Red Sox midseason prospect awards: MVP, top hitter/pitcher, most improved
They currently have six players ranked among the site's Top 100 prospects with Jhostynxon Garcia, Payton Tolle and Brandon Clarke joining the list during the season. Kristian Campbell has graduated from prospect status after being ranked No. 3 on BA's Top 100 in May.
Below are the top performers from the Red Sox system at the midway point of the 2025 season:
MVP: Jhostynxon Garcia
The 22-year-old center fielder will play in the All-Star Futures Game at Atlanta's Truist Park on Saturday.
Manager Alex Cora recently mentioned how impressed he was with Garcia's defense during spring training camp and called him 'a complete player.'
'The Password" is batting .286 with a .363 on-base percentage, .537 slugging percentage, .900 OPS, nine homers, six doubles, two triples, 25 RBIs, 26 runs, 18 walks and 43 strikeouts in 38 games (168 plate appearances) for Triple-A Worcester since his promotion from Double-A Portland.
Garcia, who was added to the 40-man roster last November, said back in spring training that he wants to make his major league debut in late 2025.
'My goal is ultimately to have at least a couple games toward the end of the year in the big leagues,' he said.
The slugger is putting himself in a good position to make that happen. The Athletic's Keith Law ranked him No. 46 on his most recent Top 50 MLB prospect rankings.
Top Hitter: Roman Anthony
Anthony, Baseball America's No. 1 prospect, had a .913 OPS in 58 games (265 plate appearances) at Worcester before being promoted to Boston. In early May, Abraham Toro said about Anthony, 'I don't say this lightly — I think he's the best minor league hitter I've ever seen."
The 21-year-old outfielder produced some of the top exit velocities in Minor League Baseball and belted a 497-foot home run three days before his call-up to Boston.
He has continued to make hard contact in the big leagues. He has a 53.8% hard hit percentage and 94.3 mph average exit velocity. He has had above average bat speed (73.6) and shown the same ability to lay off pitches outside of the strike zone (20.3% chase percentage) that he did throughout the minors.
Most improved hitter: Blaze Jordan
The 22-year-old first baseman/third baseman has put himself back on the prospect radar after a disappointing 2024 season when he posted a .693 OPS in 89 games (380 plate appearances) for Portland.
Jordan is batting .300 with a .373 on-base percentage, .487 slugging percentage, .860 OPS, nine homers, 21 doubles, one triple, 53 RBIs and 48 runs in 73 games (300 plate appearances) between Portland and Worcester.
He has struck out only 33 times in 300 plate appearances (11% strikeout percentage).
Jordan has overcome a lot, including anxiety and depression. He was hospitalized for four or five days at the end of the 2021 season and missed the final two weeks of his first professional season.
Top Starting Pitcher: Connelly Early
The 23-year-old lefty struggled Sunday but he has a 2.70 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and .212 batting average against in 13 outings (10 starts) for Portland. He has struck out 33.9% of the batters he has faced, piling up 86 punch-outs in 60 innings.
Early has added velocity this season but he induced a lot of swing and miss even before that.
'He's been up to 96 and change,' chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said. 'So yeah, the stuff has definitely ticked up but great pitchability. The ability to throw multiple pitches in the zone — fastball/changeup combination and breaking ball. We started seeing it last year and he's just picked up.'
His 10.6% walk percentage needs to decrease. He has had two four-walk outings this season. He also has had three walks in three other different outings.
Top Reliever: Matt McShane
The 22-year-old righty has impressed in a multi-inning reliever role.
Boston acquired him from the Pirates on Jan. 17 in exchange for reliever Chase Shugart. He has a 2.55 ERA, 2.03 FIP, 1.06 WHIP, .211 batting average against, 56 strikeouts and 11 walks in 42 ⅓ innings (21 outings) between Low-A Salem and High-A Greenville.
He was promoted to Greenville on April 29 and has pitched 28 of his 42 ⅓ innings for the Drive.
He reached 94 mph in three scoreless and hitless innings against Asheville on Sunday. He was up to 94.6 mph in his previous outing — 2 ⅔ scoreless and hitless innings against Rome on June 26.
SoxProspects.com's Chris Clegg has scouted his fastball 94-96 mph, slider 85-86 and changeup 84-85 mph.
This is his first year of pro ball. The Pirates drafted him in the 13th round out of St. Joseph's last year.
Fangraphs ranks him Boston's No. 45 prospect. SoxProspects has him at No. 38 after previously having him unranked.
Most improved pitcher: Eduardo Rivera
The 22-year-old lefty went from being released by the Athletics last May 21 to a dominant pitcher in Boston's organization one year later.
Rivera, who stands at 6-foot-7, has posted a 2.10 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, .180 batting average against, 81 strikeouts and 25 walks in 13 outings (nine starts) between Greenville and Portland.
He throws a fastball (up to 97 mph), slider, split-finger fastball and sweeper.
Top newcomer to system: Payton Tolle
Boston selected the 6-foot-7, 270-pound lefty in the second round in 2024 out of TCU.
He received a promotion just 11 outings into his first professional season and Baseball America ranks him No. 48 on its Top 100 list.
He has a 40.5% strikeout percentage. He has punched out 17 of the 31 batters (54.8%) he has faced in his first two outings for Portland.
He has posted a 3.38 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and .217 batting average against in 13 outings (11 starts) between Greenville and Portland. He has struck out 96 batters while walking 16 in 58 ⅔ innings.
He threw his heater 90-96 mph and mostly sat in the 91-93 mph range at TCU. He's now consistently in the mid-to-upper 90s. He topped out at 97.7 mph in his most recent outing for Portland where he has allowed just three hits in nine innings.
His fastball already was difficult to hit in the low-90s because of its ride and the elite extension in his delivery. With added velo, he has been absolutely dominant and Breslow said he 'can survive on probably 75% fastballs.'
He also throws a sweeper, changeup, curveball and slider.
Biggest surprise: Brandon Clarke
Baseball America had the 22-year-old lefty unranked among Boston's top 30 prospects entering 2025. BA now ranks him the Red Sox' No. 5 prospect and No. 73 overall on its Top 100 list.
Boston selected Clarke in the fifth round last July. He's up to 99 mph with his fastball. His six-pitch mix also includes a sweeper, cutter, two-seamer, curveball and changeup.
He has allowed just six earned runs in 28 ⅔ innings (1.88 ERA) in nine starts between Salem and Greenville. Opponents are batting .082 against him.
More On Red Sox Prospects
Roman Anthony's recent hot stretch put him among Red Sox legends
How Red Sox 'beat' other clubs to 6-foot-7 lefty prospect who hits 97 mph
Alex Cora: Red Sox power prospect selected for Futures Game 'a complete player'
Red Sox exciting prospect 'The Password' named to MLB Futures Game
Top Boston Red Sox pitching prospect dominates in Double-A debut
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