Milliken: Early spring training standouts for the Red Sox
1. Marcelo Mayer
Heading into spring training, everybody’s attention was on Kristian Campbell and Roman Anthony, but Marcelo Mayer has grabbed the spotlight. He’s 5-for-14 with a homer and a triple so far. The triple was off Jack Flaherty and the homer off Kenta Maeada, both guys who have seen their fair share of success at the big league level. Hell, even Alan Trammell wanted to reunite with Mayer after the game and shake his hand.
On Friday against the Phillies, Mayer also showed off his eye by spitting on two 4-seam fastballs that were half-an-inch off the plate, with him challenging the final one to draw a walk. That’s the type of approach fans were hoping to see when he was getting compared to Corey Seager during the draft process. If anything, it’s felt like the last 10 days have been a reminder of why he’s still rated a top 15 prospect in the sport by Baseball America.
Defensively, he’s looked fluid and has continued to draw the praise of Alex Cora. He’s also seen time at third base and didn’t look out of place. Next up should be some time at second base, which he’s done on the backfields over the last few weeks.
2. Ceddanne Rafaela
If there’s one player jumping off the screen when you watch the Red Sox right now, it’s Ceddanne Rafaela. The body is clearly different, which was intentional with the organization asking him to gain weight and get stronger over the offseason. He’s now 13-14 lbs heavier with some mechanical adjustment at the plate and an improved approach.
It’s led to Rafaela going 5-for-13 out of the gate with a homer, double, and 4 runs knocked in. He also hasn’t struck out once, while drawing 2 walks. I’m not here to tell you that he’s magically flipped the switch at the plate, but after working with Team Sosa over the offseason, it’s clear that he’s bringing something new to the table. There were signs of a more cautious approach last spring, but it wore quickly as the year went on. Time to see if he can sustain it through 162.
3. Luis Guerrero
Luis Guerrero has been filthy. Hard to frame it any other way. He’s up to 6 strikeouts through 3 scoreless innings of work with only one walk and one hit allowed. It looks like the type of stuff you want at the back of your bullpen, which will only become more apparent if Liam Hendriks isn’t able to find his footing over the next 3 weeks.
Considering he only has 10 innings at the big league level under his belt, I’d be surprised to see the Red Sox put him in the closer competition. Yet if he keeps throwing this way, it won’t be long before he forces himself into those conversations. Just talking to those who have seen Guerrero this spring, they believe this is the best he’s ever looked. Hard to disagree.
4. Trevor Story
Trevor Story’s hot start to spring training feels like déjà vu. At this time last year, his bat showing life was the best part of a rather depressing camp. Now, it’s just another positive storyline in a sea of excitement surrounding the 2025 Red Sox.
Through 5 games, Story is 6-for-14 with half of his hits being doubles. He’s pulling everything in sight, which doesn’t seem to be a bad plan for when he’s at Fenway Park. It’s obviously early, but he does have 4 strikeouts over that stretch with no walks, yet only one of them has come over his last 3 games.
Off the field, it feels like Bregman has given Story the ability to be more comfortable overall. Last spring, Story seemed like he was trying to be a leader for a team that just didn’t have that necessary veteran presence. Then when he got hurt in Anaheim less than two weeks into the season, it became clear they had no defensive identity without him. Adding Bregman into the mix has taken some of that pressure and weight off Story’s shoulders, which should be a good thing as the former Rockie tries to get his career back on track.
5. Roman Anthony
My brain is still having a hard time processing that Roman Anthony is only 20 years old. He hasn’t had this big breakout game like Mayer yet, but he’s been nothing short of consistent by reaching base in every single game so far. That started with a hit in his first 4 games of the spring, before walking 3 times against the Phillies and once against the Mets.
4-for-13 with 4 walks and 1 strikeout just screams that Anthony is comfortable. Something that Kristian Campbell has still been looking to find so far. While his body has continued to fill out since being drafted, he still shows above-average speed, with him being timed at 4.11 from home plate to first base in recent weeks. Despite some (Hi Mazz) tagging him as a DH already, he made a nice diving grab in left against the Phillies last week and looked comfortable in center against the Tigers. His most likely home will eventually be a corner outfield spot, but his “strong defensive instincts” give him a solid floor if he loses more range.
6. Alex Bregman
If Alex Bregman hadn’t played a single game yet, he might still have made this list with the impact he seems to be having behind-the-scenes. Whether it’s players, coaches, or members of the front office, it feels like everyone’s giddy about what Bregman brings to the organization. He’s spending time with the minor leaguers, talking with the pitchers, and even helping Rafael Devers improve defensively at third base.
On the field, the results have been pretty exciting as well. He started the spring with a bang by going 3-for-3 with a homer and a double against the Blue Jays. One of the more glaring parts of his game that has stuck out so far is his ability to put the ball in play, especially with a runner at third and less than 2 outs. It’s led to him racking up 6 RBI in 4 games. Oh, and he’s also 5-for-10 overall.
Bregman does have 2 errors at third base so far, but it’s nothing to worry about. If anything, Triston Casas and Blaze Jordan probably should have picked both balls with neither being far away from the bag. Still, it was nice to see Bregman and Casas link up on an impressive play on Saturday.
7. Austin Adams/Greg Weissert
It took one outing for Austin Adams to show Red Sox fans he was a psycho. And I love it. So far the results have been there as well, with him putting together 3 straight scoreless innings with 5 Ks. He mentioned back in January that Andrew Bailey had given him a plan to work on before arriving at spring training and it seems to be doing the job.
In this same spot, I want to highlight Greg Weissert as well. He’s shifted from the third base side of the mound to the first base end and has thrown three scoreless innings with 4 Ks and 2 walks. He finished 2024 on a strong note with 16.2 scoreless innings, but didn’t flash the same ability to miss bats. So far, he hasn’t had that issue.
Both will be part of the battle for the last spot in the bullpen. Cora has alluded to multi-inning options being important with the 6-man rotation idea going out the window, which isn’t great for Adams who only did it twice in the minors last year. Still, the organization has a series of arms that feature a similar look to Adams and Weissert with Wyatt Mills and Adam Ottavino, so it seems like something they wouldn’t mind having on the 26-man roster.
8. Walker Buehler
Out of all the starting pitchers so far this spring, Walker Buehler has been the biggest standout. He had been slowed a bit compared to Garrett Crochet and Tanner Houck because he pitched until November, but when he stepped on the mound against the Mets yesterday, he looked like the October version of himself. It was 2 innings of 1-hit ball with 4 strikeouts and no walks.
Buehler ended up topping out at 95 with his 4SFB, which was what he averaged after returning from Tommy John last year. It was especially nasty against left-handed batters, with it bleeding back over the plate against Jesse Winker and Brett Baty on strikeouts. Add in his secondaries looking sharp and it’s hard to imagine him posting only a 7.6 K/9 again in 2025. If he’s fully healthy, he gives this rotation a chance to compete with anyone in baseball that isn’t the Dodgers.
9. Richard Fitts
Heat. That’s the best way to describe Richard Fitts’ start to the spring. He’s thrown 4 scoreless innings with 5 strikeouts, 1 walk, and 4 hits. That includes him topping out at 99 with his 4SFB and introducing a new sinker and curveball. Hello, 6-pitch arsenal.
Missing bats has been the biggest concern for Fitts as he worked his way up through the minors. His stuff consistently faded as he worked deeper into outings. It’s why there wasn’t a ton of buzz when he posted a 1.74 ERA/3.31 FIP over 4 starts (20.2 IP) to end 2024. His new velocity gains have a chance to change that though.
Alex Cora told Fitts that he wanted to see his 4SFB sitting 95+ because it makes his arsenal play better. So far, he’s been doing that and then some. The real test will be when he’s asked to go 4 or 5 innings, but it also shows that if he’s pushed to a relief role, his stuff definitely ticks up. Keep in mind, his 4SFB averaged 94.5 in the big leagues last season.
Panic Time Over Kristian Campbell?
It’s been an extremely small sample size, but Kristian Campbell has had a rough start to the spring. Through his first 11 at-bats, he hasn’t picked up a hit and has struck out 9 times. Seems like he’s pressing a bit, considering he rocked a 19.9 K% between High-A, Double-A and Triple-A in 2024.
Am I panicking? Nope, not one bit. It’s fair to wonder if the organization put too much pressure on him by making it clear behind the scenes they wanted him on the Opening Day roster, which will have dramatic implications for Bregman and Rafael Devers, but the damage is done. If there’s one thing Campbell has shown the ability to do in the minors, it’s make adjustments on the fly.
Something that has stood out with Campbell is his two recent starts in left field. Could they be preparing to fit him on the roster a different way if Wilyer Abreu needs to start the season on the IL? Maybe. If you ask Abreu, he seems pretty confident he’ll still be ready for Opening Day after battling GI issues. Cora has also made it clear how much versatility matters, so this might be another way of keeping their roster flexible. Seems like there’s still a lot of balls in the air with Abreu ramping up, Masataka Yoshida returning to game action, Vaughn Grissom trying to prove 2024 was a fluke, and the continued development of Campbell and Anthony.
