Red Sox prospect Noah Dean reflects on his impressive start to the 2024 campaign
Over the last year, Red Sox prospect Noah Dean has seen his stock skyrocket. The Red Sox selected the New Jersey native in the fifth round of the 2022 MLB Draft. After struggling during the 2023 campaign, Dean has been a strikeout machine and made headlines due to his improvements.
In 14 games this season, the New Jersey native has posted a 4.08 ERA and struck out 81 batters. While primarily working out of the rotation, Dean has held opponents to a .143 batting average after they hit .233 against him last season. His success has partly been due to a change in approach.
“ Going into this year, I realized I was putting a lot of pressure on myself last year, and I didn’t want that to carry over,” Dean said. “For me, it was more of walking guys last year and putting constant pressure on myself about that. This year, it’s just been about going out there, having fun, and putting myself in the best position possible.”
So far, Dean’s hard work is paying off. After walking 72 batters in 63 innings last year, the talented left-hander has only walked 29 batters in 57.1 innings. With a more concrete plan, Dean has been able to maximize his abilities and make adjustments.
“ The communication was good during the offseason,” Dean said.” Going into the offseason, I knew who I was talking to, what my goals were, and what they expected from me when I got down to spring training. It was a little bit more of a concrete plan going into this year. They did talk to me going into last year, but not as much as this year.”
As Dean has frustrated hitters, he has also written his name into record books. On July third, he had a no-hit outing, and six days later, he threw an immaculate inning. Whenever he takes, the mound fans are excited to see what he has up his sleeve next.
For the 23-year-old, the last two years have been full of change. In college, Dean worked primarily out of the bullpen; since being drafted, he has had to adjust to being a full-time starter.
"I honestly enjoy it more than being a reliever," Dean said. "I like being a starter because you have a structured week, knowing what you're going to be doing, when a mid-week bullpen is, what you're going to be working on, and ultimately knowing when you're going to throw. In college, they call your name, and it's like throw as hard as you can for an inning. I do enjoy having a starting role and knowing what I'm going to be able to do the entire week.”
With the second half of the season underway, Dean is eager to build on his success.
“ My goal is to be consistent as I was the first half,” Dean said. “As long as I can be consistent, that’s all I want. As long as I can go out there, have fun, and ultimately put my team in the best position possible, that’s a win for me.”
Thanks for not telling us who he's pitching for