Weekly Notes: Campbell makes MLB debut, WooSox open season

Baseball season has officially started. The Red Sox played a pair of exhibition games in Mexico and then opened the regular season in Texas, with a handful of prospects making the Opening Day roster. The WooSox also opened their season last Friday, splitting a weekend series with Syracuse. The rest of the full-season affiliates will begin their season on Friday. 

Campbell makes major league debut
Kristian Campbell, a fourth-round draft pick in 2023, has completed his rapid ascent to the major leagues. Campbell played second base and batted sixth in Boston's Opening Day lineup and he has reached base in each of the team's first five games. Campbell has gotten off to an impressive start, going 6 for 16 with one home run, two doubles, and four walks. Campbell collected his first major league home run on Sunday, driving a line drive to center field off Rangers right-hander Jacob Webb. 

To cap off a memorable week for Campbell, Chris Cotillo of MassLive reports that Campbell and the Red Sox are "deep in talks" on a contract extension. No terms of this potential contract have been reported yet. 

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Cup of Coffee: Anthony homers twice; Fulmer shuts down Syracuse

3/31 Cup of Coffee: This is the kind of game Worcester fans were looking forward to when Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer opened the season in Triple-A. They combined to reach base six times and score five runs while Anthony went deep twice. The pitching was not to be outdone, led by Michael Fulmer.

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Worcester Red Sox 12, Syracuse Mets (NYM) 0

On paper it was a tough matchup for Roman Anthony and the WooSox as they faced off against the Mets top prospect, Brandon Sproat. Sproat was the Eastern League Pitcher of the Year in 2024, pitching to a 2.45 ERA with Binghamton. But Worcester got to him for four runs on three hits and three walks in two-plus innings. Anthony drew two walks off Sproat, and Marcelo Mayer laced a two-run single to chase him from the game. Once Sproat left the game Anthony went nuclear, hitting a 109.6 mph home run to right field, and a 106.4 mph home run to left field. Anthony finished 3 for 4, Mayer went 2 for 5 with a stolen base, and Trayce Thompson went 3 for 4 with a double and a home run while driving in four.

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Cup of Coffee: Rain, rain, go away

3/29 Cup of Coffee: After a single day of Minor League Baseball action, the April showers decided to start a few days early. Saturday's matchup between the Syracuse Mets and Worcester Red Sox was postponed due to rain and will be rescheduled to April 23. 

Campbell continues impressive start

After recording hits in each of his first two big league games, Kristian Campbell turned in his best game yet as a member of the Red Sox in Boston's 4-3 loss to Texas on Saturday evening. The 22-year old went 2-3 with a double and his first career home run that traveled 431 feet into the Red Sox bullpen. Through three games, Campbell is slashing .500/.583/.900.

 

Where are they now

In other MLB action, former Red Sox farmhand Mickey Gasper tallied his first Major League hit Saturday afternoon against the St. Louis Cardinals. After going hitless in his first 20 big league at bats, the first 18 coming with the Red Sox, Gasper reached on an infield single to achieve the milestone. 

Photo Credit: Kristian Campbell by Kelly O'Connor

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Cup of Coffee: Stock rises as Worcester opens minor league schedule

3/29 Cup of Coffee: The 2025 minor league season got underway on Friday afternoon at Polar Park. An Abraham Toro homer and strong outing by Robert Stock (pictured) were not enough to make winners of the WooSox in the Triple-A debut of Marcelo Mayer. 

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Syracuse Mets (NYM) 4, Worcester Red Sox 3

Worcester kicked off its season with a Friday matinee at Polar Park. With Kristian Campbell in the majors, the other two members of the triumvirate of phemons were the attractions. Roman Anthony led off and played left field, going 0 for 3 with a pair of walks. Anthony drove in Worcester's first run of the season, plating Nathan Hickey on a ground out in the third inning. Marcelo Mayer made his long-awaited debt for the WooSox, hitting in the third hole. Mayer was promoted to Worcester in early August 2024 but missed the final two months of the season with a lumbar strain. The shortstop was 0 for 4 with a pair of strikeouts. Abraham Toro drove in Worcester's other two runs, with one coming on a solo homer in the ninth. Nate Eaton was 2 for 4 in the squad's only multi-hit effort.

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2025 SoxProspects Pre-Season All-Stars Pt. 2 - Pitchers

For the second and final part of SoxProspects.com's 2025 Pre-Season All-Stars list, we turn our attention to the mound and recognize some of the more well-regarded pitchers in the Red Sox farm system. This group of eight includes five starters who are ranked among the organization's top 25 prospects and three relatively unheralded relievers.

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Juan Valera: Starting Pitcher, Salem Red Sox

Valera, who turns 19 in May, is a Pre-Season All-Star for the first time after earning 2024 SoxProspects.com Pitcher of the Year honors. The Dominican-born right-hander enjoyed a successful stateside debut last season by forging a 1.99 ERA (3.36 FIP) with 68 strikeouts to 28 walks in 18 outings (16 starts) spanning 63 1/3 innings between the Florida Complex League and Salem. He is currently ranked as the organization's No. 19 prospect and is expected to return to Salem for the start of the 2025 campaign.

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2025 SoxProspects Pre-Season All-Stars Pt. 1 - Position Players

For the first part of SoxProspects.com's 2025 Pre-Season All-Stars list, we start with the position players. This group of nine includes six of the organization's top 25 prospects and three others who are also ranked. Stay tuned for the pitching portion of the 2025 Pre-Season All-Stars list, slated to be published later Friday.

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Brooks Brannon: Catcher, Greenville Drive

Brannon, who turns 21 in May, is a Pre-Season All-Star for the first time and is currently ranked as the No. 43 prospect in the organization. The former 2022 ninth-round draft pick missed the first seven weeks of the 2024 campaign while recovering from arthroscopic surgery on his left knee and reported to Salem in early June after rehabbing in the Florida Complex League. The right-handed hitter then batted .251/.326/.396 (114 wRC+) with eight doubles, two triples, six home runs, 24 RBIs, 22 runs scored, five stolen bases, 23 walks, and 67 strikeouts in 54 Carolina League games (230 plate appearances). He also earned All-Star honors in the Arizona Fall League by slashing .309/.347/.456 with two homers and six RBIs in 16 games (72 plate appearances) for the Mesa Solar Sox. He is expected to break camp with Greenville this spring and could see more playing time at first base as opposed to behind the plate.

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Podcast Ep #357: Minor League Spring Training Wrap-up

Ian is joined by Mike Andrews to wrap-up their trip to minor league spring training! They start off talking about all the injured position players and how that impacted the rosters, before a long discussion about Justin Gonzales and his future outlook. They then went through a few other hitters including Enddy Azocar, Nazzan Zanetello and Mikey Romero. After that, they moved onto the pitchers and hit on a bunch of impressive performers including Payton Tolle, Blake Aita, Blake Wehunt, Noah Dean and of course mandatory Juan Valera talk. Finally, they wrapped up the show answering your emails!

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Podcast Ep #356: Your 2025 Boston Red Sox

It's finally here! With the 2025 season upon us, Ian welcomes Chris to the show as a very special guest to discuss the (mostly) final MLB roster for opening day, including Kristian Campbell officially making the team, decisions in the back of the rotation and bullpen, and how everything could change very early in the season. Plus, the guys threw down their predictions for the season - listen in to find out how bullish or bearish they are on the club's chances! (We'll recap the spring training trip on our next episode!)

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Fort Report: Spring Training concludes, Campbell makes Opening Day Roster

With spring training games over (with the exception of the pair of games in Mexico), all eyes turn to the regular season and where the final roster cuts will be made to begin the 2025 season.  

Campbell makes Boston's Opening Day roster

In what has constantly been described as a meteoric rise, Kristian Campbell’s next step will be a trip to Texas with Boston to begin his Major League career. News broke Sunday evening that the SoxProspects’ second-ranked prospect won the second base job. 

Despite slashing just .167/.305/.271 in 59 spring plate appearances, it was evident from the start of the spring that Campbell was an option to break camp with the team. In the later weeks of camp, Campbell’s improved results as well as stellar defense seemed to be enough to prove to the organization that he is ready for MLB action.

 

After being drafted in the fourth round of the 2023 draft, Campbell proved to hit at every level of the minor leagues. The Georgia Tech product hit .330 with a .997 OPS en route to several awards recognizing him as one of the best players in minor league baseball in 2024. 

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Notes from the Field: Scouting the Pitchers in the Spring Showcase Games

The Spring Breakout event is one of the best ideas to showcase the game's next wave of stars MLB has done in years. This spring, the Red Sox roster was seen as one of the best in the league with the Big Three of Roman Anthony, Kristian Campbell and Marcelo Mayer anchoring the lineup, with a strong group of arms including Hunter Dobbins, David Sandlin, Connelly Early adding intrigue. Making things even more interesting, after traveling to Port Charlotte to play the Rays in MLB's event on Thursday evening, the Red Sox arranged to play a second prospect showcase game, the "Futures at Fenway South," with the majority of the Spring Breakout roster on Friday at home against the Twins. This allowed for an even better look at many of the hitters and a chance to see even more of the talented arms in the Red Sox system. Here are my thoughts on some pitchers from the two-game look and for more thoughts on some hitters check out yesterday's piece.

- Of all the pitchers the Red Sox used across the two showcase games, the most impressive was 18-year-old Juan Valera. Valera burst onto the scene last year showing mid-90s velocity, but was on the raw side. Based on this look, while he is currently ranked 19th in our prospect rankings, when we do our preseason update, he will definitely be rising. Valera showdd a four-pitch arsenal, with his velocity up across the board. His fastball sat 97-99 mph and hit 100 multiple times. He mixed in two breaking balls: a slider at 89-92 mph and sweeper at 86-88 mph. He also showed in a changeup at 91-94 mph. The 94 mph changeup was perfectly captured by Baseball America's Josh Norris and, as you can see, it has a ridiculous amount of horizontal movement for a pitch thrown so hard. Valera's arm is so quick it can get a bit out of sync and cause him to lose the zone, as was the case in his third inning, but for the first two he was absolutely dominant. 

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Fort Report: Anthony, Campbell, Mayer, SoxProspects crew all have big weeks in Fort Myers

It was an exciting week down in Fort Myers as the MLB season is set to begin for the Red Sox in just over a week. The Sox' big three prospects all showed off during the Spring Breakout game, while the SoxProspects crew saw a ton of action on the backfields. More cuts have also come in as final decisions on the Opening Day roster draw closer. 

Big three all go deep in Spring Breakout game

Kristian Campbell, Marcelo Mayer, and Roman Anthony (pictured) certainly did not disappoint at the Spring Breakout game against the Tampa Bay Rays prospects, as all three hit a home run. Anthony's was a tap measure blast, caught on camera with a great view from behind home plate by our own Ian Cundall. The Futures at Fenway South showcase against Minnesota Twins prospects was also an exciting game, as Mikey Romero and Justin Gonzales each went deep at JetBlue Park. James Dunne breaks these two games down in further detail with a special spring training edition of the Cup of Coffee. 

Another successful year in Florida for the SoxProspects crew

The SoxProspects.com crew spent a week in Fort Myers at Red Sox camp. They were able to put out some terrific content that can be found on social media handles for SoxProspects.com, Chris Hatfield, Ian Cundall, James Dunne, and Mike Andrews. Ian was able to get right behind home plate for both the Futures at Fenway South and Spring Breakout games. Check out Juan Valera pumping 100 MPH fastballs and Yoeilin Cespedes ripping a double. 

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Notes from the Field: Scouting the Hitters in the Spring Showcase Games

The Spring Breakout event is one of the best ideas to showcase the game's next wave of stars MLB has done in years. This spring, the Red Sox roster was seen as one of the best in the league with the Big Three of Roman Anthony (pictured, right), Kristian Campbell and Marcelo Mayer anchoring the lineup, with a strong group of arms including Hunter Dobbins, David Sandlin, Connelly Early adding intrigue. Making things even more interesting, after traveling to Port Charlotte to play the Rays in MLB's event on Thursday evening, the Red Sox arranged to play a second prospect showcase game, the "Futures at Fenway South," with the majority of the Spring Breakout roster on Friday at home against the Twins. This allowed for an even better look at many of the hitters and a chance to see even more of the talented arms in the Red Sox system. Here are my thoughts on some hitters from the two-game look. 

- There were several incredible moments in Thursday's Breakout game, but none stood out more than Roman Anthony's home run. In his third at-bat, Anthony went up against Rays pitching prospect Santiago Suarez (ranked seventh overall in the strong Tampa system by Baseball America and ninth overall by MLB Pipeline). After a couple of takes, Anthony got a 96.7 mph fastball up and on the inner half of the zone and absolutely demolished it, sending it 435 feet out to right field (a number that seems conservative, as both me and Chris thought it completely left the ballpark) with an exit velocity of 111 mph. The ease with which Anthony accesses his power is remarkable, and the way he fired his hips and was able to clear that fastball out were remarkable. He is the consensus top prospect in baseball (taking Roki Sasaki out of the equation) and this swing showed why. 

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Cup of Coffee: Big Three go deep in Spring Breakout; Valera electric in Futures

3/15 Cup of Coffee: A special edition of the SoxProspects.com Cup of Coffee comes to you from sunny Fort Myers with a pair of high-profile spring training contests. On Thursday , Boston's top three prospects came as advertised as part of Major League Baseball's Spring Breakout showcase. Friday brought the Futures at Fenway South, with young hurler Juan Valera lighting up the radar gun in a victory over the Twins contingent.

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Spring Breakout: Rays 7, Red Sox 5

A collection of top prospects made their way up the Gulf Coast to Port Charlotte on Thursday to take on their East Division rivals. A vicious avian attack on Executive Editor Chris Hatfield and his WEEI boothmates Tom Caron and Rob Bradford proved to be a positive omen: moments later, Kristian Campbell (pictured, left, with Mayer) blasted an opposite field two-run homer to break a scoreless tie. Marcelo Mayer immediately followed, and back-to-back bombs by two of the game's top phenoms gave the Sox a 3-0 advantage. Not to be outdone by the other two members of the Big Three, Roman Anthony launched a mammoth 434-foot shot in the fifth inning. Mikey Romero delivered the squad's only multi-hit evening, going 2 for 4 with a double. 

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Podcast Ep. #355: Spring Showcase

The SoxProspects Spring Training trip is on, and Ian and Chris took a break to talk about the two minor league showcase games this week: the Spring Breakout and Futures at Fenway South. The Big Three, Mikey Romero, and Justin Gonzales went deep, while Brandon Clarke and Juan Valera were throwing fuego. Hear about them and all of the other highlights from the start of the trip on this episode!

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Fort Report: Position battles heat up; SoxProspects crew set to arrive

The last two weeks of spring training are shaping up to be fascinating, with the overall state of the roster being unclear. Our 2025 Projected Rosters page has been tweaked multiple times in the last few weeks as a combination of injury updates and strong performances change who is projected to be on the final 26-man roster. 

Injuries lead to roster uncertainty

With Opening Day just over two weeks away, injuries continue to cloud what the roster will look like on March 27 against the Rangers. On the infield, Rafael Devers is slated to make his spring training debut on Saturday. Alex Bregman figures to get time at second base with Devers back, but Kristian Campbell (pictured), David Hamilton, and Vaughn Grissom have seen time there, as well. What the Red Sox ultimately decide to do with Devers will ripple across the rest of the lineup. 

In the outfield, it is looking more likely that Wilyer Abreu opens the season on the injured list. Abreu still hopes to be ready for March 27, but reports are that he has not yet been cleared to swing. Additionally, Masataka Yoshida has only appeared as a designated hitter this spring and it is not clear if his arm is ready for game action after shoulder surgery. These injuries have led to Campbell getting more innings than expected in the outfield. 

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Podcast Ep. #354: Minor League Camp Preview 2025

Ian and Chris are back with their takes on the latest from MLB camp, plus a preview of the opening of minor league camp and the annual SoxProspects team's trip to the Fort!

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Podcast Ep #353: Spring Check In with Lou Merloni

Ian is joined by former Red Sox infielder and current NESN primary color analyst Lou Merloni to discuss all the happenings in Spring Training so far. The start off talking about how this camp feels different to past years and Lou’s initial impressions of the big three. They then move into an in-depth discussion of the major camp storylines and position battles, starting with what to do at second base and third base defensively and then who slots in if Wilyer Abreu isn’t ready for opening day. After that, they talk about the potential starting pitcher options if Kutter Crawford and Brayan Bello aren’t ready for opening day, including spring standout Richard Fitts and Quinn Priester. Finally, they close by talking about Austin Adams and Luis Guerrero’s impressive performances and what the ideal bullpen construction is.

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Fort Report: Pitching injuries raise questions about Red Sox rotation

Spring training is in full swing and several of the top prospects in the Red Sox minor league system have received regular playing time in the first week and a half of major league games. With Opening Day just over three weeks away, there are several questions about which players will break camp and head to Texas with the big league club. 

Rotation depth tested by early injuries

During the offseason, Boston's collection of six established major league starting pitchers generated speculation that the Red Sox might consider a six-man rotation during the 2025 season. However, Boston's rotation depth has been put to the test early in spring training, as Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford, and Lucas Giolito have been slowed by injuries and are yet to make their first appearances of the spring. At the moment, it appears that Crawford is least likely to be a part of the Opening Day roster. Crawford has been battling soreness in his right patellar tendon, stemming from an injury that he pitched through for most of the 2024 season, and has struggled to put weight on his right knee thus far in spring training. 

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Fort Report: Spring has sprung, Big 3 among those seeing early playing time

In the first full week of spring training in action, several of the Red Sox's top prospects saw plenty of time in big league camp, while several players in the SoxProspects.com top 60 look to make their mark as baseball returns.

Anthony, Mayer, Campbell see plenty of action

With the spotlight on the “Big 3” entering the spring with storylines of possibly breaking camp with Boston, each of the young prospects saw their fair shares of at bats and time in the field while some of the major league talent ramps up activity. All three prospects were slated to start the opening game against Northeastern before Roman Anthony was scratched late. Since then, Anthony has played in each of the first two Grapefruit League games, registering a pair of hits and an RBI. 

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Fort Report: Bregman signing strenthens roster, invites lineup questions

Red Sox spring training is underway, which means the SoxProspects.com Fort Report in not far behind. We are excited to kick off our weekly rundown of the ongoings in Fort Myers. Every week, we'll have notes on the player movement, injury news, roster machinations, and all of the other prospect information that we are excited to provide. It promises to be a particularly excited spring for prospect watchers, as top prospects Roman Anthony (pictured) and Kristian Campbell make their cases to break camp with the major league club.

Alex Bregman signs

In a clear attempt to get some value from what had previously been an underwhelming return on their 2012 draft class, the Red Sox signed their 29th-round pick to a three-year deal with opt-outs after each season. More than just a signal that the Red Sox are again able to land high-end free agents, Alex Bregman adds some punch to the lineup while also helping to solidify the infield defense. Which specific part of the defense he'll be solidifying will remain a topic of conversation throughout the time in Fort Myers. To clear a spot for Bregman on the 40-man roster, Boston placed pitcher Patrick Sandoval on the 60-day injured list. 

SoxProspects.com Top 60 countdown kicks off

Be sure to follow along on our social media pages (notably Twitter, BlueSky, and Instagram) as we count down the top prospects in the system. The series began on Monday with 60th-ranked Austin Ehrlicher and continues daily. 

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