Is Connor Seabold Good? David Price Thinks So
Connor Seabold made his first MLB start of the year after he was recalled to fill in for a spot start in Toronto. Seabold didn’t exactly light the world on fire as he was torched for seven earned runs in 4.2 innings pitched.
Seabold, of course, was part of that Brandon Workman, Heath Hembree Phillies trade. It was a trade I wasn’t fond about because Seabold was an older prospect that hasn’t proven anything and Pivetta appeared to be damaged goods. Well, the Pivetta part seems to be working out just fine. Connor Seabold might be good too. Actually, David Price thinks he’s good?
That’s right. After Seabold’s first start in 2022, he shared a story about how David Price texted him during the game to tell him that Seabold is a keeper.
“It’s funny, I got a text message from David Price at 1 a.m. yesterday,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. “He was like, ‘That kid is good.’ I was like, ‘Oh, thank you. Thank you for watching.'”
Cora added, “I think they recognize the swing and misses. They saw the changeup. Obviously, it’s not an easy lineup but there were a lot of positives from yesterday. We want to make sure he understands that. Obviously, the line is the line. He’s not happy with it. But, stuff-wise, a lot better than last year in September.”
Seabold, 26, sports a 2.09 ERA across 11 starts at the AAA level. In fairness to the former Phillies third round pick, everyone is going to make a bad start against this Blue Jays lineup. The Sox right hander could be a staple of the rotation next year. Nate Eovaldi, Michael Wacha, and Rich Hill are all impending free agents this year.
The Sox right hander does have some pretty good stuff. Obviously good enough to catch the eye of Price. He did generate 21 whiffs during that first outing against Toronto which is a damn good number. He features a four pitch including a fastball, changeup, slider, and curveball.
It remains to be seen how Seabold pans out but Boston is quietly developing a lot of potential starters in the minors. We have already seen Josh Winckowski pitch well. Brayan Bello is probably next.
