Watch out for these 3 top Red Sox prospects in 2025

This story was excerpted from Ian Browne’s Red Sox Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

For the Red Sox, it was an eventful year on the farm. The Big 3 -- Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer and Kyle Teel -- worked its way up to Triple-A. Not only that, but a fourth star emerged (more on that below) to create more excitement.

Here is a categorial look at where things stand in Boston’s farm system.

3 players who forced their way onto the radar

INF/OF Kristian Campbell
The highly athletic right-handed hitter started the season as the No. 30 prospect for the Red Sox, according to MLB Pipeline. He enters the offseason at No. 3. As the ranking shows, Campbell emerged as a stud who now belongs in the same sentence as Anthony.

Defensively, the former Georgia Tech star can get the job done at second base, shortstop and center field. It was with the bat that Campbell had his big breakthrough in ’24. He started the season at High-A Greenville before earning a promotion to Double-A Portland and then to Triple-A Worcester. In total, he slashed .330/.439/.558 with 32 doubles, three triples, 20 homers, 77 RBIs and 24 stolen bases. Campbell was Boston’s fourth-round compensation pick in the 2023 Draft for losing free agent Xander Bogaerts to the Padres.

SS Franklin Arias
The Red Sox were thrilled to sign Arias as part of their international signing class of ’23, and have become even more enthused as time has gone on. Arias started the season ranked No. 15 in the club’s farm system and vaulted to No. 6. In fact, the Red Sox recognized him during in their Minor League Awards ceremony as the organization’s Baserunner of the Year. Arias opened the season in the Florida Complex League and spent the final 36 games at Single-A Salem. He is one of the many talented shortstops in Boston’s system.

“He's always been a strong defensive player,” said Red Sox director of player development Brian Abraham. “He's added some really good strength, and really good weight. So we've seen him impact the baseball more. We're seeing a player that has five tools and [can] do a bunch of different things, run the bases well and I think can make an impact in all phases of the game.”

RHP Luis Guerrero
The hard-throwing righty reliever, who was born in the Dominican Republic but grew up in Boston as a Red Sox fan, realized his dream of being promoted to his hometown team as a September callup. Though he hasn’t gotten much hype in his rise through the farm system, Guerrero proved his worth at the highest level. Pitching in nine games, Guerrero didn’t allow an earned run, walking two and striking out nine. Boston’s No. 28 prospect will be very much in the mix for a bullpen spot in Spring Training.

2 breakout players to watch

SS Mikey Romero
The team’s first-round selection in ’22, Romero was held to 34 games in his first full pro season due to back woes. He didn’t debut until May 7, but earned his ticket to Double-A Portland in late August. He wound up with 336 at-bats, belting 16 homers to go with an .821 OPS. With a regular offseason ahead of him, Romero should be able to have an even better ’25 season.

OF Nelly Taylor
Taylor had a tremendous season with his glove, and he was named the organization’s Defensive Player of the Year. The 11th-rounder out of Polk State (a junior college in Winter Haven, Fla.) has a real chance to exceed expectations. He has raw power and plus-speed. Taylor needs to cut down on his strikeouts, something that will likely happen if he can shorten his swing.

1 big prospect question for 2025

Can Marcelo Mayer stay healthy?
For the second year in a row, Mayer’s season was cut short -- this time by a lumbar strain. After a tremendous season at Double-A, Mayer received a promotion to Triple-A on Aug. 11, but never got to play there due to the injury. It was a bitter pill to swallow for Mayer, who badly wanted to stay healthy for a full season after being unable to do so in ’22 and ’23. For Mayer to remain a top prospect, he will need to become more durable.