Boston Red Sox 2025 top 20 prospects: Roman Anthony, Kristian Campbell lead the way

The Boston Red Sox have the No.

2 system in baseball.

They put five guys on the top 100 and they have a former top-100 prospect right behind them.

The system also has more pitching than its had in a decade or more.

The amateur scouting group has had a number of big position-player successes in the last few drafts, and their international scouting department has done just as well and theyre the ones bringing in most of the pitching.

(Note: Tools are graded on a 20-80 scouting scale; ages as of July 1, 2025.) Advertisement 1.

Roman Anthony , OF ( No.

1 on the top 100 ) Anthony has shot through the minors, reaching Triple A in his second full pro season out of high school, thanks to one of the best swings in all of the minors and an extremely advanced approach for a hitter so young.

A 2022 second-round pick, Anthony changed his setup that offseason, freeing up his hands to loosen his whole swing through contact while also getting his hips and legs more involved to help him hit the ball harder, and it paid off almost immediately.

Since his early 2023 promotion to High A, hes hit .294/.405/.521 across three levels, finishing last season in Triple A with as many walks as strikeouts at that stop.

His average exit velocity for Triple-A Worcester was 88 mph, although he did start to hit the ball on the ground more (52 percent) in that brief stint, not a major concern but something to watch as he gets so close to a promotion to the majors.

Hes very disciplined for his age, chasing just 20 percent of the time in Triple A, with a whiff rate under 9 percent, picking up spin very well even at a level where he was facing guys whod pitched in the majors.

Anthony has mostly played center in the minors, but hes not very rangy and hes maybe an average runner, so hes much more likely to end up in a corner, supplanted in center by someone with plus range.

Hes got a chance to be a 30-homer, high-average, high-OBP guy in right field, maybe with plus defense there, which is a best player in the league profile.

2.

Kristian Campbell , 2B/OF ( No.

9 on the top 100 ) Campbell was my minor league player of the year for 2024 after he posted a .330/.439/.558 line across three levels, from High A through Triple A, in his first full year in pro ball.

The Red Sox took him in the fourth round in 2023 as a redshirt freshman at Georgia Tech, betting on the makeup and the athleticism, and that good scouting work paid off as he not only hit at every level but did so while playing four positions second, short, third, and center.

Hes a plus runner whos fast enough to play any of those spots, but his fringy arm probably limits him to second or center, with second his best position right now and in the long run as well.

His swing has a little funk to it and he can get flat through contact, resulting in a 60 percent groundball rate in his brief time in Triple A, but he has an incredible eye at the plate and gets the bat to the ball consistently enough for hard contact.

He does have some holes hell have to work on, including four-seamers up and anything moving down and in under his hands or at his front hip, some of which may be a function of his limited experience before getting to Triple A.

Hes also already gained 10-15 pounds of muscle this winter, which could help with bat control and getting some more loft through contact.

He could easily be a plus defender at second and at worst should post high OBPs with 20-30 steals and 50+ extra-base hits a year.

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Marcelo Mayer, SS ( No.

28 on the top 100 ) Mayer looked like he was on track to be the top prospect in baseball around midyear, but he got hurt yet again, with his last game in 2024 coming on July 30, further underscoring his history of missing time with injuries.

He was in the midst of a bounce-back season at the plate, returning to Double A and hitting .307/.370/.480 there while cutting his strikeout rate from 26 percent to just under 20 percent, when the injury struck, although he was promoted on paper to Triple A after he hit the injured list.

Mayer has a very pretty left-handed swing with good loft in his finish, projecting to plus power down the road, probably 25-30 homers a year.

Hes a strong athlete and has the arm and hands to be a plus defender, flashing that range at times but needing to be more consistent on routine plays.

He murders fastballs, with the bat speed to catch up to top-end velocity, while offspeed stuff gave him more trouble than ever in 2024.

It may be mechanical, as hes locking his front knee very early and trying to hit with a completely firm front side, leaving him vulnerable to stuff down at or below his knees; if thats the issue, its also fixable, and he hasnt always hit this way.

More concerning is that Mayer has yet to play in 100 games in a pro season, topping out at 91 in 2022, missing time due to a lumbar strain (2024), shoulder inflammation (2023), a sprained wrist (2022), and back issues (2022).

Hes 22 now and still has superstar potential a 30-homer shortstop with plus defense and what should be above-average OBPs is going to be the best player on his team in most cases.

He has to show he can play 140 games in a year and get back to hitting offspeed stuff to be that kind of prospect again.

4.

Franklin Arias, SS ( No.

42 on the top 100 ) Arias destroyed the Florida Complex League last season as an 18-year-old, hitting .355/.471/.584 to win MVP honors and earn a bump up to Low A, where he more than held his own with a .257/.331/.378 line and just a 17.4 percent strikeout rate.

Hes got tools and athleticism to spare, showing excellent bat speed and wrist strength already, along with a fantastic swing that has great rhythm to it and lets him get his lower half involved for more power.

Hes a true shortstop with soft hands and solid instincts already, showing a plus arm and above-average speed on both sides of the ball.

Arias just turned 19 in November and probably gets to High A at some point this year, given how good his contact skills are already.

He has the upside of a plus defender at short with above-average OBPs and 20 homers a year, with the only major risks being his age and the distance he has to travel to get to the majors.

5.

Yoeilin Cespedes, SS ( No.

97 on the top 100 ) Cespedes stateside debut was limited to 25 games and 105 PA before he broke a hamate bone, but he flashed some of why he earned a $1.4 million bonus in January 2023.

Hes small but strong, with a powerful swing for someone his size that backs up the numbers hes produced so far, with 11 homers in 71 career games between the DSL and Florida Complex League.

He hit .319/.400/.615 in that brief stint in Florida last year, striking out just 19 times in the 105 PA, showing strong command of the strike zone already.

Hes not going to stick at shortstop, however, and might end up at third base rather than second given his frame and how his body looks now at age 19.

Hell move to Low A this year and may take some time to get all his hand strength back; beyond that, he looks like a hitter who could move quickly through the low minors because hes stronger and more polished than the typical teenage hitter, with the upside of an above-average regular at third with fringy defense but a strong all-around offensive game.

6.

Miguel Bleis , OF Bleis missed most of 2023 after shoulder surgery, returning in 2024 to hit .257/.349/.398 in Low A and .191/.265/.319 in High A, with none of his 70 raw power really showing up in games at either spot he hit 11 homers in 95 games, not close to what hes capable of doing.

Boston did have him lower his hands to help him get the ball in the air more and hit fewer high exit velocity groundballs, which often become high exit velocity groundouts, and no one cares if your 6-3 was at 110 mph or 78 mph, really.

Hes an above-average runner and defender in center field, likely to stay there unless he gets way bigger as he fills out.

He lost a lot of development time in 2023, and still has to work on his pitch recognition, which is only going to come with more at-bats.

This should be a big year for him to translate more of his tools into production, as hell be nearly two years since the surgery by Opening Day.

He will probably return to High A after scuffling there last summer.

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Luis Perales , RHP Perales was off to a great start in 2024, slashing his walk rates to a career low, when he blew out his elbow, requiring Tommy John surgery that will likely keep him out until 2026.

Hes been up to 99 from a high three-quarters slot and was able to blow it by A-ball hitters.

The Red Sox have tried to have him toy with various offspeed pitches to get him a complete arsenal, including adding a sweeper this year that may have increased the stress on the elbow.

The high slot makes him very north-south, which is why a sweeper would help him, and his best pitch beyond the fastball might have been his splitter a great pitch to throw from that slot.

Hes cleaned up his delivery somewhat since Rookie ball, although theres still effort to it and he always had bullpen risk because of the arm action and, until 2024, well below-average command and control.

Even now, his walk rate came down as much as it did because he was getting hitters to miss and chase rather than a significant bump in his strike-throwing, and its possible the walks would have returned once hitters learned to lay off his secondaries.

Well have to see where he is in 2026 when hes back.

8.

Jhostynxon Garcia , OF The Password, as hes known, started 2024 as the fourth outfielder in Low-A Salem.

He finished it in Double A, the result of a ton of hard work the previous offseason to get stronger and his improved swing decisions as the season progressed.

Hes got a great, powerful right-handed swing for 65/70 pull power, resulting in 23 homers across three levels last year, and can play all over the outfield, with right field his most likely landing spot.

He doesnt punch out much but does expand the zone too easily, and pitchers began to exploit that more in his month in Double A, where he chased pitches out of the zone 38 percent of the time and struck out 24 times against just six walks.

He could end up a 30-homer bat in right field with an OBP around .300, which is a regular or even an above-average one given his defense.

9.

David Sandlin , RHP Boston picked up Sandlin in a trade with the Royals last February for righty John Schreiber .

Sandlins first year in the Red Sox system was a mixed bag, as he continued to miss bats and throw strikes, but missed time with elbow soreness and was homer-prone at two levels (14 homers allowed in 57 1/3 innings).

His slider really backed up on him, and he uses that pitch almost as much as his 94-95 mph fastball, so he didnt really have a put-away pitch for right-handed batters, who hit 10 of those 14 homers.

Boston helped him work on a split-change to give him a third pitch, and while he didnt throw it much it had a lot of promise as a weapon for hitters on both sides.

If hes healthy now, and the elbow issue was at least part of why the slider was less sharp (and less effective), he could still be a solid fourth starter, and probably do so soon.

10.

Juan Valera, RHP Valera dominated in the Florida Complex League and Low A last year as an 18-year-old, allowing just 26 hits in 63 1/3 innings as a short-outing starter, recording 13 or more outs just once all season (his last FCL start, where he threw five perfect innings with seven Ks).

Hes mostly fastball/slider, sitting 95 and touching 99, with a sweeper and changeup as well.

His arm is extremely fast, he can throw a two- and four-seamer, and the slider is plus when he finishes it out front, although right now his arm is so quick he doesnt always get that consistent finish to his pitches.

Hes very young and clearly has to stretch out more in games and show some durability, but theres above-average starter upside here if he stays healthy.

11.

Yordanny Monegro , RHP Monegro arrived at spring training with a shoulder issue, so the Red Sox played it slow with him.

They sent him to the FCL in May and he finally debuted in High A, where hed finished 2023, on June 2.

He did eventually get rolling, with an eight-start stretch where he gave up 0 earned runs across 39 innings, eventually getting the streak to 44 innings before Winston-Salem got to him in his final start of the season.

(He allowed two unearned runs in there, but hey, lets have a little fun.) He threw a curveball more than a slider in 2023, but flipped that last year, with the slider showing a curveball shape at a much higher velocity, and it was very effective against right- and left-handed hitters.

He also used his changeup, which was above-average with some tailing action, much more ...

and in the end used his fastball a lot less than he should have.

This season should see him put all the lessons of the last two years together, getting ahead more with the fastball and using the slider and change to put batters away.

If hes healthy, hes a potential No.

3 starter.

12.

Hunter Dobbins , RHP Dobbins is up to 97 with the kitchen sink in his arsenal, including a slider and a sweeper-split hybrid he calls a splange.

(Just once, I want some pitcher to come up with a new pitch and give it a ridiculous name, like the velocinator or the widowmaker or Fred.) He has nothing plus but throws all of his pitches enough to keep hitters off-balance, limiting hard contact to make up for his modest strikeout rates.

He has to have at least 55 control to make this formula work in Triple A or the majors, and right now hes a half-grade below that.

He could be a fifth or even a fourth starter if he does; otherwise he still has value in a bulk relief role.

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Jedixson Paez , RHP Paez walked 12 in 96 innings between Low A and High A last year, just 3.1 percent of batters he faced in total, despite a funky, higher-effort delivery, and the fact that he throws mostly offspeed stuff.

Its a low-90s fastball with huge tumbling action on his changeup and short, tight break on his slider, mostly downward with a little tilt.

Its more control and feel than stuff, and hes out of the zone a little more than youd expect from the stat line because he gets some ugly swings on the secondaries.

If he can get stronger for maybe another half grade on the fastball and build some durability, he could be a fourth starter.

14.

Payton Tolle, LHP Bostons 2024 second-round pick, Tolle is 6-7 and gets huge extension out over his front side, so his above-average fastball (up to 96) plays up even more.

He doesnt have a plus secondary pitch, and his delivery is slightly cross-body, which adds deception but isnt great for command or health, and he doesnt locate as well to his glove side (thus in to right-handed batters).

He threw fastballs about 75 percent of the time last spring for TCU, which isnt going to work in pro ball, so the next step will be trying to get some more tilt to the slider, which runs mostly horizontally, and finding him a viable changeup, as his current one is a 40.

15.

Johanfran Garcia , C Garcia is the younger brother of Jhostynxyn and signed for the bigger bonus, with more potential upside because of his position and catch-and-throw skills.

Unfortunately, he tore the ACL and MCL in one of his knees in May, ending his season and probably pushing his return into late spring of 2025.

He was off to a tremendous start as a 19-year-old in Low A, hitting .385/.467/.596 in 14 games, and theres 20+ homer upside in the bat.

Hes already a thick-bodied kid and will have to avoid getting any bigger so he doesnt have to move off the position.

Check back in June or July and hope for the best.

16.

Connelly Early , LHP Earlys first full season in the minors was a big success, as the Virginia alum threw 103 2/3 innings between High A and Double A, struck out 30.8 percent of hitters, walked 8.7 percent, and kept the ball in the park despite just average velocity on his four-seamer.

Its a very old-school approach he throws offspeed stuff about two-thirds of the time, with a slider, change, and curve, nothing plus, but some deception from the way he comes slightly across his body and the added confusion from his willingness to throw any pitch in any count.

If he tightens his command up, he could be a fifth starter, but hes walking a tightrope with his arsenal.

17.

Richard Fitts , RHP Fitts has four pitches, nothing plus, throws strikes, doesnt miss bats, has no platoon split, is boring, has value, probably is a swingman with fifth-starter ceiling.

Hes fine.

18.

Conrad Cason , RHP/SS Boston took Cason in the eighth round and announced him as a two-way player after a spring where hed been hurt more than hed been healthy.

Hes also kind of raw both ways and needs to focus on one or the other, with pitching his better bet.

He was 91-94 last spring with a solid-average slider that could end up plus, working with a delivery he should be able to repeat.

Hes still very projectable and has flashed mid-90s velocity before.

He can play short and his arm is plus, but his hit tool is way behind the rest of his game.

Id just tell him to go pitch and be done with it.

That job is hard enough on its own.

19.

Mikey Romero , SS/2B Romero might end up as the guy the Red Sox took first the year they took Roman Anthony, which is too bad, as he was a good prospect before a back injury ruined his first pro season in 2023, with 2024 only partly a return to form.

Hes almost certainly going to be a second baseman in the long run now.

He flashed some harder contact last year, although the 16 homers he hit in 78 games arent indicative of what his in-game power will be like going forward.

He needs to get stronger for contact quality and to keep himself on the field, while hes also got to tighten up his swing decisions, such as cutting down on his propensity to chase offspeed stuff below the zone.

The lost year-plus really has set him back, but 2025 could be the first time we see the real Mikey Romero since his draft year.

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Blaze Jordan , 3B/1B Jordans 2024 was kind of a lost year, as he started slow after recovering from a broken finger, then took a 97 mph fastball off his face in August.

Hell show 70 raw power in BP but doesnt get it into games, as his swing is shorter and handsy.

He homered 18 times in 122 games in 2023, then just seven times in 89 games last year, with none after his return from the face injury (Ill cut him some slack on that part).

Hes still playing primarily third base but is below average there and should be at first, where hell be at least average.

Hes 22 this year and has to get that power going after the bell rings, even if it means sacrificing some of his high contact rates to get there.

Others of note Allan Castro walks a lot and has some secondary tools, but hes too passive at the plate and hes not very twitchy.

He looks like a quality fourth outfielder without the hit tool to be anything more ...

Shortstop Nazzan Zanetello , their second-round pick in 2023, looked lost in Low A last year, hitting .157/.279/.279 with a 44 percent strikeout rate.

Yes, he needed to be in short-season ball, which no longer exists, but Im not sure even that would have produced tangibly better results.

His draftmate Antonio Anderson , drafted one round later, was almost as bad, hitting .186/.311/.270 but only striking out 25 percent of the time.

Teams are just going to stop taking these rawer high school hitters if theyre not going to be allowed to develop them properly.

2025 impact Anthonys going to debut this year, and so is Campbell, with left field and shortstop the two open spots which probably means moving a lot of guys around, and someone, either Campbell or Ceddanne Rafaela , playing shortstop even though thats less than ideal.

I just cant see holding either hitter back.

( Trevor Story is nominally the shortstop, but has played fewer games in each of the last three years, and Id expect him to end up on the injured list at some point.) Fitts will probably work out of the bullpen or make some spot starts.

The fallen Cutter Coffey was Bostons second pick in 2022, between Romero and Anthony, taking a bonus of about $1.85 million.

He hit for a little power but no average or OBP in his two years in the system, with a .238/.321/.463 line in High A last year where he played mostly third base.

Boston flipped him to Toronto in the Danny Jansen trade.

Sleeper If The Password passes the Double-A test this year, hell be a top 100 guy next offseason.

Additional top prospect coverage GO DEEPER Top 100 MLB prospects 2025: Keith Laws rankings, with Roman Anthony at No.

1 GO DEEPER MLB prospects who just missed Keith Laws top 100 ranking: Caissie, Saggese and more GO DEEPER MLB 2025 farm system rankings: Keith Law ranks all 30 teams, Mariners are new No.

1 (Top photo of Anthony: Danielle Parhizkaran / The Boston Globe via Getty Images).

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