What to watch for at Red Sox spring training: Prospects, pitching, and more

What to watch for at Red Sox spring training: Prospects, pitching, and more originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Boston Red Sox spring training officially begins Wednesday when pitchers and catchers report to Fort Myers, Fla. Fans will hope the day marks the start of a new chapter for an organization that has let them down in recent years.

At the very least, the 2025 club will be worth your attention. Boston’s top prospects, who helped form the No. 1 ranked farm system in baseball, are ready to make their presence felt in The Show. The new-look pitching staff is expected to make a significant leap after a lackluster 2024 campaign.

Those are the biggest storylines to follow once spring training begins at the facilities in and around JetBlue Park, but there’s more where that came from. Here’s what to watch for from now until Opening Day:

The top prospects

Let’s start with the obvious. All eyes will be on prized prospects Roman Anthony, Kristian Campbell, and Marcelo Mayer in Fort Myers.

The trio is expected to make an impact with the big-league club in 2025. If the Red Sox find their way into the postseason, it’ll likely be because their young talent lived up to the hype and gave them an edge over their American League wild-card competitors.

Anthony is widely considered MLB’s No. 1 prospect. The 20-year-old boasts big left-handed pop that should immediately translate to the majors. The only real question is how Anthony fits into Boston’s 2025 lineup with the current logjam in the outfield. Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu, Ceddanne Rafaela, and Rob Refsnyder are each expected to be on the outfield depth chart.

Campbell, on the other hand, has a clear path to start for the Red Sox on Opening Day. More on the second base battle below, but Boston’s breakout prospect surged through the minor-league ranks last season to earn the 2024 Minor League Player of the Year honor. He raked at every level, and if that continues in the majors, he’ll give the Red Sox the big right-handed bat they so desperately need.

Mayer’s health will be worth monitoring in the coming months. The No. 4 pick in the 2021 draft has suffered season-ending injuries the last two years. He was outstanding in 2024 prior to his injury, but durability concerns have overshadowed the smooth shortstop’s potential.

We almost certainly won’t see all three top prospects on Boston’s Opening Day roster, but they will be the main attraction at spring training nonetheless.

Revamped rotation

Say what you will about the Red Sox’ sleepy offseason, but the pitching staff has undoubtedly improved on paper.

With Garrett Crochet, Boston finally has a starter deserving of the “ace” label. The former Chicago White Sox southpaw misses bats at a ridiculous rate and should quickly become a fan favorite if he stays healthy.

Walker Buehler, a two-time World Series champion with the Los Angeles Dodgers, gives the Red Sox rotation a veteran presence with ace upside. He struggled in his return from Tommy John recovery last season, but he found his groove during L.A.’s World Series run. If he’s anything like his pre-2022 self, the Red Sox will have a real 1-2-3 punch atop their rotation with Crochet, Buehler, and Tanner Houck.

We can’t forget about Lucas Giolito. The veteran righty signed with the Red Sox during the 2024 offseason but missed the entire season due to an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery. Giolito earned Cy Young votes in each season from 2019-21, so “upside” is the key word surrounding him as well.

There’s a chance we’ll see Boston use a six-man rotation in 2025 with Crochet, Buehler, Houck, Giolito, Brayan Bello, and Kutter Crawford. Regardless, pitching depth isn’t an issue heading into spring training.

Position battles

Most of the Red Sox’ 2025 roster seems set in stone, but second base and closer are two positions to watch closely at spring training.

Campbell is expected to battle fellow youngster Vaughn Grissom for the Opening Day second baseman gig. Although Grissom has been unable to grasp a consistent role in his first three seasons with the Red Sox and Atlanta Braves, it’s far too early to give up on a 24-year-old with his ceiling.

For Campbell to edge out Grissom for the job, he’ll have to show that he isn’t experiencing growing pains against big-league pitching.

As for the Red Sox’ closing pitcher, Boston signed veteran flamethrower Aroldis Chapman to make up for Kenley Jansen’s offseason departure. Veteran closer Liam Hendriks also will compete for the role alongside breakout righty reliever Justin Slaten.

There’s still time for Boston to add another high-leverage arm to the mix, but these are the three potential closers to monitor for now.

Where’s the right-handed bat?

The Red Sox front office has spoken ad nauseam about needing a right-handed bat to balance the lineup, especially with slugger Tyler O’Neill leaving in free agency. As of this writing, they have yet to address that need.

Trevor Story, Connor Wong, Ceddanne Rafaela, Rob Refsnyder, Romy Gonzalez, Kristian Campbell, Vaughn Grissom, and Carlos Narvaez are current right-handed hitting options on the roster.

Even if Story stays healthy — and that’s a huge “if” — Boston will need another right-handed power bat to blast baseballs into and over the Green Monster. Barring another big offseason move, like signing Alex Bregman or trading for Nolan Arenado, it appears the team will hope Campbell quickly develops into that right-handed masher.