How did Red Sox pitching prospect Blake Wehunt fare in 2024?

Blake Wehunt was the fifth of 11 college pitchers selected by the Red Sox in the 2023 draft. How did the former ninth-rounder out of Kennesaw State fare in his first full professional season this year?

Signed for an under-slot $100,000 after being drafted with the 268th overall pick, Wehunt marked his pro debut by making one scoreless relief appearance in the Florida Complex League last August. The right-hander then opened the 2024 campaign at Low-A Salem and posted a 2.16 ERA (2.77 FIP) with 44 strikeouts to 15 walks in eight starts (33 1/3 innings) before receiving a promotion to High-A Greenville in early June.

Upon making the jump from Salem, Wehunt went through an adjustment period of sorts but still held his own in the hitter-friendly South Atlantic League by producing a 4.42 ERA (3.58 FIP) with 65 strikeouts to 19 walks in 13 starts (59 innings) for Greenville. The righty was promoted for a second time to Double-A Portland on September 11 to make one more start before the minor-league season. He allowed five earned runs over five innings as part of an 8-4 loss to Binghamton at Hadlock Field.

Altogether, Wehunt forged a 3.88 ERA and 3.40 FIP with 110 strikeouts to 34 walks in 22 starts spanning 97 1/3 total innings of work between Salem, Greenville, and Portland this past season. Opposing hitters across the three levels he pitched at batted just .207 against him.

Among the 374 minor-leaguers who threw at least 95 innings in 2024, Wehunt ranked 38th in batting average against, 45th in WHIP (1.11), 52nd in xFIP (3.43), 62nd in strikeout rate (27.5 percent) and FIP, 65th in line-drive rate (20.1 percent), 66th in strikeouts per nine innings (10.17), 68th in groundball rate (47.8 percent), 172nd in walks per nine innings (3.14), 179th in ERA, and 180th in walk rate (8.5 percent), per FanGraphs.

Wehunt, who turned 24 in November, is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 29 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks 15th among pitchers. The 6-foot-7, 240-pound Georgia native throws from a three-quarters arm slot and can make for an uncomfortable at-bat given his imposing stature. As noted in his SoxProspects.com scouting report, Wehunt operates with a four-pitch mix that consists of a 93-96 mph fastball, an 87-89 mph cutter, an 81-86 mph sweeper, and an 84-86 mph splitter.

Though the possibility remains that he could be moved by the Red Sox as part of a larger trade this winter, Wehunt is projected by SoxProspects.com to return to Portland for the start of the 2025 season in April. If that does end up happening, it should be worthwhile to see how he handles the upper minors after getting a brief taste in September.