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Edward Sutelan's 2017 rankings of the top 10 Boston Red Sox MLB prospects for fantasy baseball dynasty leagues. He previews their minor league farm system.
The Red Sox system took a bit of a hit over the Winter Meetings as they dealt away top prospects Yoan Moncada and Michael Kopech as well as solid outfield prospect Luis Alexander Basabe and to the White Sox in exchange for Chris Sale (you can read about that trade here). But even with the deal, there is still plenty of talent to be had for dynasty owners in the Sox organization as they still possess guys like Andrew Benintendi, Rafael Devers and Jason Groome who are all considered to be consensus top-30 prospects among evaluators.
This is the second installment of my top dynasty prospect lists for the offseason. I will continue to go through the American League in alphabetical order.
Next week, we will be taking a look at the New York Yankees. To read about the Baltimore Orioles organization, click here.
By the way, if you are interested in more MLB prospects columns, head on over to our 2017 fantasy baseball rankings dashboard. Throughout the offseason, you will find the rest of our team prospect breakdowns, fantasy baseball prospect rankings, tiered positional rankings, keeper values articles, and more - all in one easy place.
Boston Red Sox Top Prospects for Dynasty Leagues
Top Overall Talent: Andrew Benintendi
Top Prospect to Start in 2017: Andrew Benintendi
Now that Moncada is off to the South Side, Benintendi is the easy choice for number one on this list. Scouts have maintained there is very little Benintendi can’t do, citing not only his defensive prowess and strong arm capable of manning all three outfield positions as well as a disciplined approach to the plate that also features some power and speed. Benintendi will be starting in left field on Opening Day for the Red Sox and dynasty owners are ready and excited to reap the rewards of a full season of the young outfielder.
Top Prospect who won’t debut in 2017: Rafael Devers
There is a chance Devers reaches the big leagues in 2017, especially with Moncada now off to Chicago, but my guess is he gets a cup of tea at best and won’t have any impactful time until 2018. Devers has about as much upside as anybody in the system, drawing comparisons to Manny Machado (though those comps are more in relation to his bat rather than his glove). Like Benintendi, he is a very advanced hitter despite being a bit younger and looks to be a very solid lock to eventually produce in a big league lineup.
Biggest Boom or Bust: Bobby Dalbec
Dalbec was a crucial part to Arizona’s run at the College World Series and impressed as one of the best bats available in the draft due to his power. However, like with many young power bats, Dalbec is limited by his current strikeout issues. Scouts look at the loft in his swing and his aggressiveness at the plate as the two leading reasons he may have trouble toning down on the swings-and-misses. If he is ever able to bring his K% below 20%, he has a chance to be a big league regular with the chance to hit .270 with 25-30+ home runs per season. If he can’t, he may struggle to become a real force in the big leagues.
Biggest Sleeper: Roniel Raudes
Odds are, you have never heard of Raudes. That is a shame because he has impressed at every level of the minors he has reached. Last season, he was at Class-A and he threw 113.1 innings with a 3.65 ERA and 3.12 FIP while striking out 22.9% of the batters he faced and walking only 4.9%. Oh and did I mention he was only 18 years old? Raudes is dominating the minors already and could potentially reach the big leagues at the ripe age of 21, or maybe even earlier.
Top Prospect Hitters
Best Power Hitter: Rafael Devers
Scouts have been clamoring about Devers’ ability to hit for power for years, even before he has actually turned in a season with 20 home runs. They see a lightning fast swing with an ability to generate plenty of loft and a hitter who’s unafraid to use all fields. And though he does have yet to mash over 15 bombs in a season, Devers is believed by many to have incredible raw power which will someday hit 20+ dingers per season, possibly bringing that total up into the mid-30s.
Most Likely to Hit over .300: Andrew Benintendi
Best Burner on the Bases: Andrew Benintendi
Fantasy owners will always be happy when the guy with the most speed in the system is also the best batsman. Benintendi is not necessarily going to be an elite base stealer, but scouts praise his instincts both on the bases and in the field and believe he could probably swipe 15-20 bags per season. And thanks to his advanced approach to the plate, he looks likely to receive plenty of base stealing opportunities. He has a quick swing, an incredible understanding of the strike zone for someone his age and an ability to spray the ball to all fields makes him a virtual lock to hit at least .290 if not over .300 every season he plays.
Top Prospect Pitchers
Strikeout Machine: Jason Groome
Best Command: Jason Groome
With Michael Kopech now gone, Groome is the undisputed top pitching prospect in the Red Sox system. Though he doesn’t have the triple-digit fastball of Kopech, he does possess one of the best collections of secondary pitches in the minors. He has an above-average changeup that serves as a great equalizer against righties and a nasty curveball that does seem serious damage against left-handed hitters. And the 18-year-old’s fastball is no slouch itself as it has been clocked as high as 97 mph. With this nasty repertoire, Groome should have little trouble racking up high strikeout totals. And to make matters even better for dynasty owners, his well above-average command and control looks solid in the early goings and scouts are encouraged he will keep the walk totals down.
Top 10 Dynasty Prospects for the Boston Red Sox
1. Andrew Benintendi (OF, MLB)
ETA: 2017
There are few prospects in baseball that stand out as low-risk, high reward players, but Benintendi is exactly that as he looks very likely to become a big league regular with the chance to be a perennial All-Star.
2. Rafael Devers (3B, A+)
ETA: 2018
Devers only just turned 20 years old, but he is not far off from the big leagues and could be a major impact bat once he gets there.
3. Jason Groome (SP, A-)
ETA: 2020
Few pitching prospects possess the repertoire of Groome and as a result, he has one of the highest upsides of any pitcher in the minors.
4. Sam Travis (1B, AAA)
ETA: 2017
Travis didn’t have much pop before the 2016 season and he may even have less now that he tore his ACL. At first base, his offensive ability really has to be put into question.
5. Roniel Raudes (SP, A)
ETA: 2019
Raudes does neither possesses a below-average pitch nor does he show poor control, but he also doesn’t blow anyone away. With that said, he figures to at least be a solid backend-middle-of-the-rotation starter for the Red Sox.
6. Bobby Dalbec (3B, A-)
ETA: 2019
Plate discipline will determine how far Dalbec and his impressive power are able to go. If things work out the way they’re supposed to, he could be a very solid power-hitting third baseman.
7. Josh Ockimey (1B, A)
ETA: 2019
The same story for Dalbec applies to Ockimey: the power is there for him to be a star at the highest level, but his ability to cut down on the strikeouts will determine his role in the bigs.
8. Brian Johnson (SP, AAA)
ETA: 2017
The prospect shine is starting to wear off Johnson who is already 26 and has yet to reach a full role in the big leagues. He could be a solid back-of-the-rotation starter, but he needs to find consistency at Triple-A first.
9. Travis Lakins (SP, A+)
ETA: 2019
Control issues have plagued the early going of Lakin’s career, but he has the stuff to be a solid middle-of-the-rotations starter for the Red Sox.
10. Michael Chavis (3B, A+)
ETA: 2018
If Chavis can improve his plate discipline, he has a chance to be a solid power-hitting utility guy for the Sox.
Conclusion
The Red Sox system was far more loaded back in June when they still had Moncada, Kopech, Anderson Espinoza, Luis Alexander Basabe and Mauricio Dubon, but this system is still extremely talented. They have one of the top pitching prospects in the game in Jason Groome, one of the top three dynasty prospects in the game in Andrew Benintendi and the best third base prospect in Rafael Devers.
Though the Red Sox still possess an outstanding top three, they now lack the depth that made them one of the top farm systems in the game even a couple weeks ago. Chavis, Lakins and Johnson at the backend of this system are not nearly as compelling prospects to own as guys like Dubon and Basabe. The trio at the top make this a top ten system almost by default, but once Benintendi graduates, the Red Sox will probably only have a top-15 system at best.
