Article: Promising Red Sox Pitching Prospects: Brandon Clarke

[Nick John]

In the second part of this three-part series, we discuss Brandon Clarke, who is currently running a 1.42 ERA in Single-A Salem.

It's been a while since the Red Sox were known for their pitching development successes. You could argue that the last dominant starter they drafted and developed was Jon Lester. That looks to have changed since Craig Breslow’s hiring and overhaul of the pitching infrastructure. Although the top of the rotation is still populated with trade and free agent acquisitions, many pitching prospects are showing their growth early on this season.

When Breslow was hired, one of his key points was overhauling the team’s pitching development, not just at the major league level, but also throughout the entire organization. His first act was hiring Andrew Bailey as the pitching coach to work on a new philosophy with the major league staff, but he didn’t stop there. Breslow continued to improve the infrastructure, hiring Driveline Baseball co-founder Kyle Boddy as an advisor and bringing in Justin Willard, who had formerly been the Minnesota Twins’ pitching coordinator, as director of pitching. The additions seem to be working out. Minor league pitching is improving, and pitchers are beginning to gain attention. On Thursday, we discussed Juan Valera. Today it's Brandon Clarke's turn.

Selected in the fifth round of the 2024 draft, Brandon Clarke has been generating a buzz. After his first two starts this season, he's starting to look like a steal. The left-hander turned 22 on April 10, the same day as his professional debut. In that game, he threw four perfect innings, striking out five batters and needing only 40 pitches. Of those 40, he managed to generate nine whiffs, nearly 25% of his pitches thrown in that game. Clarke showcases a lot of swing-and-miss potential thanks in part to a fastball that sits 96-99 mph and can top out at 100 mph. He'll need to work on his command, but it has the potential to be a plus pitch.

Clarke throws a traditional slider that sits 87-90 and can miss bats with 2-to-8 movement when he snaps it off tightly. He also throws a sweeper that sits 81-85 with horizontal break. He also tried to use it to generate whiffs instead of locating it in the zone. While the slider is viewed as potentially being an average pitch, the sweeper is viewed as a fringe-average pitch. Finally, the changeup is his fourth and final pitch, sitting 87-89 mph. It’s currently his weakest pitch as it is graded below average.

Clarke is still young, working his way through his first few professional appearances, but so far one thing is certain: he can generate swings and misses. While he didn’t pitch as deep into the game during his second start, he was still dominant. Needing 49 pitches to make it into the third inning, Clarke lasted 2 1/3, allowing a single run on two hits and a walk. Even more exciting were the six strikeouts and 11 whiffs.

Many are already wondering whether Clarke's stay in Salem will be a short one. While he’s not thrown many innings, the Red Sox have not shied away from promoting pitching prospects quickly, including Connelly Early, Blake Wehunt, and Hayden Mullins. All three pitched in Greenville with little or no time at Salem. So far, through just 6 1/3 innings, Clarke has managed to generate 20 whiffs. That skill will make him a valuable arm, if not in the rotation then definitely as a bullpen piece. There's no organization in today's game that doesn't appreciate the ability to miss bats. 

 

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