Have the Red Sox finally developed a homegrown starter?
The Red Sox organization has yet to churn out a competent starter since the Truman administration, or maybe Obama? That will soon change with Brayan Bello.
Bello’s introduction to MLB could have been more promising, but so was that of Roger Clemens. Bello became fresh meat until September, and the 23-year-old righty posted a 2-4, 2.59 ERA in his last six starts. That, undoubtedly, is what the metric folks at Fenway have caught their attention like shiny keys.
Scouting and performance show Bello brings three solid pitches to the hill, including a fastball consistently in the upper 90s. What impressed me about the Bello of 2022 was his ability to put a hammering into the background and concentrate on his next start.
Can Bello be the future Ace? That projection is questionable, but his ceiling is relatively high, and after the long list of Jay Groome’s et al., this development branch of the operation needs a break or two, and Bello may be just the arm to accomplish that.
The Red Sox extended Whitlock, which signaled a change in management philosophy regarding buying out arbitration and potentially a free agency year or two. With Bello, they may approach that.