Everybody knew about Marcelo Mayer and Roman Anthony due to their status as high-prized prospects in the Boston Red Sox farm system.
Even Jhostynxon Garcia draws plenty of attention, even if it’s just for his unique first name and nickname.
There is another top Red Sox prospect that isn’t as well known, but that figures to change real soon. Franklin Arias is still only a teenager but he’s turning heads with what he’s done so far this season.
“We watched him in spring training and knew it was gonna be a good year … but watching him do this is definitely above expectations, for sure,” High-A Greenville hitting coach JP Fasone told MassLive’s Christopher Smith.
Fasone called Arias’ production at the plate since joining Greenville “wildly impressive.” Arias, who was promoted from Low-A Salem on April 29, is slashing a ridiculous .379/.416/.534 with a .950 OPS to go along with two home runs, 22 RBIs and five stolen bases in 27 games with Greenville.
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The 19-year-old shortstop, who won’t exit his teenage years until November, is listed as the third-best Red Sox prospect by MLB Pipeline behind Anthony and Mayer, who has since made it to the big leagues. Evaluators certainly see Arias’ budding potential as The Athletic’s Keith Law ranked him as the No. 8 prospect in all of baseball in his latest rankings.
“I think the most impressive thing just watching him and being around him every day is his maturity level and his professionalism around the ballpark,” Fasone said. “You hang out with him and you wouldn’t guess he’s 19. He goes about his business in a professional manner and knows what he needs to work on and is constantly looking to find ways to improve. I think it says a lot about him at 19 to be able to do all that.”
It is just the third season in the Red Sox organization for Arias as the Venezuela native signed with Boston in the 2023 international class. He rose quickly through the ranks and could do what Anthony accomplished in 2023 by climbing three levels of Boston’s farm system in a matter of months and wind up with Double-A Portland by season’s end.
“Luckily I don’t have to worry about any of that (promotion decisions) but I would say if he continues on this trajectory there’s no reason he wouldn’t be,” Fasone said. “He’s definitely shown he can handle the pitching. There’s definitely things we still wanna see out of him in Greenville. But when the people that make those decisions make the call, he’ll definitely be ready.”
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