Eight Drive Alums Recognized Among Top Red Sox Prospects

Baseball America has announced its top 10 prospects for the Boston Red Sox organization, and eight of the players on the list are Greenville Drive alums.

Headlining the list is outfielder Andrew Benintendi (2015), who made his major league debut with the Red Sox in August and hit .295 over 34 games. He also made the Red Sox postseason roster and went 3-9 with a homer in three games. In the minor leagues, he combined to hit .312 with nine homers and 76 RBI over 97 games with A-Salem and AA-Portland.

Infielder Yoan Moncada (2015) ranked second on the list. Like Benintendi, Moncada made his major league debut with the Red Sox this year, and in 106 games in the minors between Salem and Portland, he smacked 15 homers, drove in 62 runs and stole 45 bases while hitting .294 with a .407 on-base percentage.

Third baseman Rafael Devers (2015) was selected as the number three prospect, and he continued his run as one of the top prospects at the hot corner in the minors. In 128 games with Salem this season, Devers hit .282 with 11 homers and 71 RBI while collecting 142 hits and stealing 18 bases.

At number four on the list, right-hander Michael Kopech (2015) was the highest-ranked pitcher in the Boston system. Kopech struck out 86 batters in 56 1/3 innings this season, which was primarily spent in Salem. In 12 starts, he posted a 4-1 record with a 2.08 ERA.

First baseman Sam Travis (2014) placed sixth on the list. Travis got off to a solid start for AAA-Pawtucket in 2016, hitting .272 with six homers and 29 RBI in 47 games, but he suffered a torn ACL at the end of May and missed the remainder of the season.

Checking in at number seven on the list is infielder Mauricio Dubon (2015). Dubon's breakout season, spent between Salem and Portland, saw him collect 157 hits, good for a .323 average, while totaling six homers, 69 RBI, 101 runs and 30 stolen bases. 

The remaining two Drive alums on the list were crucial pieces of the Greenville roster in 2016.

Outfielder Luis Alexander Basabe ranked eighth. He played in 105 games with the Drive before a late-August promotion to Salem, and between the two levels, he hit .264 with nine triples, 12 homers, 53 RBI and 25 stolen bases. He was selected to the South Atlantic League Annual All-Star Team at season's end.

Right-hander Roniel Raudes rounds out the list at number 10. The 18-year old was a steady presence in the Drive rotation all season, winning 11 games and posting a 3.65 ERA in 24 starts. He was named a South Atlantic League Midseason All-Star, and was named by the Red Sox as the organization's Minor League Pitcher of the Year.