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Previewing the 2023 Boston Red Sox rotation

By Rick McNair

ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - JULY 12: Chris Sale #41 of the Boston Red Sox pitches during a game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on July 12, 2022 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - JULY 12: Chris Sale #41 of the Boston Red Sox pitches during a game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on July 12, 2022 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /
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BOSTON, MA – SEPTEMBER 14: Brayan Bello #66 of the Boston Red Sox delivers during the first inning of a game against the New York Yankees on September 14, 2022 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts.(Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA – SEPTEMBER 14: Brayan Bello #66 of the Boston Red Sox delivers during the first inning of a game against the New York Yankees on September 14, 2022 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts.(Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images) /

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.

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