Prospect Rankings
Player | Position | Current Team | Bats | Throws | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Marcelo Mayer | SS | Boston Red Sox | AAA | 22 | L | R |
2 | Triston Casas | 1B | Boston Red Sox | MLB | 24 | L | R |
3 | Ceddanne Rafaela | OF/SS | Boston Red Sox | MLB | 24 | R | R |
4 | Miguel Bleis | OF | Boston Red Sox | A+ | 20 | R | R |
5 | Mikey Romero | SS/2B | Boston Red Sox | AA | 20 | L | R |
6 | Nick Yorke | 2B/OF | Pittsburgh Pirates | MLB | 22 | R | R |
7 | Bryan Mata | RHP | Boston Red Sox | MLB | 25 | R | R |
8 | Brandon Walter | LHP | Houston Astros | AAA | 28 | L | L |
9 | Eddinson Paulino | INF | Toronto Blue Jays | AA | 22 | L | R |
10 | Roman Anthony | OF | Boston Red Sox | AAA | 20 | L | R |
11 | Blaze Jordan | 3B/1B | Boston Red Sox | AA | 22 | R | R |
12 | Wikelman Gonzalez | RHP | Chicago White Sox | MLB | 22 | R | R |
13 | Luis Perales | RHP | Boston Red Sox | MLB | 21 | R | R |
14 | Matthew Lugo | OF | Los Angeles Angels | MLB | 23 | R | R |
15 | Chris Murphy | LHP | Boston Red Sox | MLB | 26 | L | L |
16 | Nathan Hickey | C | Boston Red Sox | AA | 25 | L | R |
17 | Brainer Bonaci | SS/2B | Boston Red Sox | AA | 22 | S | R |
18 | Enmanuel Valdez | 2B/3B/OF | Pittsburgh Pirates | MLB | 26 | L | R |
19 | Cutter Coffey | 3B/SS | Toronto Blue Jays | A+ | 20 | R | R |
20 | Niko Kavadas | 1B | Los Angeles Angels | MLB | 26 | L | R |
21 | Chase Meidroth | INF | Chicago White Sox | AAA | 23 | R | R |
22 | Brooks Brannon | C | Boston Red Sox | A | 20 | R | R |
23 | Wilyer Abreu | OF | Boston Red Sox | MLB | 25 | L | L |
24 | Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz | RHP | New York Yankees | A+ | 21 | L | R |
25 | Dalton Rogers | LHP | Boston Red Sox | A+ | 23 | R | L |
26 | Zack Kelly | RHP | Boston Red Sox | MLB | 29 | R | R |
27 | Jacob Webb | RHP | Boston Red Sox | AAA | 25 | L | R |
28 | Luis Ravelo | SS | Boston Red Sox | A+ | 21 | S | R |
29 | David Hamilton | SS/2B | Boston Red Sox | MLB | 27 | L | R |
30 | Freili Encarnacion | SS | Boston Red Sox | A | 19 | R | R |
- AGE25
- BATSR
- DOB05/03/1999
- THROWSR
- HT6' 3"
- SIGNEDJan. 27, 2016 - BOS
- WT223
- ETA2024
Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 40 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 45 | Overall: 40
Mata originally agreed to sign with the Brewers in July 2015 before they declined after he suffered a groin injury, so he turned pro with the Red Sox for $25,000 six months later. He established himself as Boston's top pitching prospect before losing two years of development to the pandemic in 2020 and Tommy John surgery in 2021. He returned to the mound last June and recaptured his previous stuff, but he has been waylaid by shoulder inflammation and control woes this season.
Though Mata can run his four-seam fastball up to 101 mph, it lacks life and isn't nearly as effective as his 94-96 mph two-seamer with power sink. While his heaters generate more weak contact than swings and misses, his upper-80s slider dodges plenty of bats with its horizontal action. His mid-80s changeup grades as a plus pitch with late fade at its best, though it can get too firm and straight at times, and he should scrap his ineffective upper-70s curveball.
Despite three quality pitches, Mata isn't a slam-dunk starter. He's not as dominant as his stuff suggests he should be, and he's not efficient because he lacks consistent control and doesn't command his secondary pitches well. There's an increasingly strong possibility that he's more of a multi-inning reliever.