Angel Bastardo retires final seven batters in notable Opening Day start for the Sea Dogs
After being buried under snow from an early-spring Nor’easter, the Portland Sea Dogs finally played their home opener at Hadlock Field.
With 6,074 fans on hand on a cloudy 48-degree Sunday afternoon, the Sea Dogs dropped their opener 1-0, but their pitching was strong, head-lined by starter Angel Bastardo, who was strong on the mound.
Bastardo took the ball for the Sea Dogs, and he was impressive, tossing five innings. He surrendered just one run on two walks and had three strikeouts.
Bastardo retired the final seven batters he faced and finished the game by tossing 67 pitches, 44 for strikes. His first strikeout came in the first inning, when he struck out Yanquiel Fernandez on a swinging strike.
The lone run that Bastardo surrendered came in the bottom of the third inning. He would walk Ryan Ritter after a six-pitch at-bat to open the inning. Ritter would then steal both second and third base, and after getting into scoring position, the Hartford Yard Goats plated their first and only run after Bladimir Restituyo grounded to third baseman Blaze Jordan.
The hard-throwing righty is one of the Red Sox's lesser-known pitching prospects in their system.
Last season, Bastardo split time between the Greenville Drive and Portland Sea Dogs. The native of Venezuela made 21 starts for High-A Greenville, posting a 2-7 record with a 4.62 ERA in 21 starts. He struck out 139 batters with a 12.11 K/9 over 103 1/3 innings in 2023.
The 21-year-old offers a four-pitch mix, a 93-95 mph fastball that has topped out at 97 mph in the past. He also offers a changeup, a curveball, and a slider.
Baseball America gives his changeup a 55- grade which is considered above average. It plays off his fastball and offers great separation.
While with Greenville last year, he had a 32% strikeout rate, which was the fourth highest in the South Atlantic League among pitchers with 80 innings. He also generated both swing-and-misses and ground balls.
Baseball America gives his mid-80s changeup a 55-grade (above average) on the 20–80 grading scale. They wrote that the pitch offers “good vertical and velocity separation off of the fastball.”
His curveball and slider were added to his arsenal last season; the slider was developed last spring and allowed him to attack hitters differently from his fastball and changeup.
Baseball America thinks that the right-hander could have the ceiling of a No. 5 starter if he can improve his “strike-throwing.”
Bastardo is currently ranked as the Red Sox No. 29 prospect with SoxProspects.
“Potential multi-inning relief arm,” wrote SoxProspects. “Ceiling of a back-end starter. Right now, lacks the fastball quality and command to stick as a starting pitcher. Secondary pitches are ahead of fastball, with changeup and breaking ball both showing bat-missing potential. Needs to further refine his two breaking balls, which can run into each other at times.”
As Bastardo continues to develop as a starter, if he can command the strike zone consistently, it should allow him to go deeper into games. That should allow Bastardo to climb in the Red Sox system and pitch at the upper levels.
