Boston Red Sox legend Pedro Martinez had high praise for one of the team's brightest young players.
Last night, the Boston Red Sox ran roughshod over the Seattle Mariners in a 12-3 victory. One of the night's stars was young starting pitcher Brayan Bello; he pitched five innings, giving up one earned run and striking out seven.
Appearing in just his 19th MLB game across two seasons, the 24-year-old has a long career ahead of him. He's already garnering the attention (and praise) of a local legend.
Appearing on the Red Sox broadcast last night, Pedro Martinez — the Hall of Fame pitcher with three Cy Young awards and 3,154 strikeouts to his name — gave Bello a ringing endorsement.
Pedro Martinez sees stardom in the future of Red Sox pitcher Brayan Bello
Martinez, one of the greatest players in MLB history to hail from the Dominican Republic, said, "I see this kid and I see myself." Bello is the latest in a long line of successful Dominican pitchers, and clearly an important part of Boston's future. The parallels are hard to miss.
Going even further, Martinez said Bello has "a little bit better stuff than I had" at the same age. I have to imagine that made Bello blush. The youngster has worked with Martinez in the past and will no doubt remain under the wing of the Red Sox legend. As Martinez went on the mention, both have similar body types. Bello, whose heat can reach the high-90s on a good day, should only get more proficient in the years to come.
Boston has a lot to figure out internally. They're currently dead last in the AL East, coming off a four-game losing streak before righting the ship in this Seattle series. Bello can't win them every game of course, but the team will continue to rely on him and his progression as they look to establish themselves as a threat in a highly contested division.
