Dare I say I’m excited about the Red Sox
Tonight Brayan Bello makes his major league debut for the Red Sox. The 23 year old is the most exciting pitching prospect in Boston since Clay Bucholz came up in 2007. The reason for the hype is not understated. Bello is the 51st ranked prospet in America and the kid has been lights out in the minors.
SOURCE Bello started the year in Portland and after six starts and a 1.60 ERA — including a seven-inning no-hitter during a stretch where he didn’t allow a hit for 13 straight innings— he was promoted to Worcester in mid-May, where he has continued to excel. He struck out 10 batters in consecutive starts to begin his Triple-A career and has held opponents to three runs or fewer in all nine of his appearances for the WooSox.
He added velocity to a fastball that now hits 100 mph and complements a changeup that has drawn comparisons to that of Pedro Martinez, the Hall of Famer, fellow Dominican, and Red Sox legend whom Bello considers a mentor.
A Pedro clone that touches 100 on the gun? Sign me up. Pedro Martinez was much watch TV in his prime. It has been a long time since we have seen that kind of dominance on the mound in Boston. I’m not saying that’s what we should expect from Bello, especially right out of the gate but it’s exciting to think of the potential.
It also exciting to see the Sox to actually have a path to extended prolonged success. Of course we can’t complain about 4 world series this century, but there have also been 5 last place finishes. The life of a Red Sox fan has just felt disjointed since Theo and Tito were jettisoned out of town. The days where prospects like, Lester, Pedroia, Papelbon, Ellsbury, Bogaerts came up to the big league club and contributed to their success.
Let’s hope Bloom can strike the balance of a strong farm system feeding young talent to build around and spending John Henry’s Liverpool money when the need is there. Here’s to “Lil Pedro” starting the trend this evening.