Boston Red Sox Prospect Watch: No-hitters and home run streaks
By Hunter Noll
Red Sox Double-A (Portland)
Brayan Bello made some history this week. The right-handed pitcher’s lone start saw him toss a no-no. In a seven-inning game (doubleheader), Bello allowed one unearned run on no hits and three walks – striking out five. This start wasn’t some random outlier either. The 22-year-old has a minuscule 1.95 ERA in 27 2/3 innings this season. In that time, Bello also holds a .135 BAA and a 0.87 WHIP. He’s racked up 37 strikeouts and it’s really fun to watch him baffle hitters constantly.
The rest of the pitching staff didn’t take the week off either. Chris Murphy went six innings in his lone start of the week. The left-handed pitcher allowed just two hits and three walks, giving up zero earned runs (three unearned). He also tallied a season-high 10 strikeouts. On the year, Murph now holds a 2.10 ERA, .154 BAA, 1.00 WHIP, and 38 strikeouts in 30 innings pitched.
Brandon Walter also threw six innings this week in his only start. The lefty didn’t allow a run on just three hits and one walk, tying his season-high with 10 strikeouts. That one walk is oddly significant, because it’s the first walk Walter has surrendered all year. He now has 39 strikeouts and just the one walk. Walter also has a 0.93 ERA, .163 BAA, and 0.62 WHIP in 29 innings pitched.
Jay Groome didn’t have his best start of the year this week. In 3 2/3 innings, he allowed four runs on seven hits and four walks – striking out two. The good news is, it feels like Groome is great at the “bounce back game”. Whenever he really struggles, it always seems like his next time out is a gem. So we’ll have to see what he delivers. The lefty has a 4.82 ERA, .243 BAA, and 1.45 WHIP on the year. He’s churned out 21 strikeouts in 18 2/3 innings pitched.
Andrew Politi gave up his first runs this week. In three innings, he allowed two earned runs. And now the right-handed pitcher has a 1.69 ERA, .139 BAA, and 0.66 WHIP in 10 2/3 innings. Politi has also racked up 15 strikeouts compared to just two walks this season.
Chase Shugart has been phenomenal out of the bullpen this year. Spending his first three years as a starter, the righty transitioned to a reliever role this season. In 13 2/3 innings he has a 2.63 ERA, .200 BAA, 1.10 WHIP, and 13 strikeouts so far.
Devlin Granberg looks almost bored in Double-A. The outfielder has a .345/.472/.483 slash line with four doubles and two triples. Yes, he’s seriously getting on-base nearly 50% of the time and has more walks (11) than strikeouts (8). The right-handed hitter has four RBI, 10 runs scored, and three steals.
You probably are getting bored of me talking about how much Kole Cottam improved defensively last season. Well he’s still great in 2022. He had a frame job on a pitch the other night that actually ended up causing an ejection for the opposing team because they were mad it was called a strike. Impressive. Oh, and the right-handed hitter is slashing .302/.380/.429 with five doubles and one home run. He’s driven in seven runs and scored eight more.
David Hamilton has a .273/.363/.443 slash line with two doubles, two triples, and three home runs. The left-handed hitter has 13 RBI and 13 runs scored. He looks like a fantastic traditional type of leadoff hitter. He finds ways to get on-base (11 walks) and already has a ridiculous 15 steals.
Christian Koss picked up at least one hit in four-of-five games this week. And the shortstop now holds a .272/.299/.413 slash line with two doubles, one triple, and three home runs. The right-handed hitter has strong run production too. He’s picked up 17 RBI and 12 runs scored, to go along with three steals.
Overall, the numbers don’t look great for Hudson Potts. He had a strong week though (5-for-14) and could be turning things around. The right-handed hitter has a .190/.282/.476 slash line with six doubles and four home runs. He’s driven in 11 runs and scored seven more. If he can get hot he can start racking up the extra-base hits.