Red Sox promote David Sandlin to Double-A
The Boston Red Sox promoted right-handed pitching prospect David Sandlin to Double-A on Sunday. In the offseason, the former 11th-round pick was acquired in the John Schreiber deal. While he has battled injuries this season when healthy, he has been a strikeout machine.
In 10 games In High-A, Sandlin posted a 5.12 ERA while holding opponents to a .254 batting average. He has struck out 50 batters in 31.2 innings and is less than a month removed from a June in which he posted a 2.70 ERA. The talented 23-year-old has shown flashes of dominance, including a seven-strikeout performance on June 27th.
As Sandlin prepares for a new challenge, he will bring an intriguing pitch mix to Greenville. His arsenal includes a fastball that tops out at 96 miles per hour and a slider that keeps hitters off balance. He also frustrates opponents with a splitter that dives out of the zone. For Sandlin, the key at the next level will be to limit baserunners.
Through 10 starts, Sandlin has allowed seven home runs, only two short of his career high. While those numbers are not ideal, he has shown signs of late that his season is turning around. In his last four starts, Sandlin has averaged a 3.00 ERA.
With the second half of the season underway, Sandlin will be a prospect to keep an eye on. He has only allowed more than two earned runs once in his last six starts as he builds up his workload. The Red Sox have been encouraged by what they have seen, and Sandlin will get to showcase his ability against more advanced competition.
