Brayan Bello had never truly found his groove with the Boston Red Sox. From his debut in 2022 to 2024, he posted a 4.42 ERA with a 1.415 WHIP and 4.14 FIP, giving up 185 earned runs in that time frame. He's been good in spades, but was never consistent. But in 2025? Oh, he's been dealing big time for the club.
He's 5-3 with a 3.28 ERA and 65 strikeouts in 2025, but he had a cold start, where he originally had up to a 4.08 ERA. But within his past four starts, he's been a much better version of himself. He's posted a 2.18 ERA with 28 strikeouts and only 8 earned runs.
Brayan Bello Is in the Midst of the Best Stretch of His Red Sox Career
In his recent start in Game 2 against the Rockies, Brayan Bello threw his first-career complete game. It was a shutout going into the 9th, but he gave up a 2-run HR to All-Star catcher Hunter Goodman. Nonetheless, he still threw 10 Ks, 8 in the first 5 innings, and only 1 BB in his 9 full innings of work.
But the stats are just the prologue of an entire book. Bello is pitching out of his mind, and it's not just on the score sheet.
He dropped his changeup and leaned into more of a sweeper and sinker tunnel approach. His sweeper is generating around 40% chase rate and 32% whiff on swings, while his sinker is landing for strikes, especially ahead in the count 0-2.
The hitters are getting deceived and they've been chasing and missing a lot more, and he's been racking up K's (along with some soft contact) as a result.
He's made a statement to be a serious No. 2 starter in his past few outings, and it's a good case to have. It's between him and Lucas Giolito at this point (although the latter may be traded).
It's a good problem to have for Boston, and with him signing a 6-year, $55M extension with them in 2024, he'll be around for a while. It'll be fascinating to see if Bello keeps this up.