BOSTON — Roman Anthony and Kristian Campbell commanded headlines for Red Sox prospects, and their respective ascents could open doors for others in Boston’s system.
Campbell made waves when the 22-year-old made a three-level rise from High-A Greenville to Triple-A Worcester. Jhostynxon Garcia also rose up the Red Sox system when he ascended from Low-A Salem to Double-A Portland.
Garcia enters this season as Boston’s No. 12 prospect, according to Sox Prospects, and as high as No. 9, according to MLB Pipeline. The 22-year-old will have ample opportunity to capture the spotlight and show how deep the Red Sox’s prospect pool is.
“To me, a guy who can play plus defense and can impact the baseball consistently, there’s always going to be a way to find a spot for those guys. I think it’s just about consistency,” director of player development Brian Abraham told NESN.com at Red Sox development camp Tuesday. “He spent some time in Double-A last year, so he might be a bit further away than some of these guys. But again, I think as long as he’s doing those things consistently, day in and day out, improving his swing decisions, improving his bat-to-ball, there’s usually spots for really good players. We’ll find one somewhere.”
Garcia hit 16 home runs off a .998 OPS in 53 games with High-A Greenville last season. That earned him a promotion to Double-A Portland where he didn’t achieve the same level of success — he earned a .706 OPS in 30 games — but he’s feeling the growing support from Red Sox fans.
“I felt it even more in Portland when I got up to Double-A. Every time I went up to bat or warm up or go play defense, the fans were always yelling and cheering. It was very special,” Garcia told NESN.com via Carlos Villoria Benitez at Red Sox development camp.
Garcia’s growing fanfare led to the popularity of his nickname, “The Password.” The Venezuelan outfielder noted it was something he took a liking to when he saw it on Twitter. It’s a nickname that caught on as he rose up the system. His value as a right-handed bat also could be intriguing for Boston.
“We’re probably a little more left-handed heavy we’d been in the past, so to have a right-handed power bat in the organization, that’s certainly something we could use and utilize,” Abraham said. “I think currently you just want good players to be good players. It’s hard, I think on the development side, to focus on just a right or lefty. As long as he gets better, there will be opportunities for him.”
Abraham noted that as prospects like Anthony ascend up Boston’s ranks, there will be plenty of at-bats for players like Garcia. However, he’s not feeling any pressure beyond personal improvement.
“I feel happy. Happy to be here and be part of this group with all of the other Red Sox prospects. For me, it’s just sticking to myself. I’m not worried about anything else. Just trying to play ball and enjoy the moment.”
Garcia was protected from the Rule 5 draft when he was added to Boston’s 40-man roster, and he’ll get a chance to earn a spotlight this spring before the start of the Double-A season.