Boston Red Sox prospect Shane Drohan rode a scintillating start with Double-A Portland over the first month of the season to a recent promotion to Triple-A Worcester.
But the 24-year-old left-handed pitcher received a little bit of a wake-up call in his Triple-A debut Thursday night at Polar Park.
After allowing five earned runs total in six starts with the Sea Dogs this season, Drohan yielded that many to the Leigh Valley IronPigs in five innings of work. Much of the damage done off Drohan came via the long ball as he gave up three home runs that produced all of Leigh Valley’s runs in his outing.
Despite giving up the four hits and five runs plus three walks, Drohan did have some bright spots, including generating plenty of swings and misses. He started the game with three scoreless frames and finished with six strikeouts.
It was unrealistic to think Drohan, who the Red Sox selected in the fifth round of the 2020 Major League Baseball Draft, would maintain his scorching-hot start as he was bound to come back to Earth at least a little bit. With Portland, Drohan posted a 5-0 record to go along with a 1.32 ERA and a microscopic 0.82 WHIP. He also struck out 36 batters in 34 innings.
Drohan flashed some of what has made him a fast-rising prospect in the Red Sox farm system in his debut, but he’ll certainly look for better results the next time on the mound as he tries to continue his ascension.
