The future stars of the Red Sox will be on display in Major League Baseball's second annual Spring Breakout game Thursday evening. Boston will travel to Port Charlotte, Fla., to play the Rays, and first pitch will be at 7:05 p.m. on NESN+.
The Sox’ top prospects, Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer, and Kristian Campbell, should all be in the lineup.
Anthony is one of the top hitting prospects in baseball who reached Triple-A last August. Once he called Polar Park home, he mashed at the plate for the WooSox, hitting .344 with a .982 OPS in 35 games.
Campbell is competing for an Opening Day roster spot this spring, seeing time at both second base and left field. The fast-rising prospect hasn’t exactly grabbed the brass ring and claimed a roster spot, struggling offensively at the plate. He’s 4-for-25 (.124) with five walks and five total bases; he’s five for his last 15 with three walks. The 22-year-old has looked lost and almost seems to lack confidence at the plate, with David Hamilton and Vaughn Grissom lapping him in the pecking order for a roster spot.
Mayer has enjoyed a strong spring training and, most importantly, has been healthy. The 22-year-old is now 8-for-21 (.381) with a homer and six RBI and 13 total bases through 10 spring training games. He’s trying to make his case to win a spot on the Opening Day roster. Realistically, Mayer will be reassigned to minor league camp and begin his season with the WooSox.
The “Big 3” are well talked about and are knocking on the door of big leagues. Let’s take a look at some other players in the system who will get a chance to take part in the Spring Breakout game.
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PITCHING PROSPECTS TO WATCH
The Red Sox saw numerous young pitchers within their pitching pipeline make major strides during the 2024 season.
Left-handed starter Connelly Early was one of those pitchers that jumped two levels in the system while tossing more than 100 innings last season, the only member of the Red Sox’ 2023 draft class to reach that milestone.
Early's ascent through the Sox' system led him to learn he was selected to the roster last week.
"It’s a great feeling to be chosen for the Breakout roster and I am very grateful for the Red Sox giving me this opportunity to be accompanied by what I think is the best minor league farm system in baseball," Early said to Boston Sports Journal.
Early saw an uptick in his velocity, topping out his fastball at 96 mph. A big part of his velocity change has been his added work in the weight room.
"In the fall we focused on pull downs and throwing workload as well as strength training in the weight room," said Early. "Once I got home, I started mixing in bullpens so my lifting changed to a more speed and power focus to move weight fast. I had a few lower body movements that I needed to fine-tune to be more efficient in my body moving down the mound. I tracked my workload while I was at home to maximize my high days and also allow adequate rest on my recovery days. During the dead period, the Red Sox weren’t allowed to contact me, but prior to leaving the offseason program down in Fort Myers, I had a meeting to go over where I needed to be coming into camp in January."
His changeup is considered his best secondary pitch, which he reintroduced to his arsenal during spring training last year. The young hurler was receptive to the idea of reworking his changeup and embraced the coaching and took the pitch into games. Early maximized his pitches by alternating his grips on how he would throw the ball. Expect Early to show off his off-speed pitches if he gets into the game.
"Our minor league pitching crew is in a really solid spot going into this upcoming season, which is a testament to the hard work and dedication each one of us has as well as the guidance from the Red Sox pitching staff," added Early.
Before every start, right-handed pitching prospect David Sandlin watches Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. The Oklahoma native gets fired up watching Anakin Skywalker turn to the dark side in the film, getting him ready to pitch the next day.
The hard-throwing righty likely continued his pregame ritual on Wednesday, incase the Sox use him in the game against the Rays future standouts.
Boston selected Sandlin to their roster for the second straight year after they acquired him from the Royals for John Schreiber last spring.
“Getting selected as a part of the roster to be a player that is seen as the next wave in the farm with the rest of the guys is special and an honor I don’t take lightly,” said Sandlin.
“With the talent we have in the Red Sox system, I think internally it’s a huge excitement to see that involves a lot of names fans might not know yet either. So to be a part of a group representing that group is awesome.”
Sandlin boasts one of the best fastballs in the Sox’ system, topping out at 99 mph in-game. He hit 100 mph in winter workouts and continues to offer consistent velocity in the upper 90s. He credits Blue Jays starter Max Scherzer as someone he likes to emulate on the mound, citing he's a big fan of his mentality when he pitches on game day.
Payton Tolle is another name to keep an eye on if he pitches in the game. Boston selected the left-hander in the second round of last year’s amateur draft out of TCU.
The 6-foot-6, 270-pounder has been working on getting acclimated to the Red Sox system, including the analytics Boston’s pitching program focuses on as they develop their pitchers. Tolle learning the analytics side of pitching has been one of the biggest differences so far early on in his pro career.
“I think one of the things is like the numbers and analytics and everything,” said Tolle jokingly. “I’ve never been a big analytics guy. After an outing, I remember I would have to sit with our analytics guy and be like, 'Okay, what does this mean?'”
All kidding aside, he offers a four-pitch mix with his heater topping out at 96 mph. It’s still early, but Tolle projects more as a back-end starter or even a left-handed reliever. His dominant fastball and off-speed pitches make him an intriguing arm to follow. He should begin the season with High-A Greenville.
(IMAGN IMAGES NATHAN RAY)
POSITIONAL PLAYERS TO WATCH
Mikey Romero has played in four games this spring; he’s 4-for-6 (.667) with a homer, one double, two RBI, a walk, and eight total bases. He’s not going to figure into the Red Sox roster plans anytime soon; Romero should begin this coming season at Hadlock Field with the Sea Dogs, where he finished out the 2024 season, belting six homers in 16 games.
The former first-round pick is healthy and could focus on getting ready for the upcoming season and not rehabbing an injury. He spent the 2023-24 offseason due to a stress fracture in his lower back.
Romero is healthy and focused on the 2025 season and thankful the Sox selected him to be part of the exhibition game.
“It’s a great opportunity to be picked in the game. I’m excited to play. I’m excited to keep showing people what I can do,” said Romero.
Alex Cora has been impressed with the changes to Romero’s body physically and also likes his natural instincts while playing the game.
“Just the baseball player [he is],” said Cora. “Good at-bats, good defender. Mikey Romero is a good player. We’ve just got to [keep] him healthy. He did everything this offseason to put himself in good shape. He’s a lot stronger now. This is the first time I’ve had a look at him consistently, and I like him as a player.”
Another infield prospect who has gotten praise from evaluators within the Red Sox organization is shortstop Franklin Arias. The 19-year-old had a breakout campaign in 2024, batting .309, with nine homers, 25 doubles, two triples, 54 RBI, 35 stolen bases, and a .896 OPS.
Arias was named the 2024 Florida Complex League MVP and was also recognized as an FCL All-Star and the FCL’s top MLB prospect. Defensively, Arias is considered a better fielder than Mayer with soft hands and advanced range. Even though he’s currently penciled in as a shortstop in the lower levels of the system, he might be better suited for second base as he elevates through the Sox’ system.
After seeing his stock rise in 2024, Arias is primed to build upon last season and become a more household name among Red Sox fans, similar to Campbell, who had a meteoric rise through the system. If everything aligns, the athletic infielder has the ceiling of becoming an everyday player in the big leagues.
It feels like we’ve talked about Miguel Bleis for years. The 21-year-old outfielder enters this season as a prime bounce-back candidate after dealing with injuries the last handful of professional seasons. He suffered a shoulder subluxation in 2023 and had a down year offensively in 2024 that saw him earn a promotion to High-A Greenville.
"Bleis was able to spend the entire offseason in Fort Myers focusing on improving his body along with full baseball activities compared to last year when he was still rehabbing," said Red Sox senior director of player development Brian Abraham.
"He continues to make strides in all areas, making some mechanical adjustments with his swing that should allow for more consistency when it comes to impacting the baseball. He has added good weight, remains strong in all 3 OF spots, and is someone who can also make a difference on the basepaths. We are excited about the year ahead for him and his opportunity to continue to develop."
Bleis’ abilities are off the charts; however, his inability to stay healthy and get consistency at the plate has tarnished his stock some. He offers the raw abilities of a superstar that pair with plus supporting tools. The five-tool player hasn’t really hit to his projections in the minors, leaving many to question whether he has enough in his bat to hit at the upper levels or even the big levels.