Elite Red Sox Prospect Drawing Rave Reviews; Could Big League Call-Up Be Coming?

The Boston Red Sox quickly have gone from having one of the worst farm systems to one of the very best in all of baseball.

Boston's farm system recently was ranked in the top five in baseball by FanGraphs. At one point in the not-so-distant past, the Red Sox were ranked on the opposite end of the spectrum. Boston has some high-end talent at the minor-league level knocking on the big-league door. Top prospect Marcelo Mayer without a doubt grabs the most headlines, but there are plenty of other young players to be excited about, as well.

One player Red Sox fans certainly should be keeping an eye out for right now is No. 2 prospect, Ceddanne Rafaela. The versatile center fielder and shortstop was promoted to the Triple-A Worcester Red Sox toward the end of June and has been tearing it up ever since. Rafaela has appeared in 32 games so far this season with Worcester and is slashing .321/.370/.672 to go along with 11 home runs, 10 doubles, two triples, and 30 RBIs.

Rafaela has been so impressive with Worcester that he already is drawing rave reviews from Boston big leaguers -- including shortstop Trevor Story -- according to MassLive.com's Christopher Smith.

"Rafaela's quick hands and defensive ability stood out to Trevor Story who appeared in 10 rehab games for Worcester and witnessed Rafaela’s five-game homer streak," Smith said.

“He’s a special talent,” Story said. “He’s a game-changer. He causes havoc on the base paths. Super fast. Super athletic. He brings that to all aspects of his game. Defense is amazing. I was just really impressed with the way he handles himself, too. You can tell he has a lot of thump in his bat. He’s got like a quiet confidence about himself. That’s something that’s going to go a long way for him.”

If Rafaela continues to impress with Worcester, he very well could find himself at Fenway Park at some point this season. The 22-year-old has impressed in a major way this season and whether he makes his big league debut this year, likely will play a big role with the Red Sox for the foreseeable future.

More MLB: Mets Reportedly Add Ex-Red Sox Outfielder To Active Roster After Impressive Stint In Minors