The latest farm system rankings from Bleacher Report were recently announced, and you might be surprised to find that the Red Sox did not make Joel Reuter’s top ten list, instead placing 13th. The Mariners finished first, followed by the Rays, Tigers, White Sox, and Cubs.
Given the talent in the Red Sox system, it’s easy to understand why many supporters are dissatisfied with the rankings. Boston may not have the depth of the top-ranked organizations, but it’s difficult to overlook the fact that they have three prospects placed in the top ten on MLB’s list: Roman Anthony (No. 3), Marcelo Mayer (No. 7), and Kristian Campbell (No. 10). All of them had outstanding minor league seasons, and Anthony and Mayer are projected to make their major league debuts this season. The Red Sox also have 19-year-old Franklin Arias, the 95th-ranked prospect.
The Red Sox may not have the most top 100 prospects of any team, nor the best prospect in the league, but they are the only team with three in the top 10. In fact, the Tigers are the only other team with at least two. That alone should qualify them as one of baseball’s top ten farm systems.
Bleacher Report’s farm system rankings completely undervalues Red Sox’s pipeline
Looking at the teams Reuter has in front of the Red Sox makes things much more complicated. The Athletics had only two top-100 prospects yet finished sixth. The Rays, who were placed second by Reuter, had only three players in the top 100, two of whom were ranked behind Campbell, Boston’s third-best prospect. The Brewers and Rockies, rated ninth and tenth, respectively, had three top-100 players, all of whom were ranked after Campbell.
Without a doubt, the Red Sox’s low ranking stems from the trade for ace Garrett Crochet, which sent four prospects to the White Sox, including Kyle Teel (No. 25) and Braden Montgomery (No. 54). While the move reduced Boston’s organizational depth, it should not be enough to knock them out of the top ten, given the talent of Anthony, Mayer, and Campbell. Although the Red Sox may trade additional prospects in the near future, their existing farm system unquestionably deserves to be ranked among the top ten.
