The Boston Red Sox have so many good young position players that it’s become difficult for the next wave of prospects to carve a path to the big leagues.
This season, the “Big Three” of Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer, and Kristian Campbell all debuted, while rookie catcher Carlos Narváez has won the starting job behind the plate. Last year, it was Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu getting their first extended looks, and both have become instrumental pieces of the outfield.
That leaves the outfield picture overcrowded, as many Red Sox fans are keenly aware. And it leaves little room for top prospect Jhostynxon Garcia, a fan-favorite minor league outfielder nicknamed “The Password,” to make his big-league impact.
Garcia, the No. 88 prospect in baseball according to MLB Pipeline, has raked in Double-A and Triple-A this season, but he’s primarily played center field. It was somewhat surprising he wasn’t traded at Thursday’s deadline, but perhaps the Red Sox see a new path forward for him to arrive in Boston.
According to Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic, the Red Sox intend to get Garcia some reps at first base at some point this season. McCaffrey initially reported that tidbit on Tuesday, but it picked up traction when she wrote a separate post about it on Friday.
“Red Sox farm director Brian Abraham … said getting Garcia reps at first is something they’ve discussed. Still, since Kristian Campbell was optioned to Worcester and has seen increased time at first, alongside Vaughn Grissom, there’s been less playing time available to introduce Garcia to the spot,” wrote McCaffrey.
“He suggested they’d try to get Garcia reps at first base at some point later this season.”
First base has been the most unstable position for the Red Sox all season, with Triston Casas’ injury, Rafael Devers’ refusal to play the position, Campbell learning in the minors, and Abraham Toro and Romy Gonzalez continuing their platoon for the last three months.
If Garcia, who has a .921 OPS in 52 games at Triple-A, can learn the position, perhaps he has a long-term future in Boston after all. And though he’s played adequate defense in center this year, he does have more of a first baseman’s build.
By no means has Garcia yet secured his long-term spot in the Boston lineup, but this could be a key step in that direction.
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