​Brooks Brannon, the Red Sox’s power-hitting first-base prospect, blasted a ball so far on Thursday that it flew beyond the left-field Hilton Garden Inn at Delta Dental Stadium in New Hampshire. The 453-foot homer left the bat at 113 mph, coming in Portland’s Double-A 15-8 defeat to the Fisher Cats. Brannon, who turned 22 on May 4, now has 13 homers in 52 games this season, tying him with three other Red Sox minor leaguers for fourth-most long balls in the system. Notably, this was not Brannon’s longest drive of the year; he previously connected on a 464-foot homer with a 115 mph exit velocity on June 7 versus Reading.
In other news from the farm system, Enddy Azocar of High-A Greenville belted his 10th homer Thursday, reaching double digits to become the 13th Red Sox prospect to reach that milestone this season. A snapshot of the updated list of Red Sox minor league home run leaders shows Franklin Arias atop the chart with 18, followed by a cluster of sluggers across the organization. Arias, the team’s No. 1 prospect according to Baseball America, has driven 18 home runs this season, and his 69 games have yielded a .330 batting average, a .414 on-base percentage, a .605 slugging percentage, and a 1.019 OPS, with 36 extra-base hits (18 homers, 16 doubles, 1 triple). He is recognized as the No. 3 prospect on Baseball America’s Top 100 list and is set to participate in the 2026 All-Star Futures Game on Sunday at noon at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.
The rest of the top homers list features Brannon with 13, followed by players like Yoeilin Cespedes with 9, Luke Heyman with 6, Jack Winnay and Isaiah Jackson each with 6, and Johanfran Garcia with 5, among others. Brannon’s 13th homer this season places him among the leading power threats in the Red Sox minor league corps. The list also includes Brannon’s Portland teammate Franklin Arias, who leads the organization with 18 homers.
Beyond Brannon’s power, the system’s overall offensive profile continues to glow. Brannon is slashing .277/.371/.560 with a .931 OPS across 224 plate appearances. His line also includes 13 doubles, a triple, 45 RBIs, 27 walks, and 67 strikeouts as he progresses through the higher levels of the minors. Azocar, meanwhile, has eight doubles and five triples in addition to his 10 homers, contributing to a robust total of 36 extra-base hits for the year.
Looking at the broader system, top prospect rankings remain strong. Arias has been a standout presence at the plate, while prospect boards continue to place Azocar as Boston’s No. 6 prospect, given his combination of power, speed, and contact ability. Gonzales, an 19-year-old outfielder/first baseman, has drawn attention as well, having delivered his 11th homer in 67 games for Greenville, and Baseball America ranks him as the No. 5 overall prospect in the organization.
As the season progresses, scouts and executives will be watching closely to see how these young players refine their approach, harness their power, and translate their current success into sustained performance at higher levels. The Futures Game appearance for Arias signals continued recognition of his upside, and Brannon’s continued power displays keep him squarely in the mix as a potential future slugger at the major league level. For fans following the Red Sox brass, the minor league fireworks have been plentiful, with multiple players contributing to a promising, dynamic pipeline of hitters across Portland, Greenville, Salem, and beyond.