Boston Red Sox prospect Bryan Mata is one step away from the big leagues, but his first start at the Triple-A level is a pretty strong indication that step is a ways away.
Mata, 23, made his debut for the Worcester Red Sox on Tuesday night at Polar Park, laboring through his first start in Triple-A. The right-hander went just three innings, allowing a single earned run on three hits with a strikeout. Those numbers don't seem too bad, but of course, they don't tell the whole story.
Mata threw a total of 72 pitches, with only 40 coming for strikes -- a 55.6% strike percentage. As you can imagine, that led to four walks for the youngster, the thing that eventually led to his removal from the ball game.
The Red Sox's No. 2 pitching prospect according to MLB.com, SoxProspects and Baseball America, Mata was promoted from Double-A Portland to Triple-A Worcester on Monday ahead of his debut. He finished with a 5-2 record and a 1.85 ERA in 48 2/3 inning pitched for Portland, surrendering 10 earned runs on 35 hits, striking out 58 and allowing 23 walks.
The 6-foot-3, 229-pounder will have plenty of opportunities to improve his command, something that has been iffy throughout his minor league career, as he continues to iron things out before an eventual big-league debut.
