Knocking on the door
These guys haven’t done enough to be considered in the circle of trust but they’ve been solid or at least shown some potential.
Heath Hembree always seems to be a guy who the Red Sox trust more than the rest of us want to. He’s logged 60+ innings in each of the last two seasons, always among the leaders in the bullpen, despite mediocre results. His current 3.63 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, and 9.9 K/9 represent a typical Hembree season. There’s a bit of uneasiness in the pit of our stomachs when Hembree takes the mound but he keeps logging a heavy workload and gets the job done at an adequate level.
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Ryan Weber made his mark by tossing four shutout innings of relief in his Red Sox debut against the Baltimore Orioles. He then followed that up with a scoreless inning during Friday’s blowout win over the Seattle Mariners. Weber has struck out six batters and hasn’t walked any in five innings. He may not stick on the roster much longer and he was underwhelming in his time spent with the three previous teams he pitched for but he’s off to a strong start in Boston. Enough to at least get him on the radar.
Two of the brightest young pitching prospects in the organization made their big league debuts earlier this season. Darwinzon Hernandez and Travis Lakins both had a short stay in Boston but gave us a glimpse of their upside. They could use more seasoning in the minors but don’t be surprised if we see them again later this year. Once they cement a spot in the majors, both are capable of earning our trust.