Red Sox Prospect Franklin Arias Is Giving Fans A Bigger Question

Discover how an exceptional group of Venezuelan baseball talents are making waves in the MLB's future landscape.

Venezuela’s prospect pipeline is loaded again, and the headliner is Franklin Arias.

The Red Sox shortstop sits at No. 1 on the country’s list, and he’s backed by a deep group that could keep climbing. Baseball America’s Venezuelan rankings feature 10 Top 100 prospects, with Arias leading the way at No. 2 overall. He’s described as one of the better hitting prospects in the minors, and he brings solid defense to go with the bat.

That kind of profile is exactly why Venezuela’s list runs so deep. Eduardo Quintero, Juneiker Caceres, Luis Hernandez and Angeibel Gomez are all names expected to move up over the next year. The talent spread across the board, from premium shortstops to impact arms to catchers with real upside.

After Arias, the top of the list includes Eduardo Quintero of the Dodgers at No. 2, Kendry Chourio of the Royals at No.

3, Luis Hernandez of the Giants at No. 4 and Alfredo Duno of the Reds at No. 5.

Juneiker Caceres of the Guardians checks in at No. 6, followed by Angeibel Gomez of the Royals, Jaison Chourio of the Guardians, Jhonny Level of the Giants and Cristian Arguelles of the Rockies to round out the top 10.

The rest of the top 25 keeps the mix going. Enddy Azocar of the Orioles, Franklin Primera of the Red Sox and Josue Briceño of the Tigers are all in the top 15, while Anderson Brito and Santiago Suarez give the Rays a pair of right-handers in the middle of the list. The Giants, Cardinals and Red Sox show up repeatedly throughout the rankings, a sign of how widely Venezuela’s talent is spread across organizations.

Here’s the full top 25:

  1. Franklin Arias, SS, Red Sox
  2. Eduardo Quintero, OF, Dodgers
  3. Kendry Chourio, RHP, Royals
  4. Luis Hernandez, SS, Giants
  5. Alfredo Duno, C, Reds
  6. Juneiker Caceres, OF, Guardians
  7. Angeibel Gomez, OF, Royals
  8. Jaison Chourio, OF, Guardians
  9. Jhonny Level, SS, Giants
  10. Cristian Arguelles, OF, Rockies
  11. Enddy Azocar, OF, Orioles
  12. Franklin Primera, C, Red Sox
  13. Josue Briceño, 1B, Tigers
  14. Anderson Brito, RHP, Rays
  15. Santiago Suarez, RHP, Rays
  16. Diego Frontado, SS, Brewers
  17. Yhoiker Fajardo, RHP, Cardinals
  18. Francisco Renteria, OF, Phillies
  19. Luis Perales, RHP, Nationals
  20. Keyner Martinez, RHP, Giants
  21. Yolfran Castillo, SS, Rangers
  22. Sadbiel Delzine, RHP, Red Sox
  23. Miguel Hernandez, SS, Cardinals
  24. Sebastian Dos Santos, SS, Cardinals
  25. Breyson Guedez, OF, Athletics

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