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The Greenville Drive are set to begin their minor league baseball season Friday with a 6:45 p.m. opening game at Fluor Field in the first of a three-game weekend series against Bowling Green.
Greenville, a high-A team in the Boston Red Sox organization, has a new manager in Liam Carroll, who was promoted from low-A Salem. It’s sure to be another exciting season for the Drive as prospects in the Red Sox system work their way up toward the Major League.
Here are five players to watch:
Position: Outfielder
Age: 21
Hometown: San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic
What to know: Bleis is listed by Baseball America as the best athlete and the fastest runner in the Boston Red Sox farm system. He was considered a top 100 overall prospect until being derailed by a shoulder injury in 2023. Bleis played 52 games last year for Greenville with seven home runs and 22 stolen bases, but it came with a .191 batting average. For the season, including 43 games at Class A Salem, he hit .221 with 11 homers and 38 steals.
Position: Left-handed pitcher
Age: 24
Hometown: Hackensack, N.J.
What to know: Dean, when he was picked in the fifth round of the 2022 draft out of Old Dominion, was called by Baseball America “fearsome” and “one of the more exciting pure relievers in the 2022 draft class.” The Red Sox are turning Dean into a starter with mixed results so far. In 18 innings last year for Greenville, he walked 38 batters. However, he had a dominant June for Salem. In four starts during that month, he pitched 19.2 innings, had a 1.37 ERA with 29 strikeouts and just eight walks.
Position: Right-handed pitcher
Age: 21
Hometown: Tinaquillo, Venezuela
What to know: Paez split time between Salem and Greenville last season, becoming the youngest pitcher in the organization to reach 100 strikeouts. He was promoted to Greenville in May and had 78 strikeouts and eight walks in 64 innings with a 3.48 ERA. He finished with a combined 113 strikeouts and only 12 walks in 96.2 innings. Paez (6-foot-1, 170 pounds) features a fastball that can reach 95 mph, change-up, slider, curve ball and cutter.
GROWTH SPURT:How the minor league baseball team revitalized downtown Greenville
Position: Middle infielder
Age: 23
Hometown: McLean, Va.
What to know: Riemer was a fourth-round draft pick out of Wright State in 2023. He was a compensatory pick after the Red Sox lost pitcher Nathan Eovaldi to the Texas Rangers. Reimer began last season on the 60-day injured list because of a torn ACL suffered at Wright State. He joined Boston’s rookie-level team in July and hit .296 before being assigned to Greenville, skipping Salem. In 28 games, he batted .240 with four doubles, eight stolen bases and a 4.1 percent swinging strike rate.
Position: Outfielder
Age: 22
Hometown: Clearwater, Fla.
What to know: Taylor was named Boston’s 2024 Minor League defensive player of the year. He was an 11th-round draft pick in 2023 out of Polk State College in Winter Haven, Fla., and committed to a transfer to Florida State before signing with the Red Sox. Taylor had eight home runs and 33 steals last season at Salem and finished with 10 games for Greenville, hitting .290 with a pair of homers. He is a survivor of a rare kidney cancer, Wilms tumor, diagnosed when he was 5 years old.
Todd Shanesy covers high school athletics for the Greenville News, Spartanburg Herald-Journal and Anderson Independent Mail in the USA TODAY Network. Contact him by email at [email protected]. Follow him on X, formerly called Twitter, at @ToddShanesySHJ.
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Greenville Drive players to watch as team opens 2025 baseball season
Continue reading...
Greenville, a high-A team in the Boston Red Sox organization, has a new manager in Liam Carroll, who was promoted from low-A Salem. It’s sure to be another exciting season for the Drive as prospects in the Red Sox system work their way up toward the Major League.
Here are five players to watch:
Miguel Bleis
Position: Outfielder
Age: 21
Hometown: San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic
What to know: Bleis is listed by Baseball America as the best athlete and the fastest runner in the Boston Red Sox farm system. He was considered a top 100 overall prospect until being derailed by a shoulder injury in 2023. Bleis played 52 games last year for Greenville with seven home runs and 22 stolen bases, but it came with a .191 batting average. For the season, including 43 games at Class A Salem, he hit .221 with 11 homers and 38 steals.
Noah Dean
Position: Left-handed pitcher
Age: 24
Hometown: Hackensack, N.J.
What to know: Dean, when he was picked in the fifth round of the 2022 draft out of Old Dominion, was called by Baseball America “fearsome” and “one of the more exciting pure relievers in the 2022 draft class.” The Red Sox are turning Dean into a starter with mixed results so far. In 18 innings last year for Greenville, he walked 38 batters. However, he had a dominant June for Salem. In four starts during that month, he pitched 19.2 innings, had a 1.37 ERA with 29 strikeouts and just eight walks.
Jedixson Paez
Position: Right-handed pitcher
Age: 21
Hometown: Tinaquillo, Venezuela
What to know: Paez split time between Salem and Greenville last season, becoming the youngest pitcher in the organization to reach 100 strikeouts. He was promoted to Greenville in May and had 78 strikeouts and eight walks in 64 innings with a 3.48 ERA. He finished with a combined 113 strikeouts and only 12 walks in 96.2 innings. Paez (6-foot-1, 170 pounds) features a fastball that can reach 95 mph, change-up, slider, curve ball and cutter.
GROWTH SPURT:How the minor league baseball team revitalized downtown Greenville
Justin Riemer
Position: Middle infielder
Age: 23
Hometown: McLean, Va.
What to know: Riemer was a fourth-round draft pick out of Wright State in 2023. He was a compensatory pick after the Red Sox lost pitcher Nathan Eovaldi to the Texas Rangers. Reimer began last season on the 60-day injured list because of a torn ACL suffered at Wright State. He joined Boston’s rookie-level team in July and hit .296 before being assigned to Greenville, skipping Salem. In 28 games, he batted .240 with four doubles, eight stolen bases and a 4.1 percent swinging strike rate.
Nelly Taylor
Position: Outfielder
Age: 22
Hometown: Clearwater, Fla.
What to know: Taylor was named Boston’s 2024 Minor League defensive player of the year. He was an 11th-round draft pick in 2023 out of Polk State College in Winter Haven, Fla., and committed to a transfer to Florida State before signing with the Red Sox. Taylor had eight home runs and 33 steals last season at Salem and finished with 10 games for Greenville, hitting .290 with a pair of homers. He is a survivor of a rare kidney cancer, Wilms tumor, diagnosed when he was 5 years old.
Todd Shanesy covers high school athletics for the Greenville News, Spartanburg Herald-Journal and Anderson Independent Mail in the USA TODAY Network. Contact him by email at [email protected]. Follow him on X, formerly called Twitter, at @ToddShanesySHJ.
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Greenville Drive players to watch as team opens 2025 baseball season
Continue reading...
