Kyle Teel’s rapid rise through the Minors; how the Cape League prepared him

Tuesday, July 9 marked one year since the Boston Red Sox selected University of Virginia catcher Kyle Teel 14th overall in the MLB Draft. In under a year since being drafted, Teel has not only risen through the ranks of the Red Sox farm system at a meteoric rate, but MLB’s overall prospect ranks.

Teel slotted in at No. 3 on our 2024 preseason rankings, and No. 51 on our overall prospect rankings. As of July 11, just days before he competes in the All-Star Futures Game, Teel is slashing .298/.384/.455 on the season for the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs. After leading the Eastern League in batting average, RBI, and OPS in May, Teel was the recipient of his first Player of the Month award.

#RedSox No. 3 prospect Kyle Teel went 10-for-24 with three home runs and led the Eastern League with 11 RBIs and a .517 on-base percentage for @PortlandSeaDogs.

🏆: https://t.co/2wNwyyvbYq pic.twitter.com/IE9A696J6u

— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) June 3, 2024

Since the second month of the season, Teel’s bat has been on fire; he’s consistently driving in runs for one of MiLB’s best teams. When speaking about his preparation and what goes into succeeding at the professional level, Teel said “taking it day-by-day, focusing on the process and not so much the results” is one of the most important things.

When you get caught up in a single game, it’s easy to affect your psyche and mental stature. Coaches and fellow players alike have preached having a short memory; focusing on the next at bat, not the last one.

As one third of the “big three,” there’s a lot of pressure resting on the shoulders of Teel. The Red Sox have seemingly banked their future on the emergence of himself, Marcelo Mayer, and Roman Anthony.

Despite high expectations, the current Sea Dogs roster have all become close friends, on and off the field. “It’s been great,” Teel said, “I’m so grateful to be surrounded by such great ballplayers every day.”

Since joining the Red Sox organization, Teel and the rest of the organization’s top prospects have all bonded quickly. Not only are they all playing at a high level, but they’re all learning from each other along the way too. “There’s so much you could learn from guys like [Mayer and Anthony], and I’m just trying to soak it in every day and make the most of it,” Teel said.

Potentially a lesser known fact about the former Virginia Cavalier, Teel actually spent a short amount of time competing for the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod Baseball League the summer before he was drafted. While he only played in eight games and recorded 29 plate appearances, Teel gained invaluable experience in the Cape League.

“There’s just a great level of baseball in the Cape Cod League and getting the opportunity to play against that great competition has benefited me throughout my career.” When the Cape League is consistently turning out top prospect after top prospect, it can do a lot for a player’s confidence knowing they not only competed against the best, but were among them.

Teel also recalled playing for “Coach Stevie,” current Harwich Mariners field manager Steve Englert. As soon as Teel arrived in Harwich, he remembered “[their] energies matched really quickly… I felt like I was at home very quickly.” The allure of the most prestigious summer league is one of the biggest draws for the nation’s top collegiate players. Teel, further on his time on Cape Cod, said “I just loved the energy up there. [I loved] the whole culture in Harwich and the whole team aspect we had over there.”

Now as one of the top catching prospects in baseball, his Cape League days are behind him and he’s looking forward to progressing through the Red Sox Minor Leagues. A promotion following the upcoming All-Star break is seeming increasingly likely. Teel’s bat has always been one of his most valuable attributes, but since beginning professional ball his receiving and blocking skills have come a long way too. In addition to his plus arm strength, Teel is one of the more athletic catchers featured in Minor League Baseball.

Although Teel has risen to the occasion and performed at such an elite level, he’ll tell you that he’s not trying to do too much at once. “You play a lot of games in the season and it’s important to just take it one day at a time,” he said.

Teel torments Altoona again with a GO-AHEAD GRAND SLAM in the ninth inning!! pic.twitter.com/HBdiAMhUm6

— Portland Sea Dogs (@PortlandSeaDogs) June 2, 2024

At his core, he’s one of the hardest workers you could find. He spends countless hours watching game film, helping to better himself as well as the pitching staff around him, wherever it may be. To him, baseball is “about how hard you work, and going out every day with your team and playing the game for the right reasons.

It’s no surprise to see a player of Teel’s caliber have so much early success as he’s experienced. For a player that posted a 1.130 OPS in his last season at Virginia with 105 hits over the course of 65 games, he’s not just a great player, but a winning player. In no time, he’s climbed up prospect rankings and solidified himself as one of the top prospects in baseball, recently landing at No. 24 on MLB Pipeline’s midseason top 100.

In due time, Teel will be taking the field as the backstop at Fenway Park. Until then, he’s only focused on controlling what he can. Day in and day out, he’ll continue “playing the game to win, having fun, and working hard.”