FORT MYERS, Fla. — When it comes to the Red Sox farm system, so much is made of the Big Three.
But the Red Sox have more coming up the pipe than just Roman Anthony, Kristian Campbell and Marcelo Mayer. Just ask Mikey Romero, a former first-round pick who’s seen the system’s transformation up close.
“I feel like with our organization it’s going to be like a Big 40,” Romero said. “We have so many studs.”
This week Boston’s No. 1 ranked farm system has been on full display, first with Thursday’s Spring Breakout showcase in Port Charlotte and then with Friday’s Futures at Fenway South game at JetBlue Park. Romero was a standout in both, going 2 for 4 with a double on Thursday before crushing a two-run home run to deep center field on Friday.
“It felt good,” the 20-year-old infielder said. “I was actually using (fellow prospect) Blaze Jordan’s bat, so maybe that had something to do with it.”
Originally drafted ahead of Anthony in the 2022 MLB Draft, Romero has been largely overshadowed thanks to a run of painful back injuries that derailed the first two years of his professional career. It wasn’t until late last season that Romero was finally back playing every day, and by the time 2024 was over he’d quietly put together a solid season with a .271 average, 16 home runs and an .821 OPS in 78 games.
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Now, after enjoying the first normal offseason of his career, Romero is putting together a fantastic spring training.
Beyond the standout showings in this week's showcases, he's also turned heads in his occasional cameos in the Grapefruit League, going 4 for 6 with a home run and a double in four games as a late-inning sub. At one point Romero even drew unprompted praise from big league manager Alex Cora, which Romero said was incredibly cool.
"I feel like I knew I always had it in me, it was a just matter of when I finally got healthy again," Romero said of his recent production. "I think God's been good to me and I've been healthy thankfully. Just continuing to stay on top of my health is going to be the biggest thing."
Romero isn't the only up-and-coming Red Sox prospect who stood out on Friday.
David Sandlin, Boston's No. 7 ranked prospect according to Baseball America, got the start and carved up the Minnesota Twins' prospects. The right-hander struck out seven batters over 2.2 innings, allowing two runs on two hits and two walks while topping out at 99 mph.
The 23-year-old cruised through the first two innings before allowing two walks and a two-run single in the top of the third. Because the showcase is essentially a scrimmage, both clubs agreed to end the inning from there to avoid driving up Sandlin's pitch count.
"It was awesome, any time you get out here at this beautiful ballpark is special," Sandlin said. "It's my first time so it was good to get that under my belt."
Juan Valera, an 18-year-old right-hander, came out next and flashed some incredible stuff for anyone, much less a teenager. Valera (Boston's No. 14 prospect) struck out four batters while allowing two runs on three hits over three innings, and according to Chris Hatfield and Ian Cundall of SoxProspects.com, his fastball ranged from 98-100 mph.
Jojo Ingrassia, one of the breakout stars of the Low-A Salem Red Sox pitching staff last season, finished the game with one hit, three walks and three strikeouts over 2.1 shutout innings.
Offensively, outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia (No. 8) hit a two-run triple high off the center field wall, infielder Yoeilin Cespedes (No. 6) went 2 for 4 with two doubles, outfielder Miguel Bleis (No. 9) went 1 for 2 with a double and a run, first baseman Blaze Jordan went 1 for 1 with a sacrifice fly and a stolen base, and first baseman Justin Gonzales, a hulking 18-year-old from the Dominican Republic, bombed a towering solo shot over the left field wall in the ninth inning of Boston's 6-4 win.
"This farm system is special, it's really exciting to be a part of it," Sandlin said. "It seems like the whole farm system is taking a step in the right direction."