October 7, 2024 at 2:00 PM
2024 SoxProspects.com All-Stars: Position Players
Welcome to the 2024 SoxProspects.com Awards week! Over the next five days, we will present our annual awards on the news page, recognizing the standout performers from the season. Following the format we've used the last few years, the schedule will be as follows:
Monday: All-Star position players
Tuesday: All-Star pitchers
Wednesday: Graduate of the Year; Homegrown Player of the Year; Ex-Prospect of the Year
Thursday: Rookie of the Year; Breakout Player of the Year; Comeback Player of the Year
Friday: Player of the Year; Pitcher of the Year
We kick things off with the All-Star position players as selected by the SoxProspects.com staff. While we consider factors such as age advancement and opponent quality, these awards recognize the players' in-game performances rather than a commentary on any status as a prospect. The All-Star team features a wide range, from each of top five ranked position players (excepting Brandon Montgomery, injured during the college season before being selected by the Red Sox in the first round), to a 17-year-old who dominated the Dominican Summer League, to a selection from the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft.
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Despite having just completed his first full professional season, 2024 marks Teel's second selection as a SoxProspects.com All-Star. The 14th overall pick in the 2023 draft out of the University of Virginia followed up his incredible pro debut with a full season that was arguably even more impressive. After finishing 2023 with Portland, Teel rejoined the Sea Dogs out of spring training. There he hit .299/.390/.462 with 20 doubles and 11 homers in 84 games, all while showing growth behind the plate. He initially struggled after a mid-August promotion to Worcester, slumping to 6 for 51 (.118) with just one extra-base hit, but an adjustment brought a strong September finish. In his final 14 games, the 22-year-old hit .375/.516/.542 with 14 walks against nine strikeouts. He is the first of several names to appear on this list likely to reach the majors in 2025.
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It is relatively rare for a Dominican Summer League player to gain All-Star recognition, but Gonzales is following in the footsteps laid in 2023Yoeilin Cespedes by posting a season too impressive to overlook. A physically imposing 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds at just 17 years old, Gonzales, tortured DSL pitchers to the tune of .320/.391/.517 in 47 games. He had more extra-base hits (21) than strikeouts (20), and added 19 walks on his way to DSL All-Star recognition. He then helped the DSL Red Sox Red squad to the DSL Championship, hitting .444 in five postseason contests.
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Somewhat overshadowed by the breakout season of Kristian Campbell and the excellent seasons by the rest of the top prospects, Arias had a meteoric rise in the rankings in 2024. Noted as an excellent defender at both middle infield spots, Arias impressed with the bat in his pro debut in the Dominican Summer League last year. Arias starred in the Florida Complex League, hitting .355/.471/.584, leading the circuit (more than 110 PA) in all three slash categories. He ripped 16 doubles, six homers, and two triples while stealing 30 bases in 34 attempts on his way to Florida Complex League MVP honors. He was promoted to Salem in late July where he hit .257/.331/.378 in 36 contests.
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Meidroth earned recognition as a SoxPropsects.com All-Star for a second straight season, while also cementing his space on the Deceptively-Named All-Stars: he may be named Chase, but he very rarely does so. The 2022 fourth-round pick led all of the organized minor leagues with 105 walks. In fact, only three major leaguers drew more free passes in 2024. Meidroth also hovered around the .300 mark all season, finishing with a .293/.437/.401 line in 122 games. He also continued to impress with the glove, splitting time between third, second, and shortstop for the WooSox as he was recognized as their MVP.
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Another season-ending injury shouldn't overshadow what had been an excellent 2024 through July for Mayer, his best as a pro since being taken fourth overall in the 2021 draft. Mayer appeared in 77 games for the Sea Dogs, hitting .307/.370/.480 while playing a strong defensive shortstop. His 28 doubles at the time of his injury led the minor leagues - he ended up fourth in the organization despite missing the final two months. Keith Law of The Athletic placed him as the second-ranked prospect in all of baseball in late July before a back injury put him on the shelf. Promoted to Worcester with Teel and Roman Anthony in August, Mayer did not end up appearing in the Triple-A game. This is the second time being recognized as a SoxProspects.com All-Star, following his selection in 2022.
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Spoiler alert: you will be seeing Kristian Campbell's name come up again during awards week. A fourth-round pick in 2023, Campbell was getting positive buzz in spring training, but nothing that could have prepared for what was to come. He was assigned to Greenville out of spring training where he hit .306/.418/.558 in 40 games, including a to earn a promotion to Double-A Portland. And incredible .362/.463/.582 stretch with the Sea Dogs earned him Eastern League MVP honors despite the fact he appeared in only 58 games in the circuit. A .286/.412/.486 run with Worcester in 19 games closed out a season that won him recognition as the Baseball America Player of the Year. All the more impressive was that his offensive breakout came while appearing all over the field, splitting time between center, shortstop, and second base, with five games at third base sprinkled in.
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The Baseball America top prospect in all of minor league baseball does not even get his name on the top of the marquee for the 2024 SoxProspects.com All-Star Outfielders. Anthony's season was similar in arc to his 2023 breakout: a solid-but-unspectacular start marked by a stat line that ran somewhat behind the batted-ball data and scouting feedback, followed by an off-the-charts finish where everything seemed to come together. Anthony joined Teel and Mayer in the vaunted "Big Three" to start the year at Portland. He struggled to a .206 average in April but rebounded to hit .269/.367/.489 in 84 games before heading south to Worcester in mid-August. It was with the WooSox that Anthony's season reached another level. He hit .344/.463/.519 in 35 games, drawing as many walks as strikeouts (31).
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After connecting for 11 home runs in 149 across his first three minor league seasons, Garcia blasted an organization-leading 23 across three levels in 2024. After hitting .220 with Salem in 2023, Garcia began the season repeating the level and quickly showed an ability to make both more consistent contact as well as better quality. He surpassed his 2023 home run total in just 24 games before getting promoted to High-A Greenville. The power surge continued for The Password as he blasted 16 round-trippers in just 53 games, good for a .627 slugging percentage and another promotion. He finished the year with an overall .286/.356/.536 line.
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Gasper's season saw him rise from Double-A backup to major leaguer. A 27th-round pick out of Bryant of the Yankees back in 2018, Gasper's plate discipline and ability to catch led the Red Sox to select him in the minor league phase of last December's Rule 5 draft. He appeared in 44 games with Double-A Portland, first as a backup to Kyle Teel and then mixing in more playing time at first base, where he hit .282/.403/.458. After moving up to Triple-A, his bat forced his way into the lineup with even more regularity. With the welcoming environs of Polar Park, he delivered a .367/.471/.592 line in Triple-A while adding playing time at second base and designated hitter. The major leagues proved a tough adjustment, as he went 0 for 18 with four walks, but that failed to dim an otherwise excellent year for the 28-year-old.
All photos by Kelly O'Connor