Explosive Red Sox prospect looking to rebound at the plate following first season in pro ball
Red Sox infield prospect Nazzan Zanetello had a rough first full professional season. The explosive 19-year-old was selected with the No. 50 overall selection in the 2023 draft with a ton of hype around him.
Zanetello struggled with Low-A Salem; he batted just .156 with seven homers, 11 doubles, two triples, 21 RBI, 42 walks, and 151 strikeouts in just 78 games.
His disappointing season and some injury history in his short time with the Red Sox have kept him out of Baseball America’s top 30 prospects in Boston’s system.
BA has ranked Zanetello at No. 31, just missing the opportunity to crack the top 30.
“Zanetello has five-tool potential and explosive athleticism, although the latter trait showed up less frequently in 2024 as he dealt with hamstring injuries,” wrote BA. “The shortstop has shown impressive bat speed but also significant in-zone whiff rates. He has up-the-middle defensive potential and everyday upside if he can reset after a challenging year.”
The Athletic’s Keith Law provided an evaluation recently for the Sox’ young prospect, and he didn’t hold back on his assessment.
“Nazzan Zanetello was batting second for Salem on Wednesday, and Boston’s second-round pick from 2023 was … Not good, not that that’s a huge surprise for a guy hitting .159/.279/.285 in 72 games this year,” Law wrote.
“He’s still just 19, and he’s yet another example of a player who belongs in short-season and had to move to Low A instead because MLB eliminated that level of the minors, but right now, he simply can’t hit and he’s a long way from fixing that.”
Zanetello opened the season on fire at the plate; through the first six games, he was hitting .412 with one double, two homers, three RBI, four walks, one stolen base, and a 1.348 OPS. A hamstring injury bit him after his white-hot start, sidelining him for a few weeks in May.
There is plenty of upside for Zanetello and if healthy and if he cuts down his strikeouts, he should quickly shoot back up the prospect rankings and more importantly, up the Red Sox system.
Zanetello has also been subject to the Nolan Arenado trade rumors, along with Blaze Jordan. Both players were drafted under the Chaim Bloom regime, and Boston would be trading both players at their lowest value. It’s a win for the Cardinals, who are trying to get younger and looking to restock their farm with players with tremendous upside.
Whether he remains in the Red Sox organization or he is traded in the Arenado swap, Zanetello is a great athlete; he’s only 19 with a ton of upside. As he matures in pro baseball and cuts down on strikeouts, his speed and explosiveness will be a real weapon on the baseball diamond.
