The Boston Red Sox’s farm system is quite literally overflowing with talent, and some of Boston’s top ex-prospects are already making noise with other organizations.
One of the Red Sox’s most notable recent prospects is catcher Kyle Teel, whom Boston traded to the Chicago White Sox on December 11 in a four-player package for ace Garrett Crochet.
Teel is already balling out for the White Sox in Spring Training and making his presence known. On Tuesday, Teel went deep to right field off Los Angeles Dodgers phenom Roki Sasaki during a live batting practice session.
Could Teel start at catcher for the lowly White Sox as early as Opening Day? It’s very possible. On Monday, The Athletic’s Keith Law predicted Teel to be the No. 13 most impactful rookie in 2025.
“This is less an argument that Teel is ready to make an impact in the majors in 2025 and more an argument that he is the best catcher in the White Sox organization in terms of his ability to make an impact in the majors in 2025, and those are not the same thing,” Law wrote.
“The ostensible incumbent, Korey Lee, has a career WAR of -1.1. His erstwhile backup, Matt Thaiss, didn’t catch a game for five years before the Angels put him back there in 2022; he has just over 1,000 big-league innings behind the dish, with an 18.4 percent caught-stealing rate and negative framing numbers, although he blocks well. Also, he can’t hit.”
“I’m just saying I wouldn’t mind being Teel right now because the guys in his way are not really in his way. Teel makes a lot of contact, receives and blocks well, runs really well for a catcher and has decent pop against righties. I’d love to see the White Sox give him the primary job, but perhaps in a loose platoon with Lee, more to keep Teel away from the best lefties rather than to utilize Lee’s bat, since Lee hasn’t hit lefties above Double A.”
Teel was selected at No. 14 overall by the Red Sox in the 2023 Major League Baseball draft. He was promoted to Triple-A Worcester Red Sox last August along with Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer, and the trio was known as the “Big 3” in Boston’s farm system.
Teel has since been replaced by stud prospect Kristian Campbell in that Big 3, but only because Teel was traded (Boston would be looking at a Big 4 had the Crochet deal never happened).
Losing Teel hurt, but at the end of the day, the Red Sox are over the moon about bringing aboard Crochet, who is the type of player you simply can’t acquire without giving up considerable talent in exchange.