Name an offensive stat, and chances are Franklin Arias is at the top of the leaderboard among Red Sox Minor Leaguers. He kept adding to his advantages on Wednesday with Double-A Portland.
The Red Sox's No. 1 prospect -- and the No. 7 prospect in MLB -- reached base in four of his five plate appearances the Sea Dogs' 7-6 victory over Altoona at Delta Dental Park. Arias went 1-for-2 with two runs scored, two RBIs, two walks and a hit-by-pitch. His one hit was his 17th home run of the season and his third homer in his past four games.
COMPLETE RED SOX PROSPECT COVERAGE
The 20-year-old shortstop has been red-hot at the plate over the past 10 games, batting .475 (19-for-40) with four homers, nine extra-base hits and a 1.453 OPS. You may remember that he was one of the best bats in the Minors in April. His June wasn't quite as prolific, but his .322 average and .956 OPS during the month weren't too shabby. And his July is already off to a great start.
It has resulted in Arias leading all players in Boston's system in a host of statistical categories this season, including batting average (.329), home runs (17), RBIs (44), slugging percentage (.606), OPS (1.020) and total bases (149), just to name a few.
Although he's always possessed good bat-to-ball skills, Arias' power output left something to be desired through his first three years as a pro. However, his 17 home runs in 65 games this year are one shy of matching his homer total through 240 career games from 2023-25.
That kind of sudden improvement is another reason why Arias is one of the brightest future stars in the game. And he will be playing in the Futures Game on July 12 as part of All-Star Week in Philadelphia.