Red Sox pitching prospect third in Easter League with 3.17 ERA, continues to look ready for Triple-A
Red Sox minor league pitcher Hunter Dobbins continues to look like he’s accomplished all that he can at the Double-A level. The righty drafted out of Texas Tech turned out another great start on Tuesday night, lowering his ERA to 3.17, which is good enough for third in the Eastern League.
Dobbins hurled six scoreless innings in his last start against the Somerset Patriots, giving up three hits while walking one and striking out seven.
There’s no doubt Dobbins' stock continues to rise, and it’s really a matter of when he will see a promotion to Triple-A Worcester.
Over his last nine starts dating back to June 30, he’s posted a 1.79 ERA in 45 1/3 innings. He’s also seen an increase in his velocity, topping out at 99 mph and maintaining the upper 90s in velo throughout his outings.
The Red Sox have wanted to see Dobbins add more velo on his heater and consistently hit 98 or 99 mph as one of his benchmarks as part of his development plan.
“Feeling really good. Fastball the last three weeks has been sitting 95 to 98,” Dobbins said on the Down in the Dugout Podcast. “So that's taking a big Velo jump. Commanding it well. The splinker, like I said, 88 to 91. Really be able to get swing miss from both sides of the plate.”
If you’re unfamiliar with the sprinkler pitch, Pirates All-Star Paul Skenes throws it during his outings, deceiving opposing hitters. The sprinkler is a hybrid pitch that combines the traits of a splitter and a sinker. If you’re looking for this pitch on Baseball Savant or scoreboards at the ballpark, it will be listed as a splitter.
“We actually changed it up again about three weeks ago,” said Dobbins. “It was actually Somerset's first time with the new one. I guess the new term of it is splinker. Yeah. I'm throwing it about 88 to 91 mph, sometimes almost 92 mph, with a lot better movement. So that's definitely been a big swing and miss pitch over the last few weeks. And then we just switched over to a sweeper as well. That's going to compliment it. So it's took a big step forward.”
In a recent interview with MassLive’s Chris Smith, Dobbins said he feels like he’s in a “really good spot to push velo.”
“I have hammered the weight room,” Dobbins said. “I think it says I’m 185 (pounds) on the roster. I’m actually up to 210 now. So just putting on a lot of weight, a lot of long toss. And just making sure my shoulder is good and strong. And I think there’s a mentality shift for me as well. I’ve always tried to be the starter that peaks in the sixth inning. But now I think my body is in a good spot to where I can maintain that velo for a whole start. So just shifting that mindset of attacking from pitch one.”
Dobbins looks ready for the next level but has yet to earn the call to Polar Park. If the righty gets the chance before the season comes to a close, he could fill a spot in the rotation or even be used as a bulk-innings reliever down the stretch. While Dobbins waits for his chance, he continues to marvel on the mound.
