Most can agree the future is bright for Brayan Bello, though Pedro Martinez might be the highest on his fellow countrymen and Red Sox prospect.
Bello, who entered the 2022 season as one of the top pitching prospects in baseball, got his first taste of big league action in Boston. His major league career got off to a bumpy start, but he finished strong and put forth an effort that was probably more impressive than a 2-8 record with a 4.71 ERA would suggest.
In spurts, Bellow showed the Martinez-esque stuff that made him a highly touted prospect. Dig a little deeper into the batted-ball numbers, and it suggests the right-hander got a little unlucky, as evidenced by his 2.94 FIP being almost two runs lower than the ERA.
At the very least, it's something to build on. Bello figures to be part of the rotation in 2023 and beyond. Martinez, a mentor of Bello, is excited to see what the young hurler can do, and the Hall of Famer believes Bello might be even ahead of his own pace at this point in his career.
"It was sad that they brought him up a little bit prematurely, but the need called for him to be up," Martinez told Boston.com. "Next year, he's going to be more experienced. Hopefully, we'll work on some of the things that didn't work for him this year during the winter and spring training.
"He's one exciting prospect that everyone wants to watch. It actually brings back memories of who I was, except he's probably at the same age a little better."
Martinez might be overstating things just a bit. He made his major league debut a few weeks before his 21st birthday, while Bello had just turned 23 when he got the call to the show. Martinez had appeared in 91 big league games with an ERA+ of 133 in 259 2/3 big league innings before he even got to his age-23 season.
But if Martinez actually does believe Bello is a more advanced 23-year-old, that certainly speaks to the optimism being warranted.
"He's really up there in talent," Martinez added, comparing Bello to Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz in the process.
"It's really difficult to judge the talent, but without a doubt, he has the tools to become a Jon Lester, to become a Pedro Martinez, to become a Clay Buchholz, someone like that, that wasn't that impressive early in their career with the Boston Red Sox. He has a very bright future.
Some might scoff at the Buchholz comparison, but it's actually pretty apt. Buchholz was great in his first taste of the big leagues in 2007 -- he threw a no-hitter -- in just four starts. He got knocked around in 2008, though, but rebounded nicely. It's easy to forget given how frustrating Buchholz could be over the course of his career, that he went on to win 68 games from 2009 through 2015 with a 3.67 ERA in 149 starts at the big league level.
If that's the floor and the ceiling is Lester or, heaven forbid, Martinez, the Red Sox should feel quite good about having Bello in the fold for years to come.
