After five straight losses, the Red Sox’ playoff hopes are hanging on by a thread. John Tomase weighs in on the the team’s struggles and what they can take away from this season.
Baseball America added a sixth Boston Red Sox prospect to their prestigious Top 100 rankings on Tuesday.
Franklin Arias, an 18-year-old middle infielder, debuted on the list at No. 94. The Venezuela native was promoted to Low-A Salem after a scorching-hot start to the year in the Florida Complex League. Through 83 games between the FCL and Low-A, he's slashing .310/.410/.488 with nine home runs, 51 RBI, and 35 stolen bases.
Arias joins the "Big Three" of Marcelo Mayer, Roman Anthony, and Kyle Teel in Baseball America's Top 100 as well as Kristian Campbell and 2024 first-round draft pick Braden Montgomery. Each player has a new spot on the list.
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Mayer dropped from 10th to 11th as he was overtaken by Anthony, who has been tearing it up at Triple-A. Anthony surged from No. 18 to No. 2 after posting a .927 OPS through 18 games with Worcester. Tampa Bay Rays infielder Junior Caminero is the only prospect ranked ahead of the 20-year-old outfielder.
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Both Mayer and Anthony earned promotions to Worcester last month, but Mayer's WooSox debut will have to wait until 2025. The 21-year-old shortstop will miss the rest of the campaign due to a lumbar strain, marking his second consecutive year with a season-ending injury. Before the setback, he was hitting .307/.370/.480 with 28 doubles, eight homers, and 38 RBI at Double-A Portland.
Breakout prospect Kristian Campbell vaulted from No. 99 to No. 25 as he has continued to rake following his promotion to Triple-A. The 22-year-old middle infielder/outfielder has a .981 OPS through 11 games with the WooSox.
Teel climbed five spots to No. 26. Although he has experienced growing pains in Triple-A (.510 OPS), the 22-year-old catcher shined all year in Portland and appears poised to be the franchise's future backstop.
Montgomery, the 12th pick in the 2024 draft, went from 63rd to 61st. The former Texas A&M outfielder has yet to make his professional debut due to an ankle injury, but he's a switch-hitter with advanced power and a strong arm in the outfield.
Anthony, Teel, and Campbell each could reach the majors in early 2025 if not later this season. Mayer's injury will delay his MLB debut, but he likely won't be far behind his fellow top Red Sox prospects if he picks up where he left off next year.
