2026 SoxProspects.com Awards: Pitcher of the Year

This concludes the fifth and final day of 2026 SoxProspects.com Awards week. Over the past week, we at SoxProspects.com have recognized our All-Star position players and pitchers, Graduate of the Year, Homegrown Players of the Year, Ex-Prospect of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Comeback Player of the Year, Breakout Player of the Year, and Player of the Year. To wrap things up today, we name our Pitcher of the Year.

Pitcher of the Year

Despite being traded to the Orioles in early August, Anthony Eyanson (pictured, right) takes home SoxProspects.com's Pitcher of the Year award for a stellar first full professional season. The 22-year-old right-hander entered 2026 as the organization's No. 6 prospect after being selected with the 87th overall pick in the 2025 draft out of Louisiana State and signing for $1.75 million. He further elevated his stock with a standout spring training that included touching triple digits in the Spring Breakout showcase.

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2026 SoxProspects.com Awards: Player of the Year

Welcome to the fifth and final day of 2026 SoxProspects.com Awards week. Throughout the week, we have recognized our All-Star position players and pitchers, Graduate of the Year, Homegrown Players of the Year, Ex-Prospect of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Comeback Player of the Year, and Breakout Player of the Year. Today, we begin by naming our Player of the Year.

Player of the Year

After moving up three levels in 2025, Franklin Arias (pictured, right) entered 2026 as the organization's No. 2 prospect behind only left-hander Payton Tolle. The 20-year-old infielder returned to Portland out of camp this spring and got off to a blistering start, homering eight times in 20 games on his way to earning Eastern League Player of the Month honors for April. He continued to swing a hot bat into the summer, culminating in him being selected to play in the All-Star Futures Game and receiving a promotion to Worcester in late July.

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2026 SoxProspects.com Awards: Rookie, Breakout, and Comeback Players of the Year

We continue our SoxProspects.com Awards week with our Rookie, Breakout, and Comeback players of the year. Eligible Rookies will have fewer than 50 plate appearances or 15 innings pitched in their minor league careers. The Comeback player award honors a player who has returned to prospect form from injury, poor performance, or a combination of the two. Breakout Player recognizes the player who made the greatest jump in prospect status during the season. The 2026 honorees include Boston's minor league strikeout leader, a pitcher who started this season in a different organization, and a 19-year-old catcher who reached base in half of his plate appearances. 

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Rookie of the Year: Dylan Brown

For the third year in a row this award is going to a left-handed pitcher after Payton Tolle won last year and Connelly Early won it in 2024. Brown was an eighth-round pick in the 2025 draft out of Old Dominion University, receiving a slot bonus of $229,000. He debuted in Salem in April of this year, and he made quick work of the Carolina League. He struck out 32 in 23 1/3 innings while pitching to an ERA of 2.31. The 22-year-old got promoted to Greenville where he continued to miss bats at an impressive pace. The South Atlantic League had an offensive explosion this year when compared with prior years, but Brown was still able to post a 3.78 ERA with 111 strikeouts and only 24 walks in 83 1/3 innings. 

Helped in part by the trade of Anthony Eyanson to Baltimore, Brown led Boston's minor league system in strikeouts this season with 143, and the Red Sox named him their 2026 Minor League Pitcher of the Year. He ended the season particularly strong as he won the SoxProspects.com Pitcher of the Month award in August with an ERA of 2.66 while holding opposing batters to an average of just .186. 

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2026 SoxProspects.com Awards: Graduate, Homegrown, and Ex-Prospect

We continue our SoxProspects.com Awards coverage with the 2026 Graduate, Homegrown Player(s), and Ex-Prospect of the Year. The Graduate of the Year led the Red Sox in strikeouts as a rookie. The two Homegrown Players of the Year were among the best defensive outfielders in baseball. The Ex-Prospect of the Year, meanwhile, put together a resurgent season in Arizona.

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Graduate of the Year (Player who graduated this season who contributed the most to the Red Sox): Payton Tolle

After debuting at the major-league level late last summer, Tolle (pictured, left) entered 2026 as the organization's top pitching prospect and one of the top pitching prospects in baseball. The 23-year-old left-hander did not make Boston's starting rotation out of spring training and instead opened the season in Worcester. He made three starts for the WooSox, allowing eight runs (five earned) in 15 innings, before getting the call back up on April 23.

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2026 SoxProspects.com All-Stars: Pitchers

Awards week continues here at SoxProspects.com with the pitcher portion of our 2026 All-Star selections. We have made a change to our selection process this year. With more minor league pitchers working in longer relief and swingman roles and fewer working in traditional short relief, we flipped from selecting five starters and three relievers to just naming the eight best overall pitchers on the year. That was further altered when there was a tie for the last spot on the team, resulting in nine pitchers being selected. Six of the nine are being recognized for the first time, eight are currently ranked in the organization's top 60, and one has already made his major league debut. The first three pitchers listed were unanimous selections by participating members of the SoxProspects.com staff. 

Pitcher: Dylan Brown

A left-hander selected in the eighth round of the 2025 draft out of Old Dominion, Brown jumped onto the radar late in spring training and quickly rose through the rankings during an impressive rookie campaign. The first man to throw a pitch for the Salem RidgeYaks, Brown fired five scoreless innings on opening day and then needed only five starts to pitch his way out of the Carolina League. He finished the year with a 3.46 ERA in 106 innings across 22 appearances between Salem and Greenville. Brown led the organization with 143 strikeouts, walked 37, and surrendered only four home runs.

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2026 SoxProspects.com All-Stars: Position Players

Welcome to the 2026 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. This year's All-Star Team is headlined by the top three prospects in the system, a pair of 2025 draftees, and a player who performed so well before being traded at the deadline that his spot on the team could not be denied. 

 

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Catcher: Franklin Primera

Making his stateside debut after spending last year in the Dominican Summer League, Primera's stock rose more than perhaps any other prospect in the Red Sox system this season as he jumped from No. 36 in the preseason SoxProspects.com rankings to No. 3 by the end of the year. Primera started the season in the Florida Complex League and made an immediate impression, hitting .427 with eight home runs through 32 games before earning a promotion to Salem. While he slowed down slightly in Salem, he still put together an excellent performance in Single-A as he hit .329/.466/.494 in 42 games. Primera led the Red Sox system in batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage among players with at least 300 plate appearances.  

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Podcast Ep. #432: Taking stock

After an anticlimactic sweep at the hands of the Yankees, there's plenty to discuss about what we learned in the Red Sox short postseason run and what it means for the future, enough so that the guys pushed the season in review back a week. Chris and Ian analyzed what went so wrong in the Wild Card Series and what can be taken away from the disappointing end to a truly bizarre season.

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Minor Notes: The postseason has arrived!

The MLB regular season came to a close over the weekend and the Red Sox shift their attention to the postseason, where they will face the Yankees in the Wild Card Series for the second consecutive season. It was a light week for news on the farm system, as Worcester's season ended a week earlier, but some of Boston's minor league talent saw action with the big league club in the season's final week and the Red Sox announced the winners of their Minor League Awards.

 

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Red Sox announce 2026 Minor League Award winners 

 

Last Thursday, the Red Sox honored the standout performers in their minor league system this season. To nobody's surprise, Franklin Arias was named the Offensive Player of the Year after a monster season that saw him hit .323/.400/.557 with 25 home runs between Portland and Worcester and claim the crown as the No. 1 prospect in the Red Sox system. The Red Sox named Dylan Brown the Pitcher of the Year after the 22-year-old lefty pitched to a 3.46 ERA and struck out 143 batters in 106 2/3 innings for Salem and Greenville. The fifth-round pick out of Old Dominion was one of the breakout stars in the system this year and rose from No. 60 to 20 in the SoxProspects.com rankings.  

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Podcast Ep #431: On to the Bronx, redux

The regular season is in the books, so Chris and Ian hopped on the podcast machine to look back at one of the most unique seasons in the history of a franchise with a lot of weird seasons. Then, with the news of Tyron Guerrero and Mickey Gasper hitting the IL, the guys took one last look at the likely playoff roster before the series with the Yankees starts on Tuesday.

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After "roller coaster" season, Max Carlson showed improvement in Portland

In terms of pitching prospects that flew under the radar in the Red Sox system in 2026, Max Carlson should be towards the top of that list. While the 25-year-old might not be seen on any top prospect lists, Carlson showed intriguing signs on the mound during the second half of the season.

"This season was a bit of a roller coaster for me," Carlson said. "I felt really good coming into spring training. Over the first month in Portland, I was probably the worst pitcher in the Eastern League. Slowly but surely, I started to climb out of it. The biggest thing I did over that big stretch of time was to just be where my feet are. I was trying not to change who I was coming to the field every day and making sure I got my work in. I kept thinking to myself it was going to come around. I strung a couple good outings together and the confidence started coming back. Before you know it, I had put together two good months. During that stretch, my stuff ticked up a little bit and warmed up. I have definitely made a lot of improvements to my arsenal as well, which helped."

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Minor Notes: Red Sox clinch postseason berth; Arias named Eastern League MVP

The 2026 season is officially over for Boston's minor league affiliates, as Worcester's campaign ended via rainout on Sunday after being eliminated from playoff contention on Saturday. The big club, meanwhile, clinched a postseason berth for the second straight year despite dropping Sunday's series finale to Tampa Bay. To make that happen, they received some help from the grandson of a franchise legend.

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Yastrzemski helps Red Sox clinch

With a go-ahead three-run home run in the sixth inning of Sunday's 4-2 win over the Astros, Braves outfielder Mike Yastrzemski, the grandson of Red Sox legend Carl Yastrzemski, helped the Red Sox clinch a spot in the postseason. Boston now leads Houston, on the outside looking in, by seven games for the second American League Wild Card spot with six games remaining. The White Sox and Blue Jays sit between the two teams in the standings.

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Podcast Ep. #430: On to the Playoffs

Chris and Ian hopped on the podcast machine after the Red Sox officially clinched a playoff spot - on the 23rd anniversary of the launch of SoxProspects.com! - to work through the team's potential playoff roster against the Yankees in the Wild Card round. They then got some final in-person scouting reports for the regular season as Ian caught the WooSox this week, briefly touched on the Red Sox AFL contingent, and had some in-depth discussion of the state of the system in response to some great listener questions. Listen in!

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Cup of Coffee: Season comes to a close

9/21 Cup of Coffee: Unfortunately, there was no minor league baseball to recap on Sunday, as Worcester's scheduled season finale was canceled. With the WooSox being the lone Red Sox affiliate still active, that brings the 2026 minor league season to an end across the organization.

On behalf of everyone at SoxProspects, thank you for reading, commenting, listening, and following along throughout the season. Stay tuned next week for our annual Awards and All-Star selections as we begin putting a bow on the 2026 minor league season.

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Cup of Coffee: Arias homers, but Worcester is eliminated from playoff contention

9/20 Cup of Coffee: An extra-inning loss to Durham has officially eliminated Worcester from playoff contention. Even with a win they would have been eliminated after Rochester beat Buffalo. Top prospect Franklin Arias still had a big day, and Tanner Houck was solid in long relief.

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Durham Bulls (TB) 4, Worcester Red Sox 3 (10 innings)

Worcester's slim playoff hopes ended with an extra-innings loss to Durham. A two-run home run from Franklin Arias in the third inning gave the WooSox a 2-1 lead, and Arias later added an RBI single in the fifth to retake the lead at 3-2. Braiden Ward followed up his five-hit night by going 1 for 4 with a double and a walk, and Tyler McDonough went 1 for 2 with a double and two walks. 

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Cup of Coffee: Ward has five hits, Castro drives in seven in WooSox romp

9/19 Cup of Coffee: Everything went right for Worcester on Friday, as the team needed to take care of business on the field while getting some help around the league. Braiden Ward (pictured) and Allan Castro had huge evenings at the plate in support of a near-perfect Michael Sansone.

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Worcester Red Sox 16, Durham Bulls (TB) 1

Worcester scored early and often, keeping its long-shot playoff hopes alive as the International League schedule winds down to a wild finish. By the end of the third inning, the WooSox sported a 12-0 lead and Allan Castro had already driven in Braiden Ward three times. Ward scored five runs and drove in three as he went 5 for 5. He pulled a solo homer over the right field wall in the sixth inning and added his 61st stolen base of the season. Castro finished with seven RBI, going 3 for 4 with two doubles, a sacrifice fly, and a three-run homer in the third. Nathan Hickey also had a three-run homer, going deep in the first. Not to be lost in the shuffle, top prospect Franklin Arias was 2 for 4 with a pair of runs driven in. 

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Cup of Coffee: Oviedo makes rehab start, Holobetz shines in relief as Worcester is shut out

9/18 Cup of Coffee: Worcester's three-game winning streak was snapped at the hands of Durham on Thursday. Johan Oviedo struck out four in his rehab start, while John Holobetz (pictured) fanned eight in his first relief appearance at the Triple-A level, but the bats went cold in a losing effort.

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Durham Bulls (TB) 2, Worcester Red Sox 0

Johan Oviedo got the start for Worcester. Making his first appearance of any kind since late March, the rehabbing right-hander went 2 1/3 innings, allowing one earned run on two hits, one walk, and four strikeouts. He threw 30 pitches (20 strikes) and generated three whiffs. Fellow righty John Holobetz followed out of the bullpen and fared well in his first relief outing at the Triple-A level, scattering two hits and two walks while striking out eight over 4 1/3 scoreless frames. He threw 66 pitches (43 strikes) and generated 20 whiffs. Tyler Samaniego surrendered an additional run in the eighth, while Noah Song put up a zero in the ninth.

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Cup of Coffee: Castro homers twice as WooSox stay alive

9/17 Cup of Coffee: Worcester won its third straight, as Allan Castro (pictured) twice came up clutch on Wednesday. Unfortunately, the WooSox did not get the help they were looking for elsewhere on the International League schedule, and continue to face an uphill battle for a playoff spot.

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Worcester Red Sox 8, Durham Bulls (TB) 5

Twice Worcester fell into deficits, trailing both 3-0 and 5-3, and both times Allan Castro erased them with a long ball. Castro's two-run blast in the third inning scored Franklin Arias and knotted the score at 3-3. Four innings later, his second two-run homer of the night carried into the right-center field seats and put Worcester up 6-5, a lead it would not relinquish. Arias also singled and drove in a pair. Braiden Ward, who scored on the second Castro long ball, was 3 for 4 with two stolen bases, giving him 60 on the year. 

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Cup of Coffee: Paez deals, Castro hits walkoff single for WooSox

9/16 Cup of Coffee: With the Sea Dogs' season ending on Sunday, the WooSox are the last team standing in the Red Sox system as the Triple-A regular season enters its final week. 

 

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Worcester Red Sox 2, Durham Bulls (TB) 1 (10 innings)

After falling behind 1-0 in the first inning, the WooSox bats were held silent until the eighth inning. The WooSox loaded the bases on a Nathan Hickey walk, a Franklin Arias single, and an Allan Castro walk then scored their first run of the game when Romy Gonzalez drew Worcester's third walk of the inning. That run was enough to push the game into extra innings, where Castro was the hero as he ripped a walkoff single to right field to send the WooSox home with the win. Arias went 1 for 4 with a walk. 

 

WooSox starting pitcher Jedixson Paez allowed a solo shot in his first inning of work but he was in complete control for the rest of his start, throwing six innings of one-run ball. Paez allowed three hits and struck out four batters with no walks. After making two appearances with the Sea Dogs, rehabbing right-hander Tanner Houck had his strikeout stuff working in his first outing of the year in Worcester as he fanned three batters in an inning, walking one. Osvaldo Berrios threw a scoreless inning and Hobie Harris tossed two shutout frames to earn the win out of the bullpen. 

Worcester's win combined with a Rochester loss narrowed their deficit to just two games with five remaining. However, Indianapolis, Scranton, and Syracuse all were victorious ahead of them, tightening an already crowded playoff picture. 

 

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Player of the Day: Allan Castro had the signature moment in a pitchers' duel where the WooSox scored just two runs on six hits, delivering a walkoff single in the bottom of the tenth. Castro went 2 for 4 with a walk and an RBI, raising his slash line to .247/.322/.370 in 115 games on the season. The 23-year-old Castro is playing in his first season at the Triple-A level and the outfielder is ranked No. 34 in the Red Sox system. 

 

Photo Credit: Allan Castro by Kelly O'Connor

  

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Minor Notes: Houck, Contreras rehab as Portland season ends

The minor league season is in its home stretch. Portland finished up its schedule a day early with Saturday's annual Field of Dreams game (pictured), while Worcester heads into the final week of its 2026 campaign. 

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Houck, Contreras rehab; Oviedo to join Worcester

 

A pair of veterans were in action for the final week of festivities at Hadlock Field. Tanner Houck made a big step in his comeback from 2025 Tommy John surgery, making a pair of appearances for the Sea Dogs. The 2024 American League All-Star returned to the mound in the fifth inning of Tuesday's contest. He faced four batters, retiring two, walking two, and allowing one run. He was more effective on Friday, allowing one run on one hit in three innings of relief, striking out four, walking one, and facing just one batter over the minimum. He will pitch for Worcester this week, aiming to return to the major league bullpen for end of the regular season. Willson Contreras, out since August 30th with a hamstring strain, had a tidy two-game visit to Portland. He went 2 for 7 in two contests, as the designated hitter on Friday and then at first base on Saturday. He was activated for Sunday's major league game, going 2 for 3 with a walk in Boston's 4-1 win over Kansas City.

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Podcast Ep. #429: Portland and Greenville Live Looks

Ian and Chris have been out at the fields to close the season and they got on the horn to discuss what they've seen from the Greenville Drive and Portland Sea Dogs in the closing weeks of the season. Listen in on the latest reports from those two squads!

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