Salem Red Sox Pitcher Wins Second Carolina League Pitcher of the Week Award

[Nick John]

The Salem Red Sox have been on a roll when it comes to winning weekly awards. Last week, Trennor O’Donnell won the Carolina League Pitcher of the Week award. This time around, another pitcher on the roster has claimed the hardware. 

Right-hander Blake Aita was named the Carolina League Pitcher of the Week for April 28th to May 4th. The right-hander pitched in one game during that span, but it was a dominating performance. On May 1st, Aita started against the Fredericksburg Nationals and went six innings, allowing just one hit and no walks while striking out seven. Aita also led all pitchers in swings and misses on the night with 14 of them.

Aita, a sixth-round pick out of Kennesaw State in 2024, previously won the award for the week of March 31st to April 6th after pitching five hitless innings and striking four. A six-foot-four pitcher who weighs 215 pounds, Aita is an interesting arm, as he currently has the potential to possess two plus-pitches and is already showing bat-missing ability with three of his pitches. Currently he throws a fastball, sweeper, cutter and changeup. The righty throws from a three-quarters arm slot with a medium-high leg kick.

His fastball is currently sitting 92-95 mph with solid command, though his velocity has shown an increase in 2025, as he previously sat around 89-92 mph in college. His sweeper sits 80-82 mph, though his extremely high spin rate for it makes it an interesting pitch. He has an advanced feel for it and doesn't miss his spot as often as other young pitchers learning the offering. His cutter currently sits 86-89 mph, while his changeup is 85-89 mph and is mostly used against left-handed batters.

Aita will be developed as a starter as he continues to show solid feel on the mound and a complete arsenal, along with having an advanced feel for spin on his pitches. While his fastball has gained velocity, it’s his secondary stuff that are his best pitches due to their spin rates. His sweeper alone can sometimes hit 3200 RPMs.

After being drafted in 2024, Aita did not pitch at all in the pros last season and instead made his debut on April 4th. On the season, Aita has started five games for Salem, winning two and losing one. He’s gone 24 2/3 innings, allowing nine runs, 20 hits, one home run, and six walks. He’s also managed to strike out 22 batters. He's also managed 43 whiffs. His ERA currently sits at 3.28.

Aita is striking batters out at a 22.4% rate while walking them at a 6.1% rate. Batters are only hitting .217 off of him and his WHIP is sitting at 1.050 through his first five games. Most impressively, his groundball rate is sitting at 45.6%.

Compared to his fellow pitchers in Single-A, Aita typically ranks within the top 10 of several categories. His ERA ranks eighth best out of qualified pitchers, he’s tied for second in innings pitched, and his 22 strike outs has him tied for seventh. When looking at his walk rate, Aita currently ranks fourth out of qualified pitchers in the Carolina League and third for WHIP.

With his early success, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him promoted to High-A Greenville soon. The tougher competition in Greenville would be a good indication of where Aita currently stands in his first professional season, and how fast the Red Sox may be able to move him through the upper levels of the system.

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