Brayan Bello is set to make his first big league road start Monday when the Boston Red Sox take on the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. But it won't be like any normal road game, as Boston's top pitching prospect will have his own personal cheering section in Florida.
According to WEEI's Rob Bradford, the entire FCL Red Sox team will load up a bus and make the two-hour drive from Fort Meyers to Tampa Bay to see the 23-year-old make his second start for Boston.
Though it has been three years since Bello played in the Florida Complex League (formally the Gulf Coast League), the rookie still has some ties to the group. Former teammate Thad Ward is on a rehab assignment with the FCL team, while former coaches Tom Kotchman and Junior Zamora are holdovers from Bello's time in Fort Meyers.
Other notable names with the FCL Red Sox as of Monday include Matt Barnes -- who is on a rehab assignment -- and Sox Prospects' No. 8 prospect Miguel Bleis.
Bello didn't fare too well in his Major League debut, giving up four earned runs on six hits and three walks in four innings pitched. Though his "stuff" was as good as it always is, Bello struggled to command the strike zone and pitched tentative all day.
Struggling to command the strike zone has been an issue for Red Sox rookies all season. Josh Winckowski and Connor Seabold both started their seasons with sub-five inning performances where they would take a loss, but rebounded in their second starts by giving up zero and one run(s) respectively to get the Red Sox a pair of victories. Bello, the Red Sox and the FCL club making a long drive up I-70 all hope he has the same outcome Monday.
