from multiple-time Gold Glovers, not teenagers in their first full season of affiliated baseball.
Arias will be a major league shortstop, and he’ll likely take home some hardware (I love his defensive potential). If he can become less of a free swinger and maybe add a bit of power, this is a superstar (those are big ifs, but it's worth it to speculate).
Hit: 65
Power: 40
Run: 45
Arm: 60
Field: 65
Overall: 60
No. 1: Right-handed pitcher Luis Perales
Luis Perales suffered an injury in June of 2024 that forced him to undergo Tommy John surgery. He didn’t return until September of 2025. In that time, it felt like some people forgot just how good he is. It took him one outing to remind everyone who Perales is.
The right-handed pitcher tossed one inning in Double-A, walking one batter but not allowing anything else. He was then promoted to Triple-A (with just 8 1/3 career innings in Double-A). Perales then tossed a perfect inning in his Triple-A debut, striking out all three batters he faced.
In his final outing of the season, he struggled with his command. Perales walked two batters (no hits) in 1/3 of an inning, striking out one. If he weren’t on a pitch limit, he would’ve been allowed to try and get himself out of trouble.
The 22-year-old has a high-90s fastball that runs up over 100 MPH. It has ridiculous life to it, and Perales has improved his command of it over the last few years (although it still could be improved). It's a nearly perfect pitch.
His cutter sits around 90 MPH, and we saw this pitch a lot in his short 2025 run. It has an okay break on it, and he has a solid command of the pitch. The cutter is a fine compliment to his fastball and could get better.
Perales has a mid-80s slider with a good sharp break to it that looks like it’s running away from right-handed hitters and attacking left-handed hitters. It’s probably the pitch he has the best control over.
Finally, there’s a splitter that can be absolutely disgusting at times. It sits in the mid-80s with a late sharp drop and a funky movement on occasion. We’ve seen the pitch baffle hitters.
Perales is G1. He’s the star of the system. It’s understandable that people overlooked him a bit while he was injured, and we saw so many stars (like Payton Tolle) run through the minor leagues. Perales is back now, though, and he’s just as gross as ever.
Fastball: 75
Cutter: 45
Slider: 65
Splitter: 65
Control: 55
Overall: 65
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