With the conclusion of the minor league regular season, it’s time to take stock of the most notable performances in the Red Sox system. Drumroll . . .

The strikeout binge in Moncada’s first exposure to the big leagues highlighted a potential flaw, but Red Sox officials believe that with experience, the switch-hitter will be able to take increasing control of his plate appearances. He’s a work in progress, but no one in the Red Sox system — and perhaps no one in the minors — can match his five-tool potential.


“He still swings and misses a lot, but at the same time, he’s taking good swings,” said Portland manager Carlos Febles. “Once he realizes he needs to put the ball in play and run, he can be a .330 hitter with 20-25 homers.”

Player of the Year: OF Andrew Benintendi (22), High A/Double A: .312/.378/.532, 16 steals, 9 homers.

If Moncada represented a work in progress, Benintendi looked much more like a finished product. He’s the most polished player to come through the Sox system since Dustin Pedroia arrived a decade ago.

Benintendi looked almost ready for the big leagues in every facet of the game from the time the Red Sox selected him with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2015 draft. He doesn’t have Moncada’s ceiling, but he might not need any more minor league seasoning to reach his.

Top debut: 3B Bobby Dalbec (21), Short-Season A: .386/.427/.674, 7 homers.

Dalbec dominated after the Sox took him in the fourth round of the draft, with his production in his Lowell debut surpassing even that of Benintendi in 2015 (.290/.408/.540 with 7 homers) in a comparable number of games. Dalbec’s 1.100 OPS was the highest by any member of this year’s draft class (minimum 100 plate appearances). His emergence makes third base a position of strength in the system, with Travis Shaw, Moncada, Rafael Devers, and Dalbec giving the Sox some potentially significant pieces to move.


Biggest step forward: SS Mauricio Dubon (22), High A/Double A: .323/.379/.461, 30 steals, 6 homers.

When the Red Sox discussed the possibility of acquiring Carlos Beltran from the Yankees, New York sought two prospects in return. One of the names that came up was Dubon, a sign of how much his game has grown in the eyes of the scouting community.

Dubon is filling out and gaining strength in a way that allowed him to start driving the ball, especially after his midyear promotion to Portland. From his obscure roots as a 26th-round pick in the 2013 draft who moved from Honduras to the States to pursue a pro baseball career, he’s now very much on the radar as either an everyday infielder or a versatile utility player with speed, excellent contact skills, emerging extra-base pop, and solid defense.

If he isn’t used as a valuable trade chip this offseason, he’ll come to spring training as a key source of depth next year, potentially the chief backup to his good friend Xander Bogaerts.

Biggest step back: SS Deven Marrero (25), Triple A: .198/.245/.242, 10 steals, 1 homer.

Two years ago, Marrero was viewed by several evaluators as a potential big league starting shortstop. A year ago, his glove still seemed good enough to sustain at least a utility profile if he hit just a little. This year, he did not hit at all.


Marrero’s .487 OPS was the worst of any qualifying full-season minor leaguer. With Dubon and Marco Hernandez now representing depth utility options, Marrero looks increasingly like a change-of-scenery candidate whose ceiling — rather than his floor — is that of a utility infielder.

Biggest hole: The Red Sox remain thin in outfield prospects in their upper levels, assuming that Benintendi stays in the big leagues. Blake Swihart and Rusney Castillo (.325/.370/.453 over the last five weeks of the season) represent the top depth options entering next year, though Castillo has yet to show he can sustain success in the majors and it’s hard to avoid the conclusion that Swihart’s value isn’t greatest as a catcher — whether in the Red Sox organization or elsewhere.

Pitchers

Prospect of the Year: RHP Michael Kopech (20), Short-Season A/High A: 4-1, 2.08 ERA, 13.7 K/9, 5.3 BB/9.

His year started under a cloud after he broke his pitching hand by punching a teammate in spring training, but by the end of the season, Kopech had established himself as an arm like few others in professional baseball, capable of the velocity (95-100 m.p.h.) produced by only one starting pitcher in the big leagues right now (Noah Syndergaard).

That fastball, in combination with a swing-and-miss slider and developing changeup, meant that Kopech’s stock went up considerably, despite the unfortunate circumstances under which his year began.


“The scary thing is, he’s going to get better,” said Salem pitching coach Paul Abbott. “So far, [he’s] been the most impressive guy I’ve seen since I’ve been here and maybe ever.”

Pitcher of the year: RHP Roniel Raudes (18), Single A: 11-6, 3.65, 8.3 K/9, 1.8 BB/9.

Raudes doesn’t have Kopech’s stuff, with each of his three pitches (fastball, curveball, change) grading as average (and his 88-91 velocity is typically a tick below average now). But at 18, he shows control, command, and a feel for pitching well beyond his years, a combination that allowed him to demonstrate surprising wire-to-wire consistency in Greenville as the youngest pitcher in the league, with a chance to emerge as a mid-rotation starter as he matures physically.

Top debut: LHP Jason Groome (18), Rookie Ball/Short-Season A: 0-0, 2.70, 10 K, 4 BB in 6.2 IP.

Entering his playoff start for Lowell Thursday, Groome had made just three appearances, but the looks he offered seemed to validate the view of his considerable ceiling as a teenager with an unusual combination of a swing-and-miss low- to mid-90s fastball, a hammer of a curve, and the makings of a solid changeup.

Righthander Hunter Smith, 22, a 24th-rounder out of UNC Greensboro, had a 1.71 ERA with 32 strikeouts and three walks in rookie ball and Lowell, and showed the ability to locate his fastball with a plus changeup in a way that suggested a potential late-round find.


Biggest step forward: RHP Jake Cosart (22), Single A/High A: 4-1, 1.78, 13.2 K/9, 4.6 BB/9.

The move from the rotation to the bullpen seemed to free Cosart, who spent most of the year overpowering opponents with an explosive fastball that ran from the mid-90s to 100 and a swing-and-miss curveball. He punched out 104 batters in 70⅔ innings, with a chance to move quickly if he can continue to miss bats.

Biggest step back: LHP Henry Owens (24), Triple A: 10-7, 3.53, 8.8 K/9, 5.3 BB/9.

Entering spring training, Owens seemed like the Sox’ top starting depth option, but a struggle in spring training leaked into the regular season, where the lefthander’s control was more inconsistent than at any point in his career.

Owens still has promising attributes; he’s durable, has an unusual release point that can make it hard for batters to pick up the ball, and the movement of his changeup makes it a weapon if he can throw his fastball for strikes. In his last six starts, he posted a 1.73 ERA with 39 strikeouts and 16 walks in 36⅓ innings.

“The best is yet to come with him, I believe that,” said PawSox manager Kevin Boles.

Biggest hole: Given the uncertainty surrounding Owens and Brian Johnson (who pitched well in his season-ending return to Pawtucket, with a 3.07 ERA in his last seven starts) after their up-and-down 2016 seasons, at the end of the year, the Sox were light on pitchers with clear impact potential above High A Salem.

Alex Speier can be reached at alex.speier@globe.com. Follow him on twitter at @alexspeier.