Red Sox announce pitching probables for Northeastern game and weekend Grapefruit League action
The Red Sox announced their starting pitching probables for the first three games to kick off the spring exhibition schedule.
WooSox right-handed hitter Brian Van Belle will start on Friday when the Red Sox play their annual game against Northeastern University.
Van Belle enters camp as a non-roster invitee coming off an up-and-down year with the WooSox in 2024. The Florida native struggled over the first two months of last season, resulting in the WooSox moving him out of the rotation and into the bullpen as a bulk inning reliever.
Once Van Belle transitioned into his new role, he flourished, looking like a different pitcher on the mound. In six appearances in the month of June, he posted a 4.70 ERA with 18 strikeouts to five walks. He really became a weapon out of Chad Tracy’s bullpen over the last two months of the year, posting a 1.37 ERA in August and a 1.64 ERA in September to close out the season.
Van Belle projects to pitch out of the WooSox bullpen again this season.
Quinn Priester will kick off Grapefruit League action on the mound when the Red Sox go on the road to play the Rays.
The righty has been impressive since the opening of camp and has even caught the eye of manager Alex Cora.
“Priester is another guy that caught my eye. Kind of like impressive,” Cora said Friday at JetBlue Park. “He put in work in the offseason. He’s a lot stronger. We saw what he did the last day. He’s got good stuff. He looks really good.”
WooSox pitching coach Dan DeLucia said that Priester put on 15-20 pounds of muscle during the offseason. Adding size to his frame was one of the objectives the Red Sox wanted Priester to obtain since the mid-summer trade from the Pirates.
He will have an opportunity to make the Red Sox Opening Day roster but also projects to start in the WooSox deep rotation.
Red Sox fans will get their first look at Garrett Crochet on the mound when he starts the JetBlue home opener against the Blue Jays.
The southpaw threw live batting practice on Tuesday, dialing up his fastball to 98 mph.
Crochet transitioned to a starter last season, striking out 209 batters over 146 frames and posting a 3.58 ERA. The White Sox limited the southpaw’s workload in the second half of the season. He didn’t throw more than four innings across his final 14 starts to close out the 2024 campaign.
The lefty will lead the Red Sox rotation once camp breaks, and the season opens on the road in Texas.
This weekends pitching probables for the Red Sox:
Friday: Brian Van Belle vs. Northeastern University (1:05 p.m., NESN/NESN360)
Saturday: Quinn Priester vs. Rays (1:05 p.m., WEEI 93.7/NESN/NESN360)
Sunday: Garrett Crochet vs. Blue Jays (1:05 p.m., WEEI 93.7/NESN360/WHDH/WWAX)
