Shortly after rewarding him with a lucrative contract extension, the Boston Red Sox have bestowed another honor upon young right-handed pitcher Brayan Bello.
The Red Sox named Bello as their Opening Day starter on Tuesday, just nine days out from their March 28 matchup against the Seattle Mariners. Bello will be Boston’s eighth different Opening Day starter in the past 11 years.
Last year's initial top starter, Corey Kluber, retired in February. Nathan Eovaldi previously left via free agency to join the Texas Rangers after earning the nod in Boston from 2020 to 2022. Chris Sale got traded to the Atlanta Braves in December following several injury-plagued campaigns, an Opening Day start in 2019 and a World Series title in 2018.
Even offseason addition Lucas Giolito wasn't available to manager Alex Cora, as he underwent UCL surgery last week.
That leaves Bello, who is positioned to be the future of the Red Sox's starting rotation after inking a six-year, $55 million deal on March 7.
Bello will be Boston's first homegrown Opening Day starter since Clay Buchholz in 2015, so keeping him around was paramount to the Red Sox's ongoing rebuild. He may not be an All-Star just yet, but Bello's contract suggests that this could be his first of many Opening Day nods.
Back in 2022, Bello was ranked as the No. 5 prospect and No. 1 pitcher in the Red Sox's farm system. He made a brief big league debut later that year, then really showed some serious potential when he became a full-time MLB pitcher in 2023.
The righty went 12-11 with a 4.24 ERA, 1.338 WHIP, 132 strikeouts and a 3.1 WAR in 28 starts last season, leading the way in Boston's rotation while the veterans – Sale, Kluber and James Paxton – struggled to stay healthy.
Prior to the All-Star break, Bello was 6-5 with a 3.04 ERA, and he was a dark horse Cy Young candidate with the Red Sox still squarely in playoff contention.
As Boston's season crumbled, however, so did Bello's. He kept his season ERA below 3.60 through August, but his 7.62 ERA across five starts in September soured what was otherwise an impressive breakout campaign.
Bello's pursuit to string together a complete season starts next week in Seattle. First pitch is scheduled for 10:10 p.m. ET.
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