Boston Red Sox

Track Record: Walter had Tommy John surgery in his sophomore year at Delaware in 2017 and missed the entire 2018 season while rehabbing, but showed enough feel for pitching during his return as a redshirt junior to convince the Sox to take him as a day three selection. He was diligent in his work during the 2020 shutdown and returned as a different pitcher, with major gains in his entire arsenal that produced the most unexpected leap in the Sox system in 2021.

Scouting Report: Walter represents an unusual case: A pitcher whose age suggests reservations about his impressive numbers at two levels of Class A—particularly given that the Sox had him open the year out of the bullpen. But his stuff and pitch data suggest reason to believe in a big ceiling, making him a popular target in trade talks. The lefty throws from a low three-quarters arm slot and is a database-breaker for hitters, particularly now that his sinker sits at 93-95 mph with a sweeping slider and changeup that plays against both righties and lefties. His 5.4% walk rate is more indicative of Walter’s ability to induce chases than control. He’ll need to throw more strikes to stay in the rotation, but his raw stuff is elite.

The Future: Walter likely will be pushed to Double-A to open 2022, and the upper levels will give a greater indication of whether he’s a late-blooming starter or if 2021 was a mirage. If his stuff holds and he harnesses his pitches in the zone, he may challenge the Sox to put him on an aggressive development track.

Track Record: The Sox took Murphy in the sixth round of the 2019 draft believing that he had swing-and-miss weapons and better command than his 12% walk rate at San Diego suggested. The lefthander has largely rewarded that view, emerging as a steady performer who at times dominated after his late-season promotion to Double-A in 2021. He went 8-5 with a 4.62 ERA between High-A Greenville and Double-A Portland in 2021, with a 30.2% strikeout rate on the year that included a 34.1% mark in Portland.

Scouting Report: Murphy leans hard on a 92-94 mph fastball—occasionally running it up to 96-97—that hitters struggle to pick up at the top of the zone, but sometimes the pitch loses ride and becomes vulnerable to hard contact, contributing to the 21 homers allowed in just over 100 innings. His best secondary offering is an above-average changeup that dives away from righties for swings and misses, while he features a curveball that shows average potential. His slider is currently a below-average offering, and may ultimately be reshaped into a cutter. Sox officials rave about his competitiveness, believing that his makeup will allow him to work past transitional bumps in the big leagues, and that his openness to pitch design work will help him find the arsenal he needs to be effective.

The Future: Murphy’s dominance against lefties gives him a solid reliever floor, but so long as he throws enough strikes, Murphy’s four-pitch mix gives him a chance to emerge by late 2022 or early 2023 as rotation depth with a No. 4 starter’s ceiling.

Track Record: When the Sox scouted Gonzalez in Venezuela, they saw a slender pitcher with a mid-80s fastball, feel for a changeup, the ability to spin a curveball and plenty of projection as he filled out. After a respectable DSL debut in 2019, he used the shutdown to build strength and impressed in instructs in 2020 when he sat in the low 90s and topped out at 95. In 2021, he had a strong showing in the States, forging a 2.91 ERA with a 30.6% strikeout rate and 7.4% walk rate while logging 52.2 innings in the Florida Complex League and with Low-A Salem.

Scouting Report: Gonzalez features an easy, compact delivery that makes his fastball—which averages 93-94 mph and tops out at 97—appear to jump on hitters. He repeats his mechanics well and attacks the strike zone with his three-pitch mix. His changeup is currently his best secondary pitch and has plus potential, while his curveball remains inconsistent but flashes depth and sweep to give it above-average projection.

The Future: Gonzalez shows the potential for three above-average or better pitches, giving him mid-rotation potential if he can remain healthy and build upon his considerable development of the last two years.

Track Record: The Red Sox drafted Lugo in 2019 and signed him for $1.1 million with the hope that he could develop as a solid defensive middle infielder—likely a second baseman—with above-average pop. Early in his pro career, his defense advanced ahead of expectations while his bat came around slowly. But after a rusty beginning to the 2021 season, Lugo closed his first full season of pro ball with a .303/.383/.429 line in his final 61 games in Low-A Salem.

Scouting Report: Lugo lets the ball travel and has a direct-to-the-ball swing that represents both a strength and limitation. On one hand, at a young age, he shows good pitch recognition that allows him to draw walks and limits his strikeouts. On the other hand, the approach results in a lot of ground balls and hinders his ability to take advantage of his considerable strength. Even so, his ability to hit for average and get on base down the stretch in 2021 suggested a player who is making gains, with the possibility that power (beyond the four homers and 28 extra-base hits he had in 105 games) will follow. Defensively, Lugo showed fluidity and good arm strength at shortstop that provides hope that he can remain an option at the position, though he has yet to develop the diversity of arm slots that characterizes most who excel at the position. The nephew of Carlos Beltran, Lugo is considered very mature in his work ethic and habits.

The Future: Given the relatively limited game exposure Lugo received in Puerto Rico, he may follow a level-to-level progression, with an assignment to High-A Greenville for much or all of 2022 likely. If he develops 15-18 home run power, he’s a potential everyday middle infielder.

Track Record: Crawford transferred to Florida Gulf Coast after two years at Indian Wells (Fla.) JC and delivered the best season (7-1, 1.71 ERA, 10.6 strikeouts per nine) in the program’s history by anyone outside of Chris Sale. After the Red Sox took him as a 16th-round pick in 2017, Crawford delivered solid performances despite pitching through persistent discomfort as he moved up to Double-A, ultimately having Tommy John surgery at the end of 2019. He returned from the procedure in 2021 having improved his direction to the plate and with increased extension and velocity, allowing his arsenal to play up. He posted a 34.4% strikeout rate with a 5.2% walk rate across Double-A and Triple-A en route to his big league debut.

Scouting Report: Crawford holds his hands low while easing into the start of his delivery before seemingly jumping at the hitter, resulting in hitters mistiming and swinging through his 93-96 mph fastball at the top of the zone. He also has a cutter (which he sometimes reshapes into a slider) that can get swings and misses. He’s working to develop an average third pitch, with some hope of doing so with a splitter.

The Future: Crawford represents near-term big league depth. At the least, he is capable of helping as a multi-inning reliever, but if he gets a reliable third pitch, he has a chance to emerge as a back-of-the-rotation starter.

Track Record: McDonough returned to school after getting bypassed as a draft-eligible sophomore in 2020, a decision that proved wise when he emerged as one of the more reliable bats in the 2021 draft while hitting .339/.423/.631 with 15 homers in a season where he had a 53-game on-base streak. He hit the ground running in pro ball, hitting .296/.397/.491 while splitting time between second and center in 31 games in the Florida Complex League and Low-A Salem.

Scouting Report: McDonough showed a full array of skills both in college and pro ball, emerging as the sort of versatile, switch-hitting, multi-positional player now coveted in baseball. He shows solid bat-to-ball skills, strike zone recognition and modest pop from both sides of the plate. His average speed combined with strong instincts suggests a multi-dimensional player who can contribute in center or at second with low-teens power totals and double-digit steals—the sort of utility profile that once suggested a valuable reserve but that now fits a versatile everyday depiction.

The Future: McDonough could open 2022 in High-A, where he’ll continue his development at both second and center while potentially incorporating more positions down the road. He is perhaps the most polished player drafted by the Red Sox in 2021, and his versatility could help him find a spot in the big leagues at some point in 2023.

Track Record: Binelas was one of the top freshmen performers in the country in 2019, but required surgery to repair a broken hamate that ended his sophomore year prior to the pandemic. He struggled badly at the start of 2021, hurting his draft stock. But he rebounded to put up huge numbers—including 15 homers in his final 27 games—to convince his hometown Brewers to take him in the third round. He had a monster pro debut, hitting .309/.390/.583 with nine homers in 36 games (mostly in Low-A). The Brewers shipped Binelas and David Hamilton to the Red Sox along with Jackie Bradley Jr. for Hunter Renfroe in December.

Scouting Report: Binelas has what Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom called special power. Paired at Louisville with Henry Davis, Binelas produced similar exit velocities and launch angles to the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, driving the ball out to all fields and handling fastballs in the bottom half of the strike zone with a fluid swing. That said, the length in his stroke creates swings and misses on elevated pitches and creates questions about his future offensive profile. Defensively, he showed limited range at third but made routine plays. He’s likely to spend most of his time at first but perhaps with cameos at third.

The Future: Binelas should open 2022 at High-A Greenville, with a chance to advance to Double-A by the end of the season if he can control his strikeout rate. He profiles as a bottom-half-of-the-order power hitter with enough thunder to remain valuable even if he’s limited to first base.

Track Record: The Red Sox believed that Bonaci had the potential for a well-rounded skill set when they signed him for $290,000, and that view remains intact after the switch-hitter posted a .245/.336/.383 line with 20 extra-base hits and 12 steals in as many attempts over 49 games between the Florida Complex League and Low-A Salem in 2021.

Scouting Report: Bonaci had good feel for both sides of the ball as an amateur, and then added muscle after signing in 2018. While he lost some of his physical gains during the pandemic (something he planned to address by working out in the offseason in Florida), as an 18-year-old, he showed feel to hit and unusual plate discipline given his age. While he moved from short to second to accommodate Marcelo Mayer, Bonaci adapted well to that position and appears capable of developing at both middle-infield positions, with a chance to develop into average or better power given his feel for the barrel and approach. He runs well and shows good instincts on the bases.

The Future: Bonaci seems likely to open 2022 back in Low-A Salem, but with a chance to move up at midseason and remain on a more aggressive development path than peers in his signing class. He has the potential to emerge as an everyday middle infielder with near-average or better tools across the board who, as a switch-hitter, may avoid platoon confinement.

Track Record: The Red Sox saw untapped potential when scouting Ward as a sinker/slider swingman in college. Improved velocity and the development of a cutter in 2019—as well as work on a changeup and four-seamer—gave him a mix that contributed to one of the lowest ERAs (2.14) and highest strikeout rates (29.9%) of any pitcher to throw 100 innings. But after the shutdown of 2020, Ward made just two appearances in Double-A Portland in 2021 before blowing out his elbow in May and having Tommy John surgery in June.

Scouting Report: In 2019, Ward worked largely at 93-96 mph with his sinker while showing a slider with plus potential. Both the cutter and slider tunneled well off his sinker. The changeup was a point of emphasis for Ward during the 2020 shutdown. He is a good athlete with a repeatable delivery that created the expectation of control gains—but, of course, the return from Tommy John could set back that anticipated progression.

The Future: Ward seemed a candidate to fast-track after 2019, but the lost 2020 season followed by Tommy John surgery altered that trajectory completely and resulted in the Red Sox leaving him off the 40-man (and Rule 5 eligible) after the 2021 campaign. Pre-surgery, he had a No. 4 starter’s ceiling with a middle-innings floor and a potential 2021 or 2022 big league debut. Now, it would represent success for him to return to the mound in games in 2022.

Track Record: The Red Sox signed Bleis to a $1.5 million bonus in January 2021 based on his size, athleticism and what assistant general manager Eddie Romero described as extreme bat life. His solid performance in the DSL as a 17-year-old in 2021 (.252/.331/.420 with four homers and seven steals) did nothing to dispel that perception.

Scouting Report: Bleis has the hands and wrists to generate outstanding bat speed and loud contact with atypical frequency at a young age. He often features a fairly significant leg kick in his load, but has the athleticism and balance to make it work. He’ll also adjust his swing and approach from that power-generating load, showing the ability to make mechanical adjustments to create a solid hit tool. In the outfield, he glides to the ball with speed and routes that seem suited to sticking in center.

The Future: Bleis is among the most exciting prospects in the system. He’ll start progressing in the States in 2022. He’s years away from the big leagues but has the potential to be an everyday player in center.

Track Record: The Red Sox acquired Seabold and Nick Pivetta from the Phillies in August 2020 in exchange for relievers Brandon Workman and Heath Hembree, an imbalanced trade that could become more lopsided if Seabold emerges as a big league contributor. Though slowed by elbow inflammation to start the year, Seabold—true to the form he’d shown in the Phillies system—displayed a good feel for a four-pitch mix while going 4-3 with a 3.50 ERA, 22.9% strikeout rate and 8.4% walk rate in 54 Triple-A innings. He also made his big league debut (a three-inning start) in September.

Scouting Report: At his best, Seabold features a low-90s fastball that tops out in the mid 90s, but his velocity fluctuated (perhaps a reflection of his elbow issue), as he sometimes pitched closer to 88-91 mph. His changeup has swing-and-miss action though when his velocity is down, it becomes easier to spoil or put in play. Seabold also throws a slider and added a curveball to his mix in 2021. While the changeup shows potential as an above-average offering, his strongest attributes are his feel for sequencing and the ability to command his pitches in the zone. Durability and health are concerns for the slight righthander, who has thrown just over 150 professional innings since the start of 2019.

The Future: Seabold represents big league-ready, optionable depth for the Red Sox entering the 2022 season, with a chance to emerge at some point as a back-of-the-rotation option if healthy.

Track Record: Rafaela has commanded attention since signing for $10,000 as someone whose tools vastly exceed his size. He’s posted solid numbers throughout his career, including a .251/.305/.424 line with 10 homers and 23 steals in 102 games in Low-A Salem in 2021. Yet it was his defense that truly stood out. Rafaela, who’d moved around the infield in 2018-19, emerged as a dazzling outfielder in 2021, grading as easily the best in the system while opening a path as a super-utility player.

Scouting Report: Rafaela’s unexpected bat speed is particularly apparent against lefties (.267/.304/.627 with four homers). His speed shows up on the bases and in the field, where Rafaela takes excellent routes and jumps on hard-to-reach contact to the outfield. His arm grades as above-average to plus in both the infield and outfield. His bat-to-ball skills are a double-edged sword, as he had a reasonable 18.3% strikeout rate but with a tendency to chase pitches on which he made weak contact. His 5.8% walk rate is concerning, and he’ll need to hone his approach to have a chance to be more than a glove-first reserve.

The Future: With greater selectivity, Rafaela could become a super-utility player who is a plus defender at every position. If that doesn’t happen, he looks like a valuable reserve who can fill in anywhere.

Track Record: Since signing for $10,000, Jimenez has stood out as one of the best athletes in the system. The Red Sox hoped that his athleticism, hand-eye coordination and high contact rates would lead to five-tool impact. He hit for average at Low-A in 2021 but with little power.

Scouting Report: Jimenez, a natural righthanded hitter, took on switch-hitting upon entry into the Red Sox system and is still working to define his swing. He’s a free-swinger who has produced a sky-high groundball rate. The Red Sox are trying to get him to be more upright in the box to gain leverage and tap into his considerable raw strength. Though he possesses double-plus speed once underway, it hasn’t translated yet to stolen bases, creating concern about his reads. Speed and a powerful arm give him the chance to be an above-average outfielder in center or right.

The Future: Jimenez still has the tools to put the ball in play and use his speed to make an impact on the bases and defensively, but he’ll need to start squaring up the ball to maintain that outlook.

Track Record: Hickey posted a .316/.436/.539 line with nine homers in 60 games as a draft-eligible redshirt freshman in 2021. The Red Sox made a bet on his ability to continue catching, signing him to a $1 million bonus after taking him in the fifth round.

Scouting Report: Hickey features an unusual offensive profile for a catcher. He knows both the strike zone and his strengths within it, resulting in a 15.3% walk rate in college in 2021 compared to a strikeout rate of 14.2%. He makes plenty of hard contact, especially on pitches down in the zone, with the potential for an above-average hit tool and strength to suggest untapped power potential. He’s far from a sure bet to stay behind the plate, where he lacks agility and technical polish when both receiving and blocking. While he has solid arm strength, he ended his 2021 college season at third base.

The Future: Hickey may move more deliberately than other college players with his offensive profile given the need to develop behind the plate, but he’ll be given every chance to develop into a bat-first everyday catcher. If he can’t stay at the position, he could fit in a corner.

Track Record: Hamilton’s defense and on-base skills impressed as a sophomore at Texas, but a torn Achilles created concern that his exceptional speed might be diminished. The Brewers took him in the eighth round and signed him for $400,000. With the 2020 minor league season canceled, he played in an independent league, going 20-for-20 in steals. The Red Sox acquired him with Alex Binelas after the season in a trade sending Hunter Renfroe to Milwaukee.

Scouting Report: Hamilton has standout speed and timing, helping him both as a basestealer and giving him good lateral range in the middle infield. He has advanced pitch recognition and a good sense of the strike zone with strength in his swing, but he sometimes gets in trouble making hollow contact while trying to elevate the ball. He’s at his best drilling firm liners to the gaps, something he did a lot against righties but not so much against southpaws. He has the lateral range for short but a fringy arm.

The Future: Hamilton’s contact, speed and defense offer an old-school top-of-the-order skill set, while likely making him a valued part-timer against righties now.

Track Record: Koss had a strong Cape Cod League summer in 2018 but a junior year struggle dropped him to a 12th-round pick by the Rockies in 2019. He bounced back with a strong debut in the Pioneer League with impressive defense at short. The Red Sox acquired him after 2020 in exchange for lefthander Yoan Aybar, and Koss delivered a solid all-around season with High-A.

Scouting Report: Koss makes hard contact with a compact righthanded swing that is geared more for an up-the-middle approach with all-fields contact than power. That said, even while he grades as below-average in terms of power, he does have the strength to clear the fences from left to center. Koss spent all of 2021 at shortstop and showed the ability, body control and athleticism to make plus plays with a solid arm at the position. He’s already seen time in pro ball at second and short, and some evaluators believe that he has the speed and reads to add outfield to his repertoire. He is an above-average runner.

The Future: Koss has the defensive ability and hit tool to project as a utilityman with at least the ability to get in the lineup against lefties and could make more contact against righties than a pure platoon player.

Track Record: The Red Sox acquired Hernandez from the Rays prior to the 2021 season. He hit .326/.369/.568 with 10 homers over his last 63 games at Double-A and Triple-A.

Scouting Report: Hernandez has significant raw power that shows up in games when he gets the barrel to the ball, something that can be challenging despite his solid contact rate due to a lack of plate discipline. Still, if he remains at catcher, his power would allow his offense to stand out at the position even if he grades as a 35 or 40 hitter. There’s industry skepticism about his ability to stay behind the plate given technical shortcomings as a receiver and blocker, but the Red Sox were encouraged by progress he made in his receiving at the bottom of the zone and his blocking after going to one knee.

The Future: If Hernandez stays behind the plate, he could have a long career as a backup. The 2022 season is his last with an option.

Track Record: Signed for just over $200,000 on the day he turned 16, Paulino has what one evaluator described as special hand-eye coordination that, in tandem with good swing decisions, has allowed him to excel in the DSL in 2019 and the Florida Complex League in 2021.

Scouting Report: Though Paulino looks like someone who might be knocked over by a fastball, he consistently finds the barrel against heaters in the strike zone, resulting in hard contact. He possesses a line drive stroke best geared for singles and doubles, projecting for below-average power despite his ability to square up pitches. His 11.3% walk rate and 15.8% strikeout rate highlight both his bat-to-ball skills and his plate discipline. He shows the agility to move around the infield with the potential to be average at multiple positions and his solid speed should result in some exposure in center field as he progresses.

The Future: After his standout performance in the FCL, Paulino should get his first taste of full-season ball in 2022. He joins the growing list of versatile, athletic, multi-positional Red Sox infielders.

Track Record: The Red Sox acquired Wong from the Dodgers in the Mookie Betts trade, believing he had both growth potential behind the plate as well as the athleticism to move around the field in a reserve role. He stayed behind the plate all year and made his big league debut.

Scouting Report: Wong has wiry strength that helped contribute to solid power totals in the Dodgers system, but against Triple-A competition, pitchers exploited his pull-heavy approach by pitching away and getting weaker contact. He showed the ability to diversify his swing and line the ball to the opposite field in his big league cameo, giving hope that he could develop into a fringy hitter, though perhaps without much power. Wong is a terrific athlete who has emerged as a capable presence behind the plate. He’s refined his receiving to the point of being at least average behind the plate, and while he has just average arm strength, his quick feet and transfer allow him to do a decent job of controlling the running game.

The Future: Wong’s defense has developed to the point where he should have a future as a backup catcher—with the potential to add to his profile by moving around the infield.

Track Record: Song was one of the best college pitchers in the 2019 draft but slipped to the Red Sox in the fourth round based on the uncertainty created by his military commitment. He was given permission by the Navy to delay his report date to flight school, and dazzled in both the New York-Penn League and pitching for Team USA in the Premier12. But his petition to serve as a reservist while advancing in pro ball stalled amidst Department of Defense personnel and policy changes, leaving Song in limbo. He dropped the petition in mid 2020 and trained to be a pilot throughout 2021.

Scouting Report: No one has seen Song pitch since the Premier12 in November 2019, but when he was last on the mound, he showed mid-to-upper-90s four-seam velocity, a swing-and-miss slider, the potential for a solid to plus curveball and changeup and a repeatable, athletic delivery.

The Future: It’s hard to know if Song will ever pitch professionally again, and if he does, whether he’ll look anything like he did in 2019, when he showed mid-rotation potential.