Baseball America released its list of the top 10 prospects in the Boston Red Sox organization on Wednesday, and the list features six players who have worn the Greenville Drive uniform in recent years.
Catcher Blake Swihart (2012) highlighted the Drive alums on the list, as he was named the top prospect in the Red Sox system. The switch-hitter split the 2014 campaign between AA-Portland and AAA-Pawtucket and boasted an overall .293 average with 13 homers, 64 RBI and a .341 on-base percentage.
Swihart’s batterymate in Greenville, left-hander Henry Owens (2012), was second on the list. Owens also split the 2014 season between Portland and Pawtucket and led all of Minor League Baseball with 17 wins. He also posted a 2.94 ERA and struck out 170 batters in 159 innings.
Left-hander Brian Johnson (2013) parlayed a breakout 2014 season into the fifth slot on Baseball America’s list. Between A-Salem and Portland, Johnson boasted a 2.13 ERA with a 13-3 record, and he finished the season on Pawtucket’s playoff roster.
Outfielder Manuel Margot was ranked seventh among Red Sox prospects. He spent most of the 2014 season in Greenville before a mid-August callup to Salem, and his overall numbers included a .293 average, a .356 on-base percentage, 12 homers, 59 RBI and 42 stolen bases.
Right-hander Matt Barnes (2012) placed eighth on the list. Barnes went 8-9 with a 3.95 ERA in 22 starts for Pawtucket in 2014, and he made his major league debut for the Red Sox in September, allowing four runs in nine innings of work over five appearances.
Rounding out the list of Drive alums on Baseball America’s Red Sox Top 10 is third baseman Garin Cecchini (2012), who was placed tenth. Cecchini, like Barnes, made his major league debut in 2014 and hit .258 over 11 games. With Pawtucket, he hit .263 with seven homers and 57 RBI.