It’s always fun to see which prospects generate the most buzz during spring training, and a week into Boston Red Sox camp, a ton of buzz has gone to left-handed pitcher Jake Bennett.
Bennett arrived to Boston in a December trade, as the Red Sox sent top right-handed pitching prospect Luis Perales to the Washington Nationals. It was a curious trade, as Perales seemingly had the higher consensus prospect ranking, was younger, and was closer to reaching the majors.
Since Bennett arrived in Fort Myers, though, people in uniform and members of the press alike have been blown away by the 6-foot-6 lefty’s stuff. One coach’s story in particular illustrates just how many heads Bennett has turned so far.
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Jake Bennett becoming a camp star
On Tuesday, Red Sox pitching coach Andrew Bailey discussed Bennett’s showing in spring training thus far, and reported that many of the players who were seeing him for the first time were blown away by the fact that Boston was able to acquire him.
“There’s a ton to dream on there,” Bailey said, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive. “There are guys who were on our team last year asking, ‘Dude, who did we get him for?’ It’s like, ‘That was a crazy trade.’ And it is, it’s a really cool one.”
For those who will inevitably be wondering: No, the Red Sox have no intentions of converting Bennett to a relief pitcher anytime soon, even with an obvious shortage of left-handed bullpen arms. Per Bailey, he’s got far too much potential as a starter to consider it.
“Obviously, I think we’d want to keep him stretched out,” Bailey said, per Cotillo. “He’ll be in a really good spot. I don’t foresee us, outside of strict necessity, wanting to shorten him up anytime soon.”
Obviously, performing in February and performing in the majors are two very different things. But Red Sox fans should keep an eye on Bennett’s minor-league progress early this year, because it might not be long until he starts working on that major league resume.
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