Good time for in-depth look at farm system

There were numerous significant developments in the Red Sox minor league system in 2023.

Triston Casas, Brayan Bello, and Jarren Duran all looked like parts of a coming homegrown core. Marcelo Mayer solidified his eliteprospect standing before a shoulder injury brought an early end to his season. Roman Anthony joined Mayer as an elite prospect, one who is now traveling the fastest development path of any high school player drafted by the Sox this century. Nick Yorke had a bounceback first half, then a dip, then another rebound in Double A Portland. In the Dominican Summer League, Yoeilin Cespedes looked like a potential future offensive force.

On the other side of the ledger, fivetool shoot-the-moon prospect Miguel Bleis needed season-ending surgery to stabilize his left shoulder. And the anticipated Triple A rotation options of Bryan Mata, Brandon Walter, and Chris Murphy all struggled as starters.

Each of those developments is significant, but it’s worth taking a broader view of the system at a time when the Red Sox are at an organizational inflection point. Whoever replaces Chaim Bloom as the next head of baseball operations will be charged not only with building upon a deep pool of position players but also using prospects in trades to upgrade the big league roster.

With that in mind, here’s a look at the Red Sox system entering the offseason (year-ending level in parentheses):

MIDDLE INFIELDERS

Majors: Trevor Story, Luis Urías,

Pablo Reyes.

MLB-ready depth: Enmanuel Valdez (MLB), David Hamilton (Triple A).

Prospects: Marcelo Mayer (Double A), Nick Yorke (Double A), Brainer Bonaci (Double A), Chase Meidroth (Double A), Eddinson Paulino (High A), Mikey Romero (High A), Nazzan Zanetello (Single A), Yoeilin Cespedes (DSL), Franklin Arias (DSL).

Outlook: That long list of prospects headed by Mayer will have a great deal of influence over how the Red Sox continue to build for the future and how they trade to address needs. Mayer is the one true shortstop in the group and is likely untouchable, but beyond him, the wealth of prospects gives the team room to deal.

Both Yorke and Valdez profile as bat-first big league second basemen with the chance to contribute in 2024 — Valdez immediately, Yorke later in the year — and should have trade value. Bonaci is an upper-level player who had a breakout year (.297/.354/.464 with 11 homers in 79 games) and profiles as a good defensive second baseman with the ability to move to other positions.

And while far away from the big leagues, Zanetello (a 2023 secondrounder with five-tool potential) and Cespedes (the team’s Latin America Program Player of the Year) have significant ceilings.

CORNER INFIELDERS

Majors: Rafael Devers, Triston Casas.

MLB-ready depth: Bobby Dalbec (MLB).

Prospects: Niko Kavadas (Triple A), Blaze Jordan (Double A), Alex Binelas (Double A), Cutter Coffey (High A), Antonio

Anderson (Single A).

Outlook: No positions on the big league field seem more settled than the corner infield spots, but there’s not a lot of depth behind Devers and Casas.

While Dalbec made strides defensively and added to his profile by playing respectably in right field and showing athleticism on the dirt, his swingand-miss issues continued in his yearending big league showcase.

Kavadas, Jordan, and Binelas all profile as first basemen, limiting their value unless they post elite numbers. Coffey and Anderson have the tools to emerge as interesting third base prospects but need time to develop.

CATCHERS

Majors: Connor Wong, Reese McGuire.

MLB-ready depth: None.

Prospects: Kyle Teel (Double A), Nathan Hickey (Double A), Johanfran Garcia (Single A), Brooks Brannon (Single A).

Outlook: The Sox are deeper in catching prospects than most organizations, and can consider dealing from strength in this area. Teel, the team’s 2023 first-rounder, is on a fast track to being the primary big league catcher. Hickey is a future big league hitter who might be able to catch. Garcia and Brannon have big offensive ceilings, albeit with years of development in front of them. Garcia (.274/.372/.442 with 21 extra-base hits in 57 games) put himself on many teams’ radars as an 18-year-old.

OUTFIELDERS

Majors: Jarren Duran, Masataka Yoshida, Alex Verdugo, Rob Refsnyder.

MLB-ready depth: Ceddanne Rafaela (MLB), Wilyer Abreu (MLB).

Prospects: Roman Anthony (Double A), Allan Castro (High A), Miguel Bleis (Single A), Natanael Yuten (Single A).

Outlook: While this group isn’t quite as deep as the middle infielders, the Sox arguably have more high-ceiling outfield prospects than they do middle infielders.

Anthony has a chance to be a star based on his breakout season as a 19year-old; he can’t be dealt. Beyond him, there are fascinating questions related to Duran (dazzling at times in 2023, albeit with inconsistency), Rafaela (a defensive game-changer with major offensive questions), Abreu (who in the last two months altered his profile from that of a reserve to a big league regular), and Bleis (electrifying tools but with uncertainty about his future as he returns from shoulder surgery).

STARTING PITCHERS

Majors: Brayan Bello, Nick Pivetta, Chris Sale, Kutter Crawford, Tanner Houck, Garrett Whitlock.

MLB-ready depth: None.

Potential MLB depth: Brandon Walter (MLB), Shane Drohan (Triple A).

Prospects: Wikelman Gonzalez (Double A), Hunter Dobbins (Double A), Angel Bastardo (Double A), Isaac Coffey (Double A), Luis Perales (High A), Yordanny Monegro (High A), Dalton Rogers (High A), Elmer RodriguezCruz (Single A), Jedixson Paez (Single A).

Outlook: There’s a reason why the Sox likely need to add multiple big league starters. Walter and Drohan could look like big league depth options by the middle of 2024 — particularly if their offseason programs translate to strength and stuff gains — but don’t profile as such for the beginning of next year.

Gonzalez and Perales both have special, explosive fastballs that make them the most interesting members of this group — and likely the ones who would draw the most attention from other teams, though the Sox don’t exactly have the surplus pitching inventory to suggest the ability to deal from an area of strength.

RELIEVERS

Majors: Kenley Jansen, Chris Martin, Josh Winckowski, Brennan Bernardino, Zack Kelly, Mauricio Llovera.

MLB-ready depth: Chris Murphy (MLB), Nick Robertson (Triple A), Bryan Mata (Triple A), Ryan Fernandez (Triple A).

Prospects: Luis Guerrero (Triple A), Christopher Troye (Double A), Alex Hoppe (Double A).

Outlook: Mata, long the top pitching prospect, missed most of this year with a teres major strain. He’s out of options and thus likely out of time to develop as a starter. He’ll be pitching out of the bullpen in the Arizona Fall League, an audition for a role with the Red Sox — or any of the other 29 teams — next year.

Troye had a head-turning 39 percent strikeout rate, one of the highest in the minors, and Fernandez, Guerrero, and Hoppe all posted strikeout rates of at least 29 percent. That group could factor into what Sox manager Alex Cora recently described as the need to have optionable depth to keep the team from collapsing in August.