The Boston Red Sox need to completely revamp their pitching rotation and bullpen this offseason.
Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow will presumably be active on the trade and free agent markets as he searches for arms, but Boston also must take advantage of its strong farm system by promoting some of its pitching talent that has come of age.
Hunter Dobbins, 25, is a prospect who deserves a call-up this winter, and he could genuinely help the Red Sox win games in 2025.
Boston drafted Dobbins at No. 226 overall in the 2021 Major League Baseball draft, and he’s come into his own this season. The right-hander out of Texas Tech turned heads on Wednesday with his best performance since being called up to Triple-A Worcester Red Sox. Dobbins allowed just two hits and zero earned runs over five innings pitched. He also struck out six.
Dobbins has been impressive all year, as noted by MassLive’s Christopher Smith.
"Hunter Dobbins, a righty who turned 25 on Aug. 30, has recorded a 3.21 ERA in 24 starts between Double-A Portland and Triple-A Worcester," Smith said. "He’s up to 99 mph and has added a splinker."
According to MLB.com’s scouting report on Dobbins, he has the stuff to become a back-end starter or multi-inning reliever.
"Scouts don’t love the considerable effort in Dobbins’ delivery, but it adds funk without compromising his ability to provide strikes," the report said. "His control outstrips his command, however, and he’ll have to improve his ability to locate his fastball to succeed against upper-level hitters. He could become an end-of-the-rotation starter or a multi-inning reliever."
