Boston Red Sox Prospects: Who will make their MLB debut in 2022?

Red Sox starting pitching prospect Brayan Bello

There are quite a few pitching prospects in the Boston system. However, it’s hard to think of many (if any) that have the type of filth in their pitch repertoire that Brayan Bello has.

The right-handed pitcher has a lot going for him. And it helped him rack up 132 strikeouts in just 95 1/3 innings pitched between High-A and Double-A.

In 21 starts on the season, Bello posted a 7-3 record. The 22-year-old (will be 23 for the 2022 season) managed a 3.87 ERA, .251 BAA, and 1.28 WHIP. The BAA and WHIP could use some work, as he sometimes let games get away from him, especially in Double-A. However, there is just so much to love about his game when watching him on the mound.

With that in mind, it’s no wonder the Red Sox are so high on Bello. His status for 2022 is a little tricky though.

Bello did make his last 15 starts of the season all in Double-A. However, he was struggling a bit there. He posted a 4.66 ERA, .266 BAA, and 1.41 WHIP. The strikeouts were still coming in bunches though. And that makes you feel like he has the stuff, it’s just a matter of getting acclimated to the new level.

So Bello will 100% be starting the year in Double-A. He might not be there for all that long though. I mean you can just look at 2021 as a perfect example of this. Bello started the year in High-A, but only started six games there before being promoted to the next level. The reason for that was simple, he was dominating at the level. And it was a level he had never even pitched at before.

Due to that, it’s reasonable to assume that Bello might not need much time in Double-A in 2022 before getting the same treatment and moving up to Triple-A.

Still though, Boston has a lot of talent when it comes to pitchers. And Bello came into 2021 seen as more of a “raw” talent. So they might want to make sure he really has Triple-A down before moving him to the Majors.

Thanks to that, Bello’s temperature meter is a little altered. He still definitely has a chance to dominate and earn the MLB debut in 2022. But Boston’s likely going to want to be sure he’s ready, there’s no reason to rush him. That would make me put him at “room temperature”. One quick think though, Bello is on the 40-man roster. That puts him a little higher in the peaking order. Let’s bump him up to “warm”.