The Boston Red Sox’s farm system is definitely not what it used to be.
Boston’s farm system was depleted at one point, but since Chaim Bloom took over the reigns of the team, it has taken a turn. The Red Sox had five players on Baseball America’s 2023 top-100 prospect list in Marcelo Mayer, Triston Casas, Ceddanne Rafaela, Masataka Yoshida and Miguel Bleis, and have a few other prospects knocking on the list’s doors.
To make things better for Boston, Bleis was selected by Baseball America’s Josh Norris as a top breakout candidate for the 2023 season.
“Miguel Bleis was one of the most outstanding prospects in the 2022 Florida Complex League, and only a nagging late-season injury kept him from showing his ability late in the season at Low-A Salem,” Norris said. “The scouts who watched the 18-year-old believe he has the skills to be a true five-tool player. He hits the ball hard for his age and didn’t post unusual chase or swing-and-miss rates in zone. He struck out quite a bit and had trouble breaking, which evaluators attributed mostly to his youth.They also noted that he could catch up to even premium fastball velocity with relative ease.
“Bleis has tools, youth and production on his side. Now he needs to strengthen his approach and get a better handle on breaking balls to really utilize his talents. How well he does that will largely determine his future, but the upside is there to be a superstar for years to come.”
Bleis is only 18 years old, but already has two seasons of professional baseball under his belt. The outfielder made his professional debut in 2021 with the Red Sox Dominican Summer League team and took the field with the Florida Complex League Red Sox in 2022.
In 40 games in 2022, Bleis slashed .301/.353/.543 to go along with five home runs, 27 RBIs, 14 doubles and 18 stolen bases. The young outfielder nabbed the No. 88 spot on Baseball America’s top 100 prospects list for 2023, but could easily move up with a solid season.
Bleis is certainly not ready for Major League Baseball action just yet, but if he can continue to shine in the minor leagues, we could be seeing him at Fenway Park in the not too distant future.
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