While the Boston Red Sox have been disappointing to this point in 2025, the franchise has had a few individual overachievers. The headliner is catcher Carlos Narvaez, whom the front office was able to trade for over the offseason.
The former New York Yankee had an encouraging season in Triple-A last year, but has really taken his game to another level with his new team. Narvaez is getting his just props from Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter, and he has the catcher ranked as the second-best rookie in 2025. Reuter gives the following justification for Narvaez’s spot on the list:
“Viewed more as an organizational depth piece than a top-tier prospect, the 26-year-old broke camp with a spot on the Opening Day roster as the backup to Connor Wong. And when Wong went down with a fractured left pinky finger on April 7, he suddenly found himself in a starting role.
He has responded with one of the more unexpected breakouts of the 2025 season, checking in fifth among all catchers with 1.8 WAR in 44 games. He hit .356/.427/.534 over 82 plate appearances in May.”
While the Red Sox’s issues are primarily related to their lackluster pitching, the franchise will need players like Narvaez to continue their production to stay in the playoff hunt. Boston has shockingly not made the postseason for three years, and should that drought continue, there will likely be some consequences.
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