BoSox Injection
Fansided

Looking back at the most hyped prospects in recent Red Sox memory

By Daniel Fox

TORONTO, ON - APRIL 27: Xander Bogaerts #2 of the Boston Red Sox hits a single against the Toronto Blue Jays in the sixth inning during their MLB game at the Rogers Centre on April 27, 2022 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - APRIL 27: Xander Bogaerts #2 of the Boston Red Sox hits a single against the Toronto Blue Jays in the sixth inning during their MLB game at the Rogers Centre on April 27, 2022 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images) /
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BOSTON, MA – OCTOBER 10: Clay Buchholz #11 of the Boston Red Sox delivers during the first inning of game three of the American League Division Series against the Cleveland Indians on October 10, 2016 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA – OCTOBER 10: Clay Buchholz #11 of the Boston Red Sox delivers during the first inning of game three of the American League Division Series against the Cleveland Indians on October 10, 2016 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images) /

Red Sox SP Clay Buchholz

Who was the last Red Sox pitching prospect to receive as much hype as Brayan Bello? You might be surprised at how long it has been. Sure, Jon Lester, Jonathan Papelbon, and Henry Owens were well-regarded in the minor leagues, but none of those three can match the excitement surrounding Clay Buchholz.

Buchholz was selected with the 42nd pick of the 2005 MLB draft, which was actually a compensation pick the Red Sox received for losing Pedro Martinez. From the very beginning, he proved he was well worth it.

He finished off the 2005 season by posting a 2.61 ERA in 15 starts in short-season Lowell, then spent 2006 overmatching opposing A ball hitters to earn a late season promotion to High-A Wilmington, where he allowed just two runs in 16 innings.

Buchholz continued to make steady progress in the 2007 season, earning a spot in the Futures Game along the way. He pitched well in a one-start callup in August (six innings, three earned runs), but it was his second start, a no-hitter against the Orioles, where the hype surrounding the youngster reached a fever pitch.

Though he was shut down with shoulder fatigue before the postseason began, Buchholz entered the 2008 season as the number six prospect in baseball and with a spot in the starting rotation.

Despite Buchholz lasting 10 years with the Red Sox, he didn’t quite live up to the hype.  Injuries would define his Boston career, as he never made 30 starts in a season and only topped 22 three times, and he was often ineffective when he was healthy.

There were glimpses of greatness, like his 2010 season where he had a 2.33 ERA and finished sixth in Cy Young voting, but he was never the frontline starter that he appeared during that magical night in 2007.

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