Brayan Bello: What’s His Real Potential?
The Red Sox have struggled to develop pitching in the past. Beyond Jon Lester, you’re looking at Clay Buchholtz and a whole lot of nothing. Boston has called up Brayan Bello who might be the most hyped Red Sox pitching prospect of my lifetime.
Bello, 23, is currently the Sox third ranked prospect according to SoxProspects. The only two names ahead of him are Marcelo Mayer (the Sox first round pick a year ago) and known monster Triston Casas. Throughout the Sox minor league season, Bello has probably been the Sox most impressive pitcher.
Bello’s underlying numbers are flat out ridiculous. High K% and more importantly is creating weak contact on the ground. It’s not about just getting guys out. He’s creating so many pure whiffs it’s hard not to like his chances.
If that didn’t excite you enough, Pedro Martinez has taken interest in the Sox right-handed starter. Bello has filthy stuff so it’s hard not to. The fastball pumps in at 99 mph at it’s high point. He also features a changeup and slider. More so than anything, there is just something about his fastball. It’s got sneaky movement to it along with the high velocity.
Chaim Bloom maybe doesn’t deserve credit for this one given the fact that Bello was signed during the 2017 International Signing period. However, the number of young arms that are contributing at the Major League level feels like a record. Connor Seabold, Kutter Crawford, and Josh Winckowski have all made contributions recently.
Bello represents more than a potential homegrown ace starter. If the Sox can actually trust the young arms in the organization, it opens up so many more doors for constructing the roster. If you’re not dumping big financial resources into the rotation, is there any excuse to not retain Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers? Who are the Red Sox even paying at this point? Especially after already losing Mookie Betts, the fan base is restless to keep star players in house.
Bello matters in more ways than one.
In the short term, Bello’s stay on the MLB roster likely won’t last long. As soon as Chris Sale is activated from the IL (likely next week) he is expected to take that spot in the rotation. James Paxton will likely be activated as well in the coming weeks. Also, consider the fact that Bello has pitched the most innings of any Sox pitcher throughout the entire organization. Boston may decide they’re better served shutting Bello down early. I’m sure he has some sort of an innings limit as a young arm with no MLB experience.
The future is finally here. Chaim Bloom’s vision is finally here. I can’t remember a time the Red Sox had so many young intriguing arms in the minor league system. Bloom deserves a ton of credit for that. Boston’s championship window is very much open this year and if Bello can make an impact, we’re talking about a potential postseason X-Factor.
