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:
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.
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Justin Riemer
Position: Middle infielder
Age: 23
Hometown: McLean, ...
