Do Red Sox Have MLB's No. 1 Farm System? Baseball America Weighs In

It isn't the ultimate goal of a Major League Baseball franchise to build the game's number-one farm system. But that sure helps in chasing that ultimate goal down the road.

Red Sox prospect Kristian Campbell takes some swings inside the batting cage at Fenway Park on Tuesday. WooSox Photo/Ashley Green / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox know the feeling of that ultimate goal - a World Series championship - better than any other team this century. But it's now been six years, going on seven, since they last tasted victory.

After that championship core from 2018 fizzled out, the Red Sox were left with one of baseball's worst farm systems, which didn't improve much even after trading superstar Mookie Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers. But with time, they've acquired top-tier talent that's almost big-league ready.

Entering the 2025 season, the Red Sox have three top prospects that most consider to be top 15-20 in the entire sport, all of whom were promoted to Triple-A last season: outfielder Roman Anthony, utility player Kristian Campbell, and shortstop Marcelo Mayer.

Thanks to those three elite talents, the Red Sox earned Baseball America's preseason number-one farm system ranking on Wednesday, signaling a bright future ahead for a team that hasn't made the playoffs since 2021.

"The American League East still has the best farm system in baseball, but the crown has shifted to Boston entering the 2025 season following Baltimore’s two-year run atop the preseason rankings," wrote the BA staff in Wednesday's release.

"The Red Sox rank No. 1 for the first time since Baseball America began its annual preseason farm system talent rankings over 40 years ago in 1984. Boston boasts three of baseball’s 15 best prospects even after this winter’s blockbuster Garrett Crochet deal."

BA also ranked Anthony as its number-two preseason prospect, trailing only Los Angeles Dodgers signee Roki Sasaki, an elite 23-year-old Japanese pitcher who is expected to join the rotation straightaway rather than requiring any minor-league seasoning.

Farm system rankings aren't the end-all, be-all, of course. But it's a feather in the cap of former Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom, who was fired in September of 2023, that the Boston farm system has come so far in such a short window.

What matters most, though, is how the Red Sox farmhands respond once they get their opportunities to play in the big leagues.