Four Red Sox prospects named to Baseball America Top 100 list
Baseball America unveiled its highly anticipated preseason Top 100 Prospects list on Wednesday morning, and four Red Sox prospects made the cut.
Shortstop Marcelo Mayer (No. 14), outfielder Roman Anthony (No. 21), catcher Kyle Teel (No. 62) and infielder/outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela (No. 94) each made the list.
Mayer moved up one spot from last summer’s in-season rankings, Anthony moved down two spots from No. 19, and Teel made a big jump, moving 23 spots up after debuting at No. 85.
Rafaela re-entered the Top 100 after previously falling out, and outfielder Miguel Bleis fell off the list after missing most of 2023 with a shoulder injury.
Mayer moved up on the list despite a disappointing 2023 that was derailed by a lingering shoulder injury. Baseball America acknowledged those setbacks while noting that he was still able to show how polished he is defensively.
Anthony more or less held steady thanks to his dominant performance in High-A and his late-season promotion to Double-A at 19 years old, and evaluators were particularly high on Teel, who was drafted No. 14 overall last July and made an immediate impact upon his arrival in the minors.
“One of the more buzzworthy names this offseason, Teel could continue to climb the list throughout the season,” Baseball America wrote. “Teel has a chance to develop into an all-star behind the plate with strong contributions on both sides of the ball.”
Mayer, Anthony and Teel are currently in Boston taking part in the Red Sox Rookie Development Program, and Rafaela will join them in Springfield to participate in Red Sox Winter Weekend.
In addition to the four who made the Top 100, Baseball America said outfielders Wilyer Abreu and Bleis, shortstop Yoeilin Cespedes and pitchers Wikelman Gonzalez and Richard Fitts each received at least one vote for Top 100 from their prospect team.