Article: Brayan Bello is Emerging as a True No. 2 Starter

[Jordan Leandre]

When the Boston Red Sox extended right-handed pitcher Brayan Bello ahead of the 2024 season, it felt like a passing of the torch to a new era of frontline starting pitching in Boston.

Between injuries, inconsistencies and off-the-field factors, it was an up-and-down season for the Dominican Republic native. While he settled into a 4.49 ERA -- a 3.66 ERA from July 1 onward -- it seemed the fan base turned on the right-hander once dubbed with the nickname of "Baby Pedro." He struggled to find his footing early in 2025 as well, despite largely good run prevention. Through his first five starts, Bello had a 2.33 ERA but just 17 strikeouts to 14 walks across 27 innings. His sixth start of the year was a bad one; he allowed seven earned runs and walked five across 4 1/3 innings. While it was only his first start exceeding three earned runs, it was his fourth with at least three walks and second with five walks.

At that point, it seemed patience was wearing thin with the 26-year-old and the reality that he was nothing more than a back-end starter became clearer.

After four more so-so outings, each a little better than the previous, Bello took off, starting with his June 15 start against the New York Yankees. Bello went seven shutout frames, striking out eight and allowing just three hits. He out-pitched left-hander Max Fried (for the first time) and got the victory in a 1-0 ballgame.

Fast forward two months, Bello did it again. He pitched seven shutout innings, allowing just three hits and beat Fried in a 1-0 ballgame. This time, at Yankee Stadium.

Over those 13 outings, 12 of which have been starts, Bello has a 2.50 ERA with a 1.02 WHIP and a 46.4% ground ball rate. During that span, he's pitched at least six innings 10 times, including his first career complete game on July 8, and has eight appearances of one or fewer walks. He's getting deeper into games, manipulating contact and even the strikeouts tick up from time to time.

His under-the-hood metrics suggests he's gotten somewhat lucky, but he leads the majors in innings pitched and is seventh in ERA since that June outing against the Yankees; overall, he's eighth in the American League in ERA. Independent of his actual performance, the maturation of the right-hander is leaps and bounds better than it was a year ago. In 2024, it felt like any little inconvenience, at least in the first half, led to a downward spiral. This year, even when he was struggling to find his footing early, Bello minimized damage more often than not and gave his team a chance to win.

Leading up to the MLB trade deadline, the No. 1 priority for the Red Sox was adding a viable No. 2 starter to pair at the top with southpaw Garrett Crochet. They didn't quite get that, acquiring Dustin May and coming up short on Minnesota Twins right-hander Joe Ryan, which caused Red Sox fans to feel let down yet again by the front office.

However, Bello has evolved into the No. 2 starter the Red Sox promised last spring, saving Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow's bacon, as the aforementioned May has shown flashes but has come up far short of being that front-end starter.

Ideally, Bello would be the No. 3 starter, with someone sandwiched between he and Crochet to form a dastardly trio atop the rotation. But, not every team can live in an ideal world. What is true for certain is Bello would've been exactly the pitcher Red Sox fans would've yearned for at the deadline if he was wearing another uniform. He just didn't get that kind of respect because, fortunately for the Red Sox, they already had him.

For a team to be a viable postseason and World Series contender, its rotation needs to have an ace and a very good No. 2 starting pitcher. Boston has an ace in Crochet, and its No. 2 -- Bello -- is very good. That duo has drawn the attention of manager Alex Cora, who went as far as to say Bello gives the organization the same confidence that a win is coming as Crochet.

If that proves to be more than just lip service, the Red Sox's 2025 postseason run could last most of October.

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[moonslav59]

He's pitching like a #2 now, and was maybe a #3 earlier in the season. Before that he was a #4 or 5. 

I hope he keeps this up. He looks locked in and focused, every start, now.