Every season, a new group of minor league baseball players go from being viewed as organizational depth to potential impact contributors at the major league level. Over the past three weeks, I have profiled prospects from each of the Boston Red Sox, New York Mets and New York Yankees in an effort to identify players who could have breakout seasons and rise up prospect rankings. However, as new prospects move onto rankings, other players come off. Whether it be due to injury or underperformance, many prospects who were once seen as future stars slowly become overlooked by many fans. Despite this, some of these forgotten prospects still have a chance to become major league contributors.
Here is a player from each of the three teams who, despite their prospect pedigree fading in recent seasons, could still become big league producers.
Everson Pereira, Yankees, Outfielder
Pereira is a former top 100 prospect who combines strong power with high strikeout rates. The Venezuelan placed on Baseball America’s list in both 2023 and 2024. Despite the high strikeout numbers in the minors, the outfielder made his MLB debut during the Yankees lost 2023 season. 22 years old at the time, he predictably struggled, striking out over 38 percent of the time while offering almost no pop at the plate. After the offseason acquisitions of Juan Soto and Alex Verdugo, Pereira started the 2024 season in the minors and has not yet again reached the majors. He hit well in the first half of 2024, but missed the second half of the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery to address elbow discomfort that had been affecting him since 2023. He returned in time for 2025 Spring Training but was only able to DH. A combination of continued high strikeout rates and not being healthy enough to play in the field led to him being optioned to Triple A. It has been more of the same so far this season, as Pereira has hit well but a big strikeout rate has held him back from greater results. Still, he would likely be the first player called up in the event of an injury to the major league outfield and would provide a righty bat to a lineup that has suddenly become left-handed heavy.
Alexander Ramírez, Mets, Outfielder
Ramírez has seen his prospect stock fall as he has progressed through the minors. That stock was at its highest prior to the 2023 season, as Ramírez placed in the nineties on multiple high profile prospect rankings. These placements followed a 2022 season split between Low and High A, where Ramirez batted a combined .281 and swatted 11 homeruns at just 19 years old. Despite producing at that level the season prior, Ramírez’s High A numbers regressed in 2023 with both his contact and power numbers regressing. The Mets still decided to promote Ramirez to Double A for 2024 and the numbers continued to regress. His on base percentage fell below .300 and he had just 30 extra base hits. Back-to-back seasons of poor performance culminated in the Mets releasing him (he was later resigned to a minor league contract) and his omission from MLB Pipeline’s 2025 top 30 Mets prospects. Back in Double A to start 2025, Ramírez is again off to a poor start. The clearest cause for optimism is the fact that he is still just 22 years old and still over a year younger than the average player at Double A. Perhaps the aggressive promotion has hindered his development, and his young age still gives him time to turn it around. It will have to be sooner rather than later if he hopes to continue receiving chances to do so.
Vaughn Grissom, Red Sox, Infielder
I’m cheating a bit by including Grissom on this list, as he is no longer technically a prospect. In fact, he exhausted his rookie eligibility three years ago as the Atlanta Braves second half starting shortstop. Still 24, however, he is only one year older than top 20 MLB infield prospects Coby Mayo from Baltimore and Matt Shaw from the Cubs. After skyrocketing up prospect lists throughout the 2022 season, Grissom made his major league debut in early August after an injury to infielder Orlando Arcia. Grissom received everyday playing time the rest of the way and immediately made an impact. After hitting .291 with a .353 on base percentage in his debut, he was seen as the potential everyday shortstop for 2023 following Dansby Swanson’s departure for the Chicago Cubs. He lost the job to Arcia, however, due to concerns over Grissom’s defense at shortstop. Arcia was an All-Star, while Grissom only got into 23 major league games despite being one of the best contacts hitters in MiLB.
With his path to playing time in Atlanta blocked by multiple All-Stars, Grissom was traded to the Red Sox during the 2024 offseason as the return for starter Chris Sale. That move quickly turned into one of the biggest blunders of Craig Breslow’s first year as Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer. Chris Sale had a resurgent season in Atlanta, winning the National League Cy Young, a Gold Glove Award and NL Comeback Player of the Year while also earning the Triple Crown. Grissom, meanwhile, started the season on the injured list with a groin strain and later missed time with a strain to his right hamstring. When he was able to get on the field, the results were subpar. In 31 major league games, Grissom had only three extra base hits and his .191 average fell below the Mendoza Line. While Grissom was expected to be the starting second baseman, he played more games for Triple A Worcester than he did in the majors in 2024.
Grissom entered 2025 as a candidate to again win the second base job. Competing in spring training with David Hamilton and top prospects Marcelo Meyer and Kristian Campbell, Grissom lost out Campbell and was optioned to Worcester. While Campbell has gotten off to a strong start to his MLB career, Grissom has done everything possible to try to force his way back onto the roster. In 24 games so far for Worcester, Grissom has hit .301 with a slugging percentage over 100 points higher than his 2024 minor league rate. With Hamilton off to an ice-cold start, Grissom offers more upside and could soon get a chance to contribute as a utility infielder. Even if he can’t break into the Boston infield mix, he has rebuilt his stock enough that there may be rebuilding teams that could view him as a controllable target in a deadline trade.