In February of 2024, the Boston Red Sox traded reliever John Schreiber for pitching prospect David Sandlin.
Sandlin dealt with some injuries but worked his way up from High-A to Double-A in the 2024 season. He started 2025 still in Portland but struggled a bit out of the gate. However, he's clearly hitting his stride.
Sandlin tossed five scoreless innings of relief on May 23. He allowed five hits and no walks while striking out six batters. It was easily his best appearance of the season. That was just an appetizer for his next outing, though.
On May 29, Sandlin started the first game of a doubleheader for Portland. He pitched all seven innings (DHs are still seven-inning games in the minors). The right-handed pitcher surrendered three hits over seven scoreless innings. He walked one batter and struck out eight. The seven innings tied a career-high and set a new mark for his Boston career.
Red Sox pitching prospect David Sandlin had career game on Thursday with seven inning complete game shutout
He needed just 83 pitches to get through the game. 56 of those pitches were strikes, and he generated eight whiffs.
Sandlin has very quickly turned his season around, and his numbers are starting to look strong. He has a 3.77 ERA, .239 BAA, and 1.19 WHIP in nine appearances (eight starts). The 24-year-old has 45 strikeouts compared to 12 walks in 43 innings.
Boston has a loaded farm system, and the pitching in the system has improved drastically over the last few seasons. The acquisition of Sandlin is a part of that improvement. Thursday was easily his best performance in the system. His numbers across the board (outside of his K/9) have all improved from 2024.
It looks like the Red Sox may have unlocked something with Sandlin that's allowing him to become the prospect everyone hoped for when he was brought over in the Schreiber trade.