Brayan Bello added to Futures Game

When the Futures Game rosters were first announced last week, the Red Sox somewhat surprisingly had just one player named to the American League roster, with Jeter Downs getting the nod. Much like in the actual All-Star Game, though, there are always injuries and guys just generally beat up enough that they sit out of the game. That happened again this year, and it helped the Red Sox get another player on the roster. Brayan Bello was added to the American League squad, replacing Mariners pitching prospect Emerson Hancock.

It’s never good to see young players for any team get hurt, of course, but it is nice to see Bello get some national recognition and a place in this game. It has been a huge year for the righty, who has been probably the biggest riser in the entire Red Sox farm system this season. In fact, there’s an argument to be made he is the best healthy pitching prospect right now, or at least in the non-Tanner Houck division.

Bello started this season at High-A Greenville, pitching to a 2.27 ERA across six starts and 31 ²⁄₃ innings, striking out 45 and walking only seven. That dominant performance was good enough to earn the 22-year-old a promotion to Double-A Portland, where he has made four starts, pitching to a 3.45 ERA over 15 ²⁄₃ innings with 19 strikeouts and seven walks. The righty needs to work on his consistency with his command, but he has a good enough three-pitch mix led by his fastball to be on track for a major-league rotation spot in a couple years. In the meantime, he gets this stage against some of the game’s best young talent.