Red Sox 20-Year-Old is About to Become Boston's Most Important Player

Future starting shortstop? We'll see soon enough...

Feb 18, 2019; Lee County, FL, USA; A general view of a Boston Red Sox helmet as Boston Red Sox center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. (19) walks on the field during a spring training workout at Jet Blue Park at Fenway South. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images | Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

The games in spring training may not count, but there are still plenty of things at stake this year for the Boston Red Sox.

For some of the organization's young, budding stars, the spring is a time to lay the foundation for a future in the lineup at Fenway Park. And starting very soon, the player some regard as the team's No. 1 prospect will get an important chance to steal the spotlight.

That player is 20-year-old shortstop Franklin Arias, who could put himself in a very advantageous position with his club over the next couple of weeks if he takes advantage of a golden opportunity.

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Franklin Arias is Red Sox's man to watch in camp during WBC

On Sunday, Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald reported that Arias would play his first major league spring training game of the spring for the Red Sox on Monday against the Toronto Blue Jays, the start of him getting some run time while a lot of the team's stars participate in the World Baseball Classic, which kicks off on Thursday.

"Franklin Arias is going to start at shortstop in Dunedin (on Monday) and will get some looks with the MLB club this week while a lot of the big leaguers are away at the WBC," Cerullo reported.

Arias is regarded as an exceptionally slick defender whose hit tool is well ahead of his power tool at this point in time. Hailing from Caracas, Venezuela, he signed with the Red Sox in January of 2023 and reached Double-A for the first time in September.

We won't see Arias in the majors when the Red Sox open their season on the road at the end of this month in Cincinnati. But could he lay the foundation for a debut late in the year if he starts flexing some extra-base pop in spring competition? Absolutely.

That's why Arias is about to become the most important man in camp, because he'll not only have his own destiny in his hands for the next week-plus, but his play could shape how the Red Sox front office treats the infield positions when building the roster for years to come.