Baseball America Votes Red Sox Minor League Second Best

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The Boston Red Sox have been voted as having the second best farm system in the major leagues with seven of the top-100 MLB prospects, according to Baseball America. The Chicago Cubs topped the list, with six top-ten prospects in the MLB's top-100.

Leading the top prospects for the Red Sox is newly acquired Cuban shortstop, Yoan Moncada. Boston officially inked the international free-agent earlier in the month to a minor league contract and a $31.5 million signing bonus. Because the Red Sox had already gone over their allotment of international bonus money with the signing of fellow Cuban, Rusney Castillo, Boston was forced to pay a 100 percent tax, bringing the total cost closer to $63 million.

Second on the list is 22-year old Blake Swihart, who is considered the top catching prospect in all of baseball. Swihart spent 2014 between AA Portland and AAA Pawtucket, where he hit .293/.341/.469 with 13 home runs and 64 runs batted in, while throwing out 46% of attempted base stealers. Despite Boston's starting catcher Christian Vazquez beginning the 2015 season on the 60-day disabled list, Swihart is still projected to start the year with the AAA Pawtucket Red Sox.

The Red Sox top pitching prospect, Henry Owens, ranks third on the list, just ahead of fellow southpaws Eduardo Rodriguez (5) and Brian Johnson (6). Owens was voted the 2014 Eastern League Pitcher of the year in 2014, after going 14–4 with a 2.60 ERA and striking out 126 batters, before being promoted to Pawtucket in early August.

Brian Johnson was voted runner-up to Owens in the 2014 Eastern League Pitcher of the Year voting, after being promoted to Portland in early May, and going 10-2 with a 1.75 ERA, 0.932 WHIP, allowing only six home runs over 20 starts for the Sea Dogs.

Other notable names on the list include outfielder Rusney Castillo (4), third baseman Rafael Devers (7), outfielder Manuel Margot (8), pitcher Matt Barnes (9) and shortstop Deven Marrero (10).