It’s July 1 of 2023 and you are taking stock of the Red Sox season thus far. Shortstop has proven to be a mess in the first year of the post-Bogaerts era, the defense is almost laughable day-in-day-out, and key contributors are not contributing in key ways. The team sits dead even at 42–42. Those who criticized the front office all winter long seemingly have a sturdy leg to stand on. But yet we keep watching.
We keep watching in part because every fifth day a budding ace takes the mound. For, on that same July 1 day, Brayan Bello sits atop the pitching depth chart with a 3.08 ERA to match 67 strikeouts in a cool 73 IP. The Red Sox — those Red Sox of very little pitching development — have developed a true talent; at least, that is what it looks like.