Up first is 21 year old right handed pitcher Luis Perales. Luis is the 10th ranked prospect in the system and he was a Dave Dombrowski Dominican signing back in 2019. He was 4-4 with a 3.21 ERA in 13 starts for Salem last year before being promoted to Greenville. He was 0-3 with a 4.95 ERA in 8 starts to end the season so there's room for improvement. He can reach 98-99 on the gun so let's see how he responds this season.
Up next was last year's 5th round draft pick, 22 year old left handed pitcher Connelly Early. He started 1 game last year and pitched 2 innings for Salem so this will be his first full season in organized ball. He's mostly a junkballer with a good changeup. The Sox are desperate for good starting pitching depth so hopefully Early can develop.
Former Sox GM Chaim Bloom loved taking crapshots with injury riddled pitchers and 23 year old left handed pitcher Hayden Mullins was no different. He had a serious arm issue that not only ended his career at Auburn University, but he didn't make his debut until August of last year despite being drafted in the 12th round back in 2022. When healthy he can touch 94 on the gun with a decent changeup so hopefully he can bounce back this season after an off-season of rest.
23 year old right handed pitcher David Sandlin has big shoes to fill. He was drafted in the 11th round by the Kansas City Royals the same round the Sox took Marques Johnson and was 4-1 with a 3.37 ERA in 12 starts by the Single A Columbia Fireflies. He pitched two games for the Quad Cities River Bandits to end the season and was traded to the Red Sox in February for veteran relief pitcher John Schreiber. Schreiber had two good seasons for the Sox in 2022 and 2023 so if Sandlin doesn't develop, people aren't going to like Sox GM Craig Breslow shipping out Schreiber for essentially nothing. If he does develop, then the trade won't be so bad.
Dalton Rogers
Cooper Adams
Through no fault of his own, 23 year old left handed pitcher Dalton Rogers was the top pitching prospect drafted in the 2022 draft albeit in the third round. Last year he was 2-6 with a horrible 5.52 ERA in 17 starts for the Greenville Drive. This is a crucial year for Rogers as the Sox desperately need starting pitching depth. They haven't developed a true lefty starter since Jon Lester 18 years ago so Rogers needs to step up this year.
Sox GM Craig Breslow took a flier on 23 year old right handed pitcher Cooper Adams back in February after he went undrafted in the 2023 draft. Not only that, he had a 5.03 ERA in 14 starts his senior year at Mt St. Mary's. How he's in Greenville to start the year over guys like Elmer Cruz is certainly a choice but maybe Breslow sees something no team in the MLB did last July. If it doesn't work out, oh well.
Reidis Sena
Jeremy Wu-Yelland
Here's another instance of perform or you're gone. 23 year old Reidis Sena was signed as a Dominican teenager back in 2018 and in 2022 he made 11 starts for Salem going 0-1 with a 5.91 ERA. Last year he missed two months with an injury then came back in the bullpen where he allowed just 3 runs in 15 innings. Promoted to Greenville, he allowed 11 runs in 14 innings. He can hit 97 on the gun but if he's struggling to get A+ batters out, that's not a good sign moving forward. Going to be an important year.
Its been a tough career for 24 year old left handed pitcher Jeremy Wu-Yelland. He was drafted in the fourth round back in 2020 and went 1-3 with a 4.03 ERA in 20 starts in 2021 but had Tommy John surgery in April of 2022. He missed the entire year and pretty much all of last year as well. This will also be an important year because if he can't get A+ batters out, he may not last too much longer. Let's see how he does coming back from injury.
This is going to be an important year for 22 year old right handed pitcher Gabriel Jackson. Another Dominican teenager signed in 2018, he had a good season for Salem last year going 4-1 with a 3.05 ERA shuffling between starting and relieving. Unfortunately he bottomed out in Greenville allowing 7 runs in 7 innings to end the year. He doesn't turn 23 until September but he has to prove he can get Single A batters out to get to the next level.
15th round picks rarely develop but the Sox are hoping that 24 year old left handed pitcher Nathan Landry does. The junkballer looked like he was breaking out last year when he allowed no runs in 10 innings for Salem but hit the wall in Greenville, posting a hideous 7.54 ERA in 19 games out of the bullpen. The draft is a few months away and if Landry gets pounded again, there will definitely be reinforcements more than happy to take his place.
23 year old right handed pitcher Juan Encaracion was a Dominican free agent signed in 2018 and was 10-5 with a 4.09 ERA in 23 starts for Salem back in 2022. Last year he was batting practice, going 4-9 with a 6.32 ERA for Greenville in 21 starts. He better pick it up or else he'll be batting practice in Portland if he even gets there.
This is a crucial season for 25 year old right handed pitcher Caleb Bolden, Taken in the seventh round of the 2022 draft, Bolden started out solid with the Salem Red Sox last year before allowing 9 runs in 9 innings out of the bullpen for the Drive at the end of last season. He can hit 95 on the gun but needs to start missing bats if he wants to get to Portland or beyond this season.
Here's a Craig Breslow reclamation project. 24 year old right handed pitcher Conor Steinbaugh went undrafted after graduating from Akron University in 2022 after posting a 2.39 ERA in 10 starts. Despite being out of baseball last year, Breslow signed him as a rookie free agent in March. Maybe Craig thinks they can fix him and turn him into a major leaguer. Only time will tell.
22 year old right handed pitcher Max Carlson was drafted in the 13th round last year and was just called up from Salem on Saturday. Kind of strange he got the call because he's allowed 7 runs in 8 innings before the call up. I don't know what they saw but hey, good luck in Greenville.
Cade Feeney
Zach Fogell
Yordanny Monegro
Bryce Bonnin
Enderso Lira
Tyler Miller
Ahbram Liendo
Cutter Coffey
Luis Ravelo
Juan Chacon
Allan Castro
Bryan Gonzalez
Late round picks are hit or miss so time will tell what 22 year old right handed pitcher Cade Feeney will be. Drafted in the 13th round in the draft last season, he pitched in one game for the Florida Complex last year. This will be his first pro season so let's see what he's got to offer.
Things are looking up for 23 year old left handed pitcher Zach Fogell. He was drafted in the 18th round in last year's draft and allowed a run in 4 2/3 innings to end the season between the Complex and Salem. This year he didn't allow a run in 6 innings and got promoted to Greenville. Now let's see what he's made of in A+.
This could be a sleeper pick for a breakout season, 21 year old right handed pitcher Yordanny Monegro. He blew through the Complex, Salem and Greenville last year as a starter going 4-3 in 10 starts between A and A+. The Sox are hoping for Brayan Bello to break out and be a start, Monegro could be the next one if Bello can't.
As far as reclamation projects go, 25 year old right handed pitcher Bryce Bonnin could be the biggest head scratcher. He was taken in the 3rd round back in 2020 by the Cincinnati Reds and pitched well in 5 starts for the High A Dayton Dragons in 2022, but had rotator cuff surgery and missed the 2023 season. Cincinnati cut their losses and the Sox picked him up as a minor league free agent. If he can regain his 96 mph fastball that made him a Reds prospect, this could be a sneaky good pickup once he pitches again.
Greenville's starting catcher is 20 year old Dominican prospect Enderso Lira. Quite simply, he can't hit for beans. He hit just .238 for Salem last year but with no other catcher's drafted the past few years besides Kyle Teel and Nathan Hickey, there aren't any other options. Still, maybe he'll learn how to hit. You never know. Now would be a good time to learn.
This will be a crucial year for 24 year old starting first baseman Tyler Miller. He was taken in the 9th round back in 2021 and is still in Greenville. He hit just 9 home runs and batted .263 last year for the Drive and it would be nice for him to step it up to get to Portland at some point. He's only hitting .242 right now but the year has just begun.
20 year old second baseman Ahbram Liendo has a lot of work to do. He hit just .205 for Salem last season but did steal 30 bags. The Sox already have a guy like that in David Hamilton but Liendo could be the next version. Having him learn how to hit better would be a bonus as well. He's only 20 so he'll have a few years to see what he's made of.
Former Sox GM Chaim Bloom's legacy was he took nothing but shortstops in the early rounds for four years straight. 19 year old Cutter Coffey was Bloom's second round pick back in 2022. He hit just .226 for Salem last year and just .136 after being promoted to Greenville. He's only 19 so he's going to get time to develop but still, two picks after Coffey the Arizona Diamondbacks chose Ivan Melendez and he reached AA last year.
20 year old third baseman Luis Ravelo quite simply has a hole in his bat. He was a Dominican free agent signed back in 2021 and he managed to strike out 126 times and hit just .217 last year in Salem. So far he's hitting .244 with 2 home runs for Greenville this season so he's already improved on last year. Let's hope he keeps up the good work.
Grenville's starting left fielder is 21 year old Juan Chacon. Last year he hit .241 with no home runs for Salem but does have 8 hits so far this season in 9 games. A lot of the players on the roster are ridiculously young so they're going to have some growing pains for sure. Hopefully Chaco develops a gold glove or a power stroke soon.
20 year old centerfielder Allan Castro might be the unsung hero of this team by season's end....if he's not promoted first. Last year he hit .247 for Salem before becoming a house of fire in Greenville hitting .283 with 4 home runs. So far this season he's hitting just .161 but the season just started. Having him develop would be a welcome addition to last year's champs.
22 year old right fielder Bryan Gonzalez was a Dave Dombrowski Dominican signing back in 2018 and last year clubbed 11 home runs while hitting .252 for Salem. So far this year he's already hit four home runs despite hitting just .229. If he's going to be all or nothing, he'd fit right in by 2024 standards.
Kristian Campbell
Ronald Rosario
Drew Ehrhard
Karson Simas
Eduardo Lopez
Caden Rose
Miguel Ugueto
Mikey Romero
The team's designated hitter is 21 year old Kristian Campbell. He was the compensation pick for the Sox losing Xander Bogaerts to San Diego and played relatively well in 22 games between the Complex and Greenville last year. This year he's off to a slow start hitting just .212 but the year is young. It would be the ultimate irony if Campbell made not the only the Red Sox but started a game at shortstop since he was compensation for Bogaerts.
The team's backup catcher is 21 year old Ronald Rosario. Ronald played 62 games last year for Greenville and hit .260 with just 3 home runs. This year he's on a similar pace to start the season. Being perfectly mediocre in High A isn't exactly ideal but its better than being completely useless. There's hope for him yet.
Back in 2021 the Red Sox drafted Zach Ehrhard in the 13th round only for him to sign with Oklahoma State University. Apparently Sox GM Chaim Bloom lost his mind and ended up signing his older brother Drew as a rookie free agent following the 2023 draft. 25 year old Drew is a second baseman and spent SIX years playing D2 ball. He only has one hit for Greenville so far this season but it was a home run, at least that's good for something.
22 year old infielder Karson Simas might be the most frustrating prospect in the system. He was actually taken in the 25th round back in 2019 as a 17 year old and never learned how to hit. He hit just .197 for Salem in 2022, .238 in Salem last year and .190 in Greenville last year. So far this season he only has 2 hits for 17 at bats so the writing is on the wall. If you've been in the minors for five years and can't get past High A, something's wrong. Who knows, maybe he'll turn it around.
Much like Simas, 21 year old outfielder Eduardo Lopez was signed back in 2018 and is still in High A. He hit just .234 in Salem last year but improved to .261 in Greenville last year. So far he's hitting just .192 but the season is young. Some guys take longer to learn how to hit, hopefully he figures it out.
Last year the Sox took 22 year old outfielder Caden Rose in the 7th round out of Alabama University where he hit 9 home runs. So far he's already hit two home runs for Greenville so he might be able to develop a power stroke. Sitting on the bench at Greenville isn't a good look but with injuries, ineffectiveness and his own play, that situation may change very shortly.
21 year old outfielder Miguel Ugueto has something to prove this season. In 2022 he hit .311 for Salem but was down to just .216 last year for Greenville when he suffered a season ending broken ankle in July. So far he has 6 hits in 21 at-bats so things are looking up. Hopefully one of these guys will be able to develop.
In many ways, 20 year old shortstop Mikey Romero is the embodiment of the Chaim Bloom regime of stockpiling shortstops. Despite having Xander Bogaerts and fourth overall pick Marcelo Mayer, Bloom took Romero in the first round back in 2022. His problem is he can't stay healthy. He was limited to just 34 games last year due to various injuries and is starting the season on the Injured List this year. He tore up Salem back in 2022 so the hope is he can rediscover his form when he's back on the field.
So that's this year's Greenville Drive at least at the start of the season anyway. Its not pretty with mostly Dominican kids signed during the Dombrowski regime and Bloom draftees that are currently struggling or dealing with injuries. Its a blessing and a curse because your best prospects are rarely in A for very long because they get promoted to AA in the blink of an eye. Still, guys like Romero and others have to prove they can tear up A ball if they have any hope of progressing past AA. As for the pitchers, it would be nice to see Early, Rogers, Sandlin and Mullins start dominating. They may not repeat as SAL champions but head on to Fluor Field anyway to check them out.
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