Boston Red Sox Prospects: Handing out awards for 2022
By Hunter Noll
Red Sox starting pitching prospect of the year – Bryan Mata
Bryan Mata came back after two years off and went back to dominating like it was nothing. It looked like he never even missed a start, absolutely wild.
The right-handed pitcher went through four levels of the minor leagues in 2022. This was because he was rehabbing after missing 2020 due to the MiLB season being canceled and 2021 due to Tommy John surgery. Missing two years in a row, Mata would have been forgiven if he started off slowly. There’s a reason I call him El Idolo though.
He made one start (two innings) in Low-A. Next, he made three starts (nine innings) in High-A. After that, we saw Mata appear in nine games (48 2/3 innings) in Double-A. Finally, the Venezuela native made his Triple-A debut, making five starts (23 1/3 innings) at the level.
In total, that was 83 innings of work. Mata posted a 2.49 ERA, .201 BAA, and 1.28 WHIP in that time. He did have a bit of a walk issue (46), but also racked up the strikeouts, with 105.
Outside of the walks, there was nothing you could really complain about. For one thing, Mata’s pitches looked great, including a fastball that can hit triple-digits. He wasn’t giving up hits (as shown by his .201 BAA), and only allowed five home runs all year.
That’s something Mata’s always been great at though. He’s allowed just 18 home runs in 398 innings over five years in the minor leagues and has never allowed more than seven in a single season.
The BAA was new though. That was the lowest opposing batting average Mata’s ever posted in a season. It was by a pretty large margin too, with his old career-best being .229. The ERA was also a career-best, so this really was a spectacular season for Mata.
We also got to see the righty post a new career-high in strikeouts. In his last start of the year (working in Triple-A nonetheless), Mata recorded 10 punch outs in 5 1/3 innings. That was one higher than his previous high of nine (which he had done on a couple of occasions).
This will likely be the last time Mata is eligible for any prospect awards. Unsurprisingly, he’s going out with a bang. Returning from injury and looking solid would have been impressive. Doing what Mata did this season is a perfect reminder of the ace prospect that he is though.
Honorable Mention:
Chris Murphy: 24-year-old lefty posted a 4.03 ERA, .220 BAA, 1.28 WHIP, and 149 Ks in 152 innings between Double-A and Triple-A.
Thad Ward: 25-year-old righty posted a 2.28 ERA, .212 BAA, 1.15 WHIP, and 66 Ks in 51 1/3 innings between four levels. Returning from TJ surgery like Mata, only made two appearances last year before the injury.
Shane Drohan: 23-year-old lefty posted a 3.89 ERA, .227 BAA, 1.26 WHIP, and 157 Ks in 129 2/3 innings between High-A and Double-A.
Wikelman Gonzalez: 20-year-old righty posted a 4.21 ERA, .212 BAA, and 121 Ks in 98 1/3 innings between Low-A and High-A.
Juan Daniel Encarnacion: 21-year-old righty posted a 4.05 ERA, .239 BAA, and 129 K in 113 1/3 innings between Low-A and High-A.