Most Red Sox fans have been staring at the "Big Three"—Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer, and Kyle Teel—for so long they almost missed the kid coming up right behind them. Honestly, it’s hard to blame them. When you have a trio of top-10 prospects waiting in the wings, anyone else feels like a footnote. But Franklin Arias has spent the last year making sure he isn't a footnote. He’s becoming the lead story.
Signed out of Venezuela in 2023 for a cool $525,000, Arias wasn't supposed to be a household name by 2026. He was the "glove-first" teenager. The project. The guy you’d check in on in four years to see if he’d finally grown into his 170-pound frame. Instead, the 20-year-old just finished a 2025 season where he tore through three levels of the minor leagues, ending up in Double-A Portland as a teenager. That’s Xander Bogaerts territory. It's rare air.
The Franklin Arias Rise: More Than Just a Scouting Report
If you look at the raw numbers from 2025, you might see a .278 average and eight home runs and think, "Okay, solid." But that’s like looking at a movie poster and thinking you’ve seen the film. The real story is in the adaptability.
When Franklin Arias started 2024 in the Florida Complex League, he didn't just play well—he broke the league. He walked away with the MVP and a batting title after hitting .355. But scouts had one big worry: his swing was too steep. High fastballs were going to eat him alive once he hit the "real" minor leagues.
What did he do? He fixed it.
Basically, between the 2024 and 2025 seasons, Arias flattened his bat path. The result was almost surgical. His in-zone contact rate jumped from a respectable 82% to a staggering 94%. Think about that. If a pitcher threw a strike, Arias hit it. He struck out only 10% of the time last year across all levels. In a modern era where everyone is swinging for the fences and missing half the time, Arias is playing a different game.
Breaking Down the 2025 Campaign
Arias started the year in Low-A Salem, but he was clearly too good for the Carolina League. He stayed there for exactly 19 games, hit .346, and got his bags packed for High-A Greenville.
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Greenville is usually where the "hit-tool" guys find out if they have enough strength to keep up. Arias cooled off a bit, slashing .265/.329/.380 over 87 games, but the Red Sox didn't care about the slight dip in average. They cared that he was still making elite contact and playing Gold Glove-caliber defense at shortstop. By September, he was in Portland.
Can He Actually Stay at Shortstop?
There is always a fear with young international prospects that they’ll eventually outgrow the middle of the infield. They get bigger, they get slower, and suddenly they're a third baseman.
With Franklin Arias, the concern is actually the opposite. He’s not a burner. In fact, his speed actually regressed a bit in 2025. He's an average runner at best. But if you watch him play, it doesn't matter. His internal clock is weirdly advanced for a 20-year-old. He knows exactly how much time he has to make a play. His footwork, likely a byproduct of his soccer background in Venezuela, is precise.
The Red Sox have been aggressive with him because his floor is so high. Even if the power never fully develops—and scouts are split on whether he’ll ever be a 20-homer guy—his glove and his ability to put the ball in play make him a big leaguer. Brian Abraham, the Red Sox director of player development, recently pointed out that Arias’s "swing decisions have been phenomenal." In the front office's eyes, he’s a long-term shortstop who can hit at the top of an MLB order.
What Most People Get Wrong About His Power
You’ll hear some people say Arias has "fringe-average" power. That’s scout-speak for "he hits doubles." But there is sneaky pop here. He has recorded exit velocities up to 110 mph. That is high-level strength.
The "lack" of home runs is more about his approach than his physical ability. He’s currently a line-drive machine. He shoots the ball to all fields and refuses to chase. While the Red Sox have encouraged him to pull the ball more to tap into that power—a common theme in their development lately—Arias hasn't sacrificed his contact-first identity to do it.
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Why the 2026 Season is the Turning Point
Arias walked into the Red Sox rookie development program this January and told reporters, through an interpreter, that his goal is to "make it to the big leagues" this year.
Is it possible? It's a long shot, sure. He’s likely starting 2026 back in Double-A Portland. But he’s currently ranked as the No. 2 prospect in the entire system by Baseball America and sits comfortably in the Top 50 overall in baseball. If he repeats what he did last year—mastering a level in two months—he’ll be in Triple-A Worcester by June. From there, you're just one injury or one hot streak away from Fenway Park.
How to Follow Franklin Arias This Season
If you're a Red Sox fan or a dynasty baseball manager, you need to keep your eyes on two specific things this spring:
- Physicality: Watch his weight. He was listed at 170 pounds last year. If he shows up to spring training at 185 without losing his lateral quickness, the power numbers are going to explode.
- The K-Rate: If he keeps that strikeout rate near 10% while facing Double-A and Triple-A pitching, he is essentially "un-pitchable."
The Red Sox have a logjam of talent coming, but Franklin Arias is the one who might actually leapfrog the veterans. He isn't waiting for a spot to open up; he's trying to force their hand.
Track his progress in the Eastern League box scores early this April. If he’s still hitting line drives to the opposite field and vacuuming up everything at short, the hype train is only going to get faster. Check his defensive highlights specifically on plays deep in the hole—that's where you'll see if his arm strength has taken the necessary step to stick at the MLB level permanently.