Five Emerging Red Sox Prospects to Watch in 2024

October 4, 2023 Adam Greene AL East, General, MiLB, Red Sox 0

Nathan Hickey, Greenville Drive, May 2, 2023. Asheville, NC. Photo by Benjamin Rush, @BenRushPhoto on Twitter and @BenRushPhoto on Instagram
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Just four years ago, the Boston Red Sox were dead last in farm system rankings. They had won the World Series the year before, but their model was far from sustainable, leading to the hiring of Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom. From day one, he was brought in to replenish their minor league system, and regardless of product on field at Fenway, he did just that. Despite Bloom’s termination, the Red Sox undeniably have improved minor league depth and currently sit amongst the best farms in Major League Baseball. The flourishing prospects like Marcelo Mayer, Roman Anthony, and Ceddanne Rafaela have answered questions about where the next great Red Sox will come from, but deeper in Boston’s farm, there are more players primed for their own emergence.

The following five players capped off successful 2023 seasons and should climb up rankings in 2024. Current rankings listed are from our Prospects1500 Red Sox midseason Top 50 prospects (from this past July).


Allan Castro, OF
(Current ranking – 27)

After being one of the Red Sox’s international signings in 2019, the organization quickly transitioned Castro from middle infielder to outfielder. His 6’0, 170 lb frame aligned with the team’s vision of having someone capable of playing all three outfield positions. In 2023, he proved them right by having his best defensive season. Castro possesses the batting skills to complement his defense, as he can switch-hit (favoring the right side). One of the organization’s primary objectives has been to find players who get on base, and Castro excels in this regard. In 2023, while playing for Salem (Single-A) and Greenville (High-A), he maintained a .368 OBP.

One of the most impressive improvements over the past year has been his swing speed and power. In 2022, his debut season in pro ball, Castro hit three home runs and five doubles. During the offseason, he gained a few pounds of muscle, resulting in only four additional home runs but a remarkable increase from five doubles to 31. His enhanced swing speed and power contributed to his best offensive season since being drafted, concluding his 2023 campaign with a 120 wRC+. If he continues to hit consistently and can establish himself as a plus defender, he’s bound to climb Boston’s farm system in 2024.

Christopher Troye, RHP
(Current ranking – 40)

The Sox selected Troye out of UC Santa Barbara in the 12th round of the 2021 MLB Draft. Troye is coming off an incredibly successful 2023 season. Over the span of 49.1 innings pitched, split between Greenville (High-A) and Portland (Double-A), he posted a 3.10 ERA. He earned the promotion to Portland following a dominant May where he held hitters to a .139 batting average.

One of Troye’s standout features is his ability to keep the ball in the park. He’s surrendered just three home runs since being drafted. One thing to watch with Troye is his command, as he posted a 6.6 BB/9 rate last season. As a counter, he was held to a two inning maximum after his first game of the season when he struck out seven over 3 IP. The strategy will play to his strength though since his arsenal includes a four-seam fastball that can reach 98 mph, a slider, a cutter that’s stuff+ sits at 112, and a curveball with a vertical break that has escalated each year. Keeping him in a one to two-inning role provides opportunities to develop his fastball and increase its velocity. If the four-seamer continues to progress, it could become one of the best pitches in the Sox farm system as early as next year. Troye has the opportunity to further boost his stock by pitching in the Arizona Fall League this year.

Nathan Hickey, C/DH
(Current ranking – 15)

The Red Sox drafted the University of Florida catcher in the 5th round of the 2021 MLB Draft and quickly advanced him to Salem (Single-A) after just eight games in the Florida Complex League. In the two years since then, Hickey has almost a full season under his belt in Portland, where he terrorized pitchers with an .858 OPS and blasted 19 home runs. He is considered one of the top pure power hitters in the Red Sox farm system, hitting for a .231 isolated power clip in 2023.

With the Sea Dogs, Hickey was able to DH for about a quarter of the games he played. While he won’t be moved off catcher, with 1st round pick Kyle Teel rapidly progressing through the Red Sox minor leagues, it’s expected that Hickey will spend more time at DH next year. As he’s looking to improve his runners caught stealing percentage, and blocking balls in the dirt, the DH role is a natural fit. Like Troye, Hickey is also playing in this year’s Arizona Fall League for the Glendale Desert Dogs, where he’ll aim to showcase his power. In 2024, Hickey will have the opportunity to move up to Worcester (AAA) and prove that he’s one of the top power bats in the organization.

Isaac Coffey, RHP
(Current ranking – 35)

For someone who had only appeared in two games with the FCL Red Sox before 2023, Coffey did just about as well as anyone could have hoped this past season. With NCAA experience, pitching for Oral Roberts, and being drafted in the 10th round in 2022, he skipped Salem and made the jump directly to Greenville. Coffey amassed a fantastic 155 strikeouts over his 117.2 innings of work, easily earning his promotion to Portland. He won’t light up the radar gun, but his pitch variety includes a sinker ranging from the high 80s to low 90s, a slider that fooled just about everyone with its sidearm release, a 12-6 curveball, and a new changeup.

Coffey is now tasked with carrying on his success to the upper levels of the minor leagues, where he’ll face stronger competition. His advantage is rooted in his ability to dominate the strike zone, which allowed him to frequently get ahead of batters in 2023. One area of improvement for Coffey is reducing hard contact, as he did give up a good number of hard-hit balls. The organization’s hope is that any pitcher known for commanding the zone while not throwing very hard will figure this out if they want to make it to the majors. In Coffey’s second year of professional baseball, I’d watch for him to become one of their top arms in the upper minors.

Yordanny Monegro, RHP
(Current ranking – 34)

After years of failed pitching development by the Red Sox, they have recently started to right the ship with Brayan Bello, Wikelman Gonzalez, and Luis Perales breaking through. Monegro has a legitimate chance to be right up there with those names, if not higher. Signed at 18 years old, he was part of the Red Sox’s push to bolster their international prospects. In 2023 he pitched at three levels posting a 2.06 ERA, working through the FCL, Salem, and ending his year in Greenville. The right hander is a strikeout machine, having a season average of 12.7 K/9.

Monegro possesses a complete pitch arsenal, featuring a fastball in the mid-90s, a curveball with a wild 11-5 break, and a new slider that really began to shine in Salem. Additionally, he has a changeup that wasn’t used in 2023 but is expected to be retooled during the winter, potentially re emerging during Spring Training. Monegro ran into some trouble with walks in Salem, but after his promotion to Greenville, he only issued two for the remainder of the year. More impressively, he surrendered only one home run all year, during his final start of the season. Among all the prospects in the Red Sox system, Monegro is one to be very excited about and could easily find himself in the team’s top ten if this success continues.

Adam Greene

Adam Greene is a Sport Management and Marketing double major at UMass Amherst's Isenberg School of Management. His main focus is sport marketing, where he's already had internships with the local Westfield Starfires and Springfield Thunderbirds. He now writes for the Cape Cod Baseball League. From Longmeadow, MA, Adam is a huge Red Sox fan and has been following the team his whole life. When Covid hit, he started paying a lot more attention to the Red Sox minor league teams, and now, follows them almost as much as the big league squad. Follow him on Twitter at @aj_greene1015 and Instagram at the same handle.

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