WooSox pitcher to play winter ball during offseason
The minor league season is winding down, and soon players will be filling out rosters in the Arizona Fall League and other winter ball leagues.
WooSox right-handed pitcher Brian Van Belle will not join the AFL but will be going to pitch in Puerto Rico this offseason, pitching for Criollos de Caguas, according to SoxProspects’ Ed Hand.
Van Belle has been pitching well over the last couple of months for Triple-A Worcester. This includes posting a 1.37 ERA over seven outings in the month of August.
Overall on the season, Van Belle is 7-2 with a 4.66 ERA with 79 strikeouts and a 1.51 WHIP over 28 games (nine starts). In 41 Triple-A appearances, the right-hander owns a 5.38 ERA while primarily being used as a starter.
Van Belle offers a four-pitch mix, an 88-91 mph fastball, an 86-88 mph cutter, an 83-86 mph changeup, and a 77-79 mph 12-to-6 curveball. He projects as an organizational arm with the ceiling of an emergency major league depth arm, according to his SoxProspects scouting report.
The former University of Miami alum wasn’t drafted but signed with the Red Sox in June 2020. Outside of thinking the Red Sox provided the best opportunity for his growth as a pitcher, it was conversations with former chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom and Chris Sale that helped make up his mind.
“They were very personable with me,” Van Belle said in an interview with Miami Hurricanes baseball back in 2020. “I ended up talking to Chaim Bloom on the phone for about an hour, which is pretty cool to talk to him knowing that he’s the chief baseball officer of the Red Sox. Just hearing everything from his perspective was huge for me and helped make my decision easier.
“Overall, I have respect for all the organizations. They all reached out respectfully and tried to give me the best opportunities they can, but I just feel like the Red Sox kind of separated themselves from everybody else.”
The conversation with Sale ultimately sealed the deal for Van Belle to sign with the Red Sox.
“Later on in the afternoon, I got a phone call from a random Lakeland phone number, and I answered the phone, and it was Chris Sale,” Van Belle recalled. “I talked to him for like 30 minutes, and it was unreal to hear everything from his perspective. He wasn’t really trying to be that guy that was trying to make me commit to the Red Sox and sign with them. He was just trying to give me general insight from his perspective and experience in the big leagues.”
Van Belle is eligible for the Rule 5 draft this winter. It’s unlikely he’ll be selected in the Major League portion of the draft.
