Red Sox relief pitching prospect Durbin Feltman
Durbin Feltman had a hell of a 2021 season. The relief pitcher bounced back from a 2019 that saw a command issue lead to problems. The right-handed pitcher started the year in Double-A and put up pretty solid numbers. However, it was when he moved up to Triple-A that things got kicked into overdrive.
In Double-A, Feltman posted a 3.29 ERA, .228 BAA, 1.21 WHIP, and 37 strikeouts in 27 1/3 innings pitched. But in Triple-A he recorded a 2.59 ERA, .200 BAA, 0.90 WHIP, and 25 strikeouts in 24 1/3 innings pitched. Importantly, he severely limited the walks – allowing just 14 combined between the 51 2/3 innings in Double-A and Triple-A.
With the type of season Feltman had, I was kind of expecting him to be called up last year. Especially considering Boston’s bullpen had some serious issues. It surprisingly didn’t happen though.
There is some good news in that front though. It gave me a pretty easy entrance on this list. The Red Sox still have some legitimate problems with their bullpen. Outside of Whitlock do you really feel great about any of the other relievers?
Sawamura put up phenomenal numbers, but he walked way too many batters. It led to some problems, and could lead to more. He’s a great option but there’s that concern. Copy and paste for Darwinzon Hernandez.
Adam Ottavino had a lot of walks, and a few bad blowup outings. Matt Barnes was terrible at the end of the season and was not even on some of the postseason rosters. Tanner Houck is great, but might be put in the rotation – and can get into walk problems as well. Josh Taylor was pretty consistent but did have some bad stretches.
Oh, and the worst part is Whitlock might be moved to the rotation. I don’t see it happening this year, but if it does, the bullpen’s even worse off.
So the Red Sox need some help there, obviously. They can look to free agency, but they’ll likely want solutions in-house. Feltman was highly regarded not long ago. I can’t imagine his fantastic 2021 season went unnoticed by some in the organization.
Feltman should be right near the top of the list for Boston. I think he’ll be on the roster to start the season. If that doesn’t happen, it won’t take long for him to get the call-up.
In fact, Boston needs a closer – that’s what everyone thought would become of the TCU product when he was first drafted. Could we see that prophecy finally coming true? Durbin Feltman gets the “burning-hot” rating on the temperature scale – he’s in Boston next season.