Boston Red Sox fans are spoiled when it comes to prospects. In recent years, we've seen the team luck into Marcelo Mayer, Kyle Teel, and Braden Montgomery in the draft.
Roman Anthony had a ridiculous breakout season in 2023. In 2024, Jhostynxon Garcia would be talked about in a similar light if it wasn't for the absurd season that Kristian Campbell had.
Due to this, some Red Sox fans have unrealistic expectations of prospects. They seem to believe prospects aren't progressing fast enough if they don't have an Anthony/Campbell-type rise. It's unfair to put those expectations on anyone.
However, that doesn't mean prospects can't take big leaps from year to year. Which prospects could be next in line for that big leap in 2025?
Which prospects could make a big leap for the Boston Red Sox in 2025?
Nelly Taylor - OF
Nelly Taylor posted a fantastic first season in the Red Sox system. The 2023 11th-round pick slashed .233/.337/.376 with 26 doubles, four triples, and eight home runs between Single-A and High-A. Taylor drove in 54 runs, scored 74 more, and stole 33 bases. The left-handed hitter spent the final two weeks of the season in High-A, where his offensive numbers spiked.
Taylor's offense wasn't the star of the show, though. The outfielder was regularly making highlight plays reminiscent of Ceddanne Rafaela. He's already a plus-plus defender with plus speed.
Taylor now has a full minor league season under his belt and won't have to worry about hitting in Salem's pitcher-friendly park. As the defense and speed continue to create highlights, we could see a significant uptick in home runs. Taylor could fly into the top 10 prospects for Boston's organization in 2025.
Natanael Yuten - OF
We're sticking with outfield prospects for the moment. However, this prospect is on a much different path than Taylor. His game improvements come from experience, adjustments, and moving away from Salem. Natanel Yuten will also see improvements thanks to experience, but that's where the similarities end.
Yuten spent 2024 in Single-A, but don't be shocked if that's where he starts in 2025. The left-handed hitting outfielder slashed .243/.304/.380 with 20 doubles, seven triples, and six home runs last season. He drove in 50 runs, scored 39 more, and stole 12 bases.
Yuten put up impressive stats in an unforgiving park. The 19-year-old was clutch, too. He was 18-for-40 (.450) with seven walks, a double, a triple, and a home run in the ninth inning. In extra innings, Yuten went 4-for-10 (.400) with a triple and two home runs.
The clutch hits weren't just coming in the final innings. Yuten produced in big moments all year long. So what could he do in 2025?
Yuten is listed at 6'3" and 143 lbs. If he can put on some weight and muscle, there is legitimate power potential in his bat. We hope his clutch hitting continues next season, adding more home runs while doing it.
Nazzan Zanetello - INF
Although he's listed as an infielder, don't be shocked to see Nazzan Zanetello get some reps in the outfield this season.
Zanetello entered 2024 as one of the prospects to watch for Boston. He was a second-round pick in 2023 but suffered an injury in his first game. He didn't appear in a game again until 2024.
The (mainly) shortstop struggled mightily in Single-A. He slashed .156/.279/.279 with 11 doubles, two triples, and seven home runs. Zanetello posted 21 RBI, 38 runs scored, and four steals. The right-handed hitter struck out a terrifying 151 times in 345 plate appearances.
There are a few things to remember, though. Zanetello was only 19 and viewed as a very raw prospect. If Low-A Lowell was still around, that's likely where he would've started the year. He also suffered another injury, and he never looked the same after it.
Zanetello came into spring training looking great and now has some MiLB experience behind him. If he's healthy, all those raw tools should be ready.
Zanetello had a lot of hype after being drafted, and that hype has led to a lot of fans cooling off on him quickly, thanks to a slow start to his professional career. But he'll enter 2025 with a clean slate, more experience, better health, and a chance to show everyone what those raw tools can do.
Gabriel Jackson - RHP
Gabriel Jackson being on this list at the start of the 2024 season would've shocked people. A relief pitcher with decent numbers between Single-A and High-A doesn't usually garner much attention. Now, Jackson is a year older (23) and had decent numbers between High-A and Double-A. Nothing to get too excited over, right?
Well, the right-handed pitcher did see his ERA rise from 3.38 to 4.83 from 2023 to 2024. His WHIP lowered from 1.38 to 1.37, and his BAA dropped from .275 to .228. Jackson also saw a massive spike in K/9 (6.10 to 7.58).
Jackson entered the year with a fastball topping out in the low 90s. That same fastball is now sitting in the mid-90s. The jump led to a dominant stretch in High-A (although his final appearance there wasn't great) before a promotion to Double-A for the last few weeks of the season.
Jackson's uptick in velocity adds intrigue, at the very least. He's only 23 and now in Double-A with a legitimate fastball. Could it take another step forward? Will his secondary pitches grow?
These are questions you could ask with any pitcher. However, the questions have more legitimacy behind them, thanks to what we saw in 2024.
Johanfran Garcia - C
We might be cheating by adding Johanfran Garcia, but he's listed anyway. The catcher was on his way to a breakout campaign in 2024 before an injury ended his season on May 1. The right-handed hitting catcher slashed .385/.467/.596 with five doubles and two home runs. He had five RBI and five runs scored, as well.
Garcia is the younger brother of 2024 breakout star Jhostynxon Garcia. The 20-year-old was expected to be the bigger star of the two before his brother stole the spotlight last year.
Johanfran still has all the makings of a star, though. He has the talent behind the plate, and the offense is light years ahead of where it should be at the moment.
With Kyle Teel gone, the Red Sox are in need of a new catching prospect to get excited about. Garcia is right there, ready to take up that mantle. He should be ready to go for 2025.
Expect to see Garcia start the year in Single-A (he only has 128 PAs at the level) but move up quickly to High-A. Like his brother last year, it wouldn't be shocking if Garcia was in Double-A to end the season.