Hunter Dobbins deserving of Triple-A look to begin 2024
Nobody did more to raise their stock in the Red Sox system last season than Hunter Dobbins did.
Dobbins just turned in his first full season since undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2021. The right-hander began the year in High-A Greenville where he went 4-1 with a 2.63 ERA over 7 starts. His control was the big standout stat, as he only walked 5 batters over 41 innings pitched.
The solid outings in High-A earned him a quick promotion to Double-A Portland where he pitched in 13 more games to finish out 2023. The right-hander ended up pitching the most innings in a season he has thrown since before he got to Texas Tech. He finished on a high note in 3 starts in September, with opponents only hitting .214 off of him over the 15 innings of work that month.
“A good example of good progress I saw in 2023 would be someone like Hunter Dobbins.” Ian Cundall of SoxProspects.com said on a recent episode of To the Show We Go. “He was someone that hadn’t pitched very much coming into the year. I thought his fastball came out more lively this season and have been really impressed with the changes he has made. He was working with a splitter, which was something I hadn’t seen from him before.”
While Dobbins impressed with his pitch mix, he also saw himself move up the depth chart while in Portland. With Grant Gambrell and Brian Van Belle both getting called up to Triple-A towards the end of the season, the Texas native found himself being one of the more experienced guys at the level in Portland.
One of the biggest takeaways this offseason has been just how much Craig Breslow has invested in the pitching depth in the upper minors. Alex Verdugo was flipped for three pitchers, two of which are projected to begin the year in Triple-A. Cooper Criswell was signed and Isaiah Campbell was acquired via trade who will also begin the year in Worcester.
The cards seem stacked against a guy like Dobbins who is projected to open up as the #2 starter behind Wikelman Gonzalez in the Portland rotation. That being said, he is just one or two injuries or trades away from cracking the Triple-A roster to start the year. If you pair that along with a solid showing in Spring Training, we could just see his name latch on in Worcester following a season of improvements he just had.
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