Red Sox’ Luis De La Rosa named Florida Complex League Pitcher of the Week

Red Sox pitching prospect Luis De La Rosa has been named the Florida Complex League Pitcher of the Week for the week of June 27 – July 3, Minor League Baseball announced on Tuesday.

In two starts against the FCL Braves and FCL Twins at JetBlue Park on June 27 and July 2, De La Rosa did not allow a run over 8 1/3 combined innings of work. The right-hander struck out 15 of the 34 batters he faced while issuing two hits, four walks, and hitting three.

On the 2022 season as a whole, De La Rosa has posted a 1.26 ERA and 3.72 FIP to go along with 20 strikeouts to nine walks across four appearances (three starts) spanning 14 1/3 innings for the Sox’ rookie-level affiliate.

Among 100 FCL pitchers who have accrued at least 10 innings on the mound this year, De La Rosa ranks 20th in strikeouts per nine innings (12.56), 13th in strikeout rate (33.3%), 24th in swinging strike rate (34.6%), fifth in batting average against (.104), 24th in WHIP (0.98), and 12th in ERA, per FanGraphs.

De La Rosa, who turns 20 on Wednesday, was one of three players to be named later the Red Sox acquired from both the Mets and Royals as part of the three-team trade that sent Andrew Benintendi to Kansas City last February.

Originally signed by the Royals as an international free agent coming out of the Dominican Republic in July 2018, De La Rosa did not make his Red Sox organizational debut until June 29 of last season. Since then, the Santo Domingo native owns a 2.41 ERA in 12 outings (eight starts) in the Florida Complex League.

While not regarded as one of the top pitching prospects in Boston’s farm system, De La Rosa does operate with a four-pitch mix that consists of an 89-91 mph fastball that tops out in the low-90s, a 77-79 mph curveball, an 83-86 mph changeup, and a slider, per his SoxProspects.com scouting report.

Listed at 6-foot-1 and 170 pounds with more room to grow, De La Rosa can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft for the first time in his career later this winter. The odds of him being left unprotected and scooped up by another team are likely slim, but it should be interesting to see if the righty can work his way to Low-A Salem before season’s end.