There is a lot of speculation and anticipation about what the Boston Red Sox bullpen will look like this season.
And while 21-year-old pitching prospect Durbin Feltman will start the season in the minor leagues, there is plenty of reason to believe that the TCU product will make his major league debut just a year after he was selected in the third round of the MLB Amateur Draft.
Feltman turned some heads in his first two outings at spring training, striking out four batters over 1 2/3 innings.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora said strikeouts aren’t everything, but nonetheless was pleased with what he saw from the the 6-foot-5 righty.
“You can’t get caught up in strikeouts and all that but it’s a good learning experience,” Cora said via The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey. “We talked a little bit. It’s a different strike zone, too.”
With the questions surrounding the Red Sox bullpen, it is not at all far-fetched to see how Feltman could stay on the radar for a big league call-up at some point in the season, and the Sox bench boss acknowledged the possibility.
“If he keeps doing the things that he did in big league camp and dominates wherever he goes, there’s a chance we might need him and we know what to expect,” Cora said.
Feltman carried a 1.93 ERA, struck out 36 and walked six in 22 games between various levels of Single-A ball after forgoing his senior season in Fort Worth to join the Sox. His stuff is undeniable, and as Cora said, now that the team has seen in him in person at big league camp, a call-up now is all the more likely should Feltman continue to produce.
