Red Sox 2023 draft pick Antonio Anderson grew up boxing and trained under Yahya McClain, the former trainer and ex-husband of Muhammad Ali’s daughter, Laila Ali.
He also starred in basketball as a high schooler and received recruiting interest from colleges as a two-sport athlete. He ultimately decided to focus on baseball as a junior because that was the sport in which he had the most potential. The Red Sox drafted him 83rd overall and signed to him to a $1.5 million bonus, above his slot value of $846,000.
Anderson, who said he learned his focus that he uses on the baseball field from his days boxing, has landed at No. 19 on MassLive’s Top 25 prospect list.
MassLive is releasing its Top 25 Red Sox prospect list in stages. Monday-Friday. It began with the Nos. 25-21 prospects Monday and will conclude Friday with the top five prospects in the system. Below is a look at prospect Nos. 20-16.
This week’s MassLive prospect ranking schedule:
- Monday, Feb. 5: Prospects 21-25
- Tuesday, Feb. 6: Prospects 16-20
- Wednesday, Feb. 7: Prospects 11-15
- Thursday, Feb. 8: Prospects 6-10
- Friday, Feb. 9: Prospects 1-5
Hunter Dobbins. (Courtesy of Greenville Drive, Gwinn Davis Media)
20. Hunter Dobbins, RHP
Age: 24
Bats/Throws: R/R
How acquired: Drafted in eighth round (226th overall) in 2021 out of Texas Tech. Signed for $197,500.
2023 stats: High-A Greenville: 4-1 record, 2.63 ERA, 0.95 WHIP,. 222 batting average against, 44 strikeouts, five walks in seven starts (41 innings). Double-A Portland: 5-5 record, 4.27 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, .250 batting average against, 78 strikeouts, 26 walks in 13 outings, 12 starts (71 ⅔ innings).
ETA: 2025
Report: The 6-foot-2, 185-pounder dropped to the eighth round in the 2021 draft because he was just coming off Tommy John surgery. He had heard from major league teams pre-injury that he might be a late first round draft pick or early second rounder. He throws a mid-90s fastball from a high three-quarters arm slot. He also uses a 12-to-6 curveball, splitter and slider. He switched from a circle changeup to a low-to-mid 80s splitter last season. Baseball America listed Dobbins as having the top control of any prospect in the system. He averaged 9.7 strikeouts and 2.5 walks overall between Greenville and Portland this past season. He struggled some against left-handed batters after his promotion to Portland.
Dobbins should begin the 2024 season at Portland where he finished strong with a 2.80 ERA (35 ⅓ innings, 11 earned runs) in his final six starts.
He has a lot of potential as a hard-thrower (93-97 mph) and could greatly benefit from the new pitching infrastructure that chief baseball officer Craig Breslow is putting in place.
More info: Red Sox prospect up to 97 mph after ‘blessing in disguise’ falling in draft
Antonio Anderson. (Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)Getty Images
19. Antonio Anderson, 3B
Age: 18
Bats/Throws: S/R
How acquired: Drafted in third round (83rd overall) in 2023 out of North Atlanta High in Georgia. Signed for $1.5 million.
2023 stats: Florida Complex League: 2-for-15 (.133 batting average), .278 on-base percentage, one double, three RBIs, three walks, six strikeouts, one steal in five games. Low-A Salem: 5-for-27 (.185 batting average), .214 on-base percentage, one double, two runs, one RBI, one walk, nine strikeouts in seven games.
ETA: Late 2027, early 2028
Report: Anderson is a natural right-handed hitter but he began experimenting with a left-handed swing around 7 or 8 years old. He’s actually turned into a better left-hander hitter. “He has a balanced approach, shows the ability to make adjustments and can handle breaking balls. With his bat speed and projected strength gains, he should develop at least 20-homer power,” according to his MLB.com scouting report.
The 6-foot-3, 205-pounder focuses on making contact and he considers himself selectively aggressive. He topped out at 95 mph when he pitched in high school and so he has good arm strength. MLB Pipeline grades his arm 60 (above average, plus) on the 20-80 grading scale. It ranks his overall defense 45 (fringe average). The Red Sox drafted him as a shortstop and put him at third base last season. He has the chance to stick at third or perhaps play second base.
More info: As a boxer, Red Sox prospect who hits for power and average learned ‘focus’
Red Sox pitching prospect Yordanny Monegro once roomed with Brayan Bello. (Christopher Smith, MassLive)
18. Yordanny Monegro, RHP
Age: 21
Bats/Throws: R/R
How acquired: Signed as an amateur international free agent Feb. 20, 2020, out of the Dominican Republic for $35,000.
2023 stats: Florida Complex League: 2-0, 1.20 ERA, 0.60 WHIP, .102 batting average against, 20 strikeouts, four walks in three starts (15 innings). Low-A Salem: 3-2 record, 2.43 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, .217 batting average against, 60 strikeouts, 17 walks in nine starts (40 ⅔ innings); High-A Greenville: 1-1 record, 1.80 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, .222 batting average against, 13 strikeouts, five walks in two outings, one start (10 innings).
ETA: 2026
Report: The 6-foot-4, 180-pounder was not a star amateur prospect, signing for just $35,000. But a breakout season in 2023 has landed him as Boston’s 18 prospect heading into 2024. He throws a four-seam fastball, two-seam fastball, curveball, cutter and changeup. He began throwing the two-seamer and cutter during spring training 2023 with the help of pitching coordinator. Walter Miranda. He has been working to improve his changeup. His best secondary pitch is his curveball, which has 12-to-6 break. MLB Pipeline grades Monegro’s curveball 60 on the 20-80 grading scale.
More info: Red Sox prospect up to 97 mph ‘motivated’ by mentor Brayan Bello, ex-roomie
Blaze Jordan. (Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox)
17. Blaze Jordan, 1B
Age: 21
Bats/Throws: R/R
How acquired: Drafted in third round (89th overall) in 2020 out of DeSoto Central in Mississippi. Signed for $1.75 million.
2023 stats: High-A Greenville: .324 batting average, .385 slugging percentage, .533 slugging percentage, .918 OPS, 12 homers, 22 doubles, one triple, 48 runs, 55 RBIs, 28 walks, 47 strikeouts in 73 games (322 plate appearances). Double-A Portland: .254 batting average, .296 on-base percentage, .402 slugging percentage, .698 OPS, six homers, 10 doubles, 19 runs, 31 RBIs, 12 walks, 28 strikeouts in 49 games (203 plate appearances).
ETA: Late 2025
Report: There were some swing-and-miss concerns heading into the 2020 draft. But he has punched out in only 16.4% of his 1,160 professional plate appearances so far, not bad for a power hitter who turned 21 on Dec. 19. He had a 14.3% strikeout percentage in 525 plate appearances last year. He also has a walk rate of 8.3% and .358 on-base percentage in 270 minor league games.
He has played both corner infield positions but The Athletic’s Keith Law wrote in September, “He’s already slowed down enough at age 20 that he’s going to be limited to first base, and I didn’t see the bat speed he’ll need for the bat to profile there.”
The stats dropped after his promotion to Double A last year but he also was only 20 while the average player at that level was more than three and a half years older than him.
More info: Why Red Sox prospect with big power ‘would love to talk to Justin Turner’
Allan Castro (Steven Guersch, Greenville Drive)Courtesy
16. Allan Castro, CF
Age: 20
Bats/Throws: S/R
How acquired: Signed as an amateur international free agent July 2, 2019, out of the Dominican Republic for $100,000.
2023 stats: Low-A Salem: .247 batting average, .376 on-base percentage, .378 slugging percentage, .754 OPS, three homers, 20 doubles, two triples, 39 runs, 29 RBIs, 51 walks, 54 strikeouts, 15 steals in 69 games (306 plate appearances). High-A Greenville: .283 batting average, .355 on-base percentage, .446 slugging percentage, .801 OPS, four homers, 11 doubles, two triples, 23 runs, 17 RBIs, 17 walks, 36 strikeouts, four steals in 43 games (186 plate appearances).
ETA: 2026
Report: When MassLive asked assistant GM Eddie Romero which prospects to keep an eye on last May, he mentioned Castro. “He’s struggled some so far a little bit but he’ll finish off strong,” Romero said about the 6-foot, 170-pounder who has started at all three outfield positions.
Castro did finish strong as Romero predicted. The switch-hitter heated up for Low-A Salem in June, then earned a promotion July 14 to High-A Greenville where he had a .283/.355/.446/.801 line in 43 games. He has the ability to control the strike zone. He had an impressive 13.8% walk percentage and .368 on-base percentage while posting a 18.3% strikeout rate in 112 games (492 plate appearances) overall in ‘23.
MLB Pipeline wrote, “He controls the strike zone better than most Red Sox farmhands and makes regular contact with his hit-over-power approach. He needs to gain strength in order to hit the ball with more authority and currently projects to have 12-15 home run pop.”
A switch-hitter, he had better numbers batting left-handed against righties than right-handed against lefties in ‘23. But he did go 6-for-19 (.316) with a .400 on-base percentage, one homer and one double against lefties after his promotion to Greenville.
“Wiry frame,” Greenville manager Iggy Suarez said in November. “That guy’s got some thump in that bat. Quick. Quick twitch. Fast runner. Good defender in the outfield. Good arm.” Suarez (19 steals) uses his speed to his advantage (as Suarez pointed out) both on offense and defense.
More info: Red Sox prospect ‘with thump in that bat’ among 6 2024 breakout candidates
