The Boston Red Sox have endless pitching depth, and there's little to no room for anybody else. But that's not stopping Jake Bennett from trying to make statement after statement in each start he has.
Boston acquired Bennett in the Luis Perales trade with the Washington Nationals as a one-off exchange, and the 25-year-old was the perfect online match for CBO Craig Breslow. He's tall, standing at 6'6", throws the ball hard, and is a lefty, which all match Breslow's profile for a successful pitcher.
Previously, he teamed up with the likes of Cade Horton and now-former Red Sox top prospect David Sandlin in the 2022 College World Series with the Oklahoma Sooners. He had a 10-strikeout performance against the Ole Miss Rebels in the College World Series Finals, but sadly gave up three earned runs in the 10-4 defeat in Game 1, and Oklahoma eventually lost in the finals, 2-0.
He was drafted by the rebuilding Washington Nationals organization in the second round, as the 45th overall pick that following month in July, where he pitched for two seasons. He started 2023 in Low-A Fredericksburg and ended that season in High-A Wilmington, posting a 3.14 ERA in his first season as a pro, striking out 73 total batters while walking only 16.
Yeah...that's insane...
Unfortunately for him, he didn't even finish the season. He blew out his arm in August that year and needed to undergo the dreaded Tommy John Surgery, effectively missing out on the rest of 2023 and 2024 entirely.
However, he came back in 2025 as his old self. He struck out 64 batters, walked only 19, and maintained a 2.27 ERA. He soared from Low-A Fredericksburg up to Double-A Harrisburg in 2025, going through three levels in the Nats organization. This was where the Red Sox saw something in him and traded for his services in December last year.
Red Sox Prospect Jake Bennett's Play Demanding Fans Know His Name
In his first spring training with the Red Sox, he didn't live up to par, posting an ERA of 9.00, striking out only three batters in 3 innings, while giving up three earned runs on five hits in the process. This raised doubts from fans watching, leading some to question his abilities and whether he was just a minor-league merchant.
Well, if one organization can turn that around, it's the Red Sox pitching development brass.
Just look at the likes of Kyle Harrison, a failed top draft pick from the San Francisco Giants, who was acquired last year in the Rafael Devers trade. He posted a career ERA of 4.44 with San Francisco as a starter, and was sent back down to Triple-A before the Red Sox snatched him from their grasp. They helped him add to his arsenal by incorporating a cutter and changing his grip on the changeup. Since then, he's been a better pitcher. He was brought back up in September, owning an ERA of 3.00 out of the bullpen.
Or look at Payton Tolle, now, who has added a new cutter and curveball with refinement on the rest of his pitches, most notably the changeup. Time will tell what pitch will work out for him, but he, along with any of the Red Sox pitchers in the minor leagues, knows that this is the best system to fulfill their true potential as players.
Jake Bennett is the next man up, and his AAA manager Chad Tracy thinks so, too, per Andrew Parker of SoxProspects:
“He turned a lot of heads in spring training. He’s a big, tall guy with big extension. When he throws 95, it looks a little harder than that. It jumps on hitters. He caught the attention of a lot of us in Fort Myers. This is looking like a really, really good starting pitching prospect,” Tracy said of the lefty.
He struck out five batters on Opening Day with the WooSox in three full innings while only giving up two hits. Worcester lost that game, but it wasn't due to Bennett himself.
Everyone is looking forward to the promise of Bennett, and we're just getting started...