October 9, 2026 at 12:00 PM
2026 SoxProspects.com Awards: 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.
At the time of the promotion, Arias had batted .318/.407/.587 with 17 doubles, one triple, 19 home runs, 52 RBI, 50 runs scored, five stolen bases, 37 walks, and 46 strikeouts in 75 games (332 plate appearances) for Portland. The right-handed hitter picked up where he left off in his first taste of Triple-A action by slashing .331/.388/.506 with 11 doubles, six home runs, 39 RBI, 28 runs scored, four stolen bases, 16 walks, and 28 strikeouts in 42 games (188 plate appearances) for Worcester to finish the season.
Altogether, Arias hit a stout .323/.400/.557 with 28 doubles, a career-high 25 home runs (the most in the organization), 91 RBI, 78 runs scored, nine stolen bases, 53 walks, and 74 strikeouts in 117 games (520 plate appearances) between Portland and Worcester this season. Among other honors, he was recognized as Portland's MVP and Defensive Player of the Year, the Eastern League's MVP and Top MLB Prospect, and the Red Sox' Offensive Player of the Year.
Defensively, Arias saw most of his playing time this year come at either shortstop or second base. Between his stops in Portland and Worcester, the sure-handed 5-foot-11, 180-pounder made 75 starts at short and 16 starts at the keystone, committing only five errors in 350 total chances. He also made 18 starts at DH.
Arias, who turns 21 next month, originally signed with the Red Sox for $525,000 as an international free agent out of Venezuela in January 2023. The Caracas native is now ranked as the organization's No. 1 prospect, as well as one of the top prospects in baseball. Both Baseball America and MLB Pipeline rank him No. 2 in the sport behind only the Brewers' Jesus Made, citing added strength and increased bat speed as reasons for his 2026 breakout.
Because he is not on Boston's 40-man roster and does not need to be added this offseason, Arias will not be affected by a possible MLB lockout this winter. He should, instead, head into 2027 with a chance to continue his rapid ascent and put himself in position for a big-league call-up.
Photo Credit: Franklin Arias by Kelly O'Connor