This story was excerpted from Ian Browne’s Red Sox Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
SAN FRANCISCO – For three of the four players the Red Sox acquired in the trade for Rafael Devers last week, their Boston careers will start in the hands of player development.
All three are on decidedly different paths.
Lefty Kyle Harrison – considered the most prized part of the return package for the Red Sox – was considered a top prospect coming through the Giants farm system. The 23-year-old has pitched in 39 games for San Francisco over the last three seasons, 35 of them starts, going 9-9 with a 4.48 ERA in 188 2/3 innings.
James Tibbs III is an intriguing left-handed hitting outfielder who played in a big-game atmosphere at Florida State before the Giants took him with the 13th overall pick in the 2024 Draft.
Then there is Jose Bello the biggest unknown of the trio. The 20-year-old from the Dominican Republic hasn’t pitched above the rookie level yet and will start his time with Boston in the Florida Complex League.
Here is a closer look at the plan the Sox have for the trio.
KYLE HARRISON
Interestingly, Harrison worked with current Red Sox pitching coach Andrew Bailey in 2023, which could make his transition easier once he gets to Boston.
“We expect big things out of him just like they did,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. “Special fastball. That’s all I’ve been listening to. We saw it last year at one point. Excited about that.”
How will his progression start in Worcester?
“He will throw a live BP in Worcester over the weekend and we plan to get him a start next week,” said Red Sox senior director of player development Brian Abraham. “Obviously transitioning teams and traveling across the country is a big deal, so the biggest thing from the start is for us to get to know Kyle, understand what he's been working on, what he wants to work on, and then work together to move forward and improve.”
It’s not hard to imagine Harrison being in Boston’s rotation – perhaps at some point after the All-Star break. However, the Red Sox won’t put a time-table on it.
“Whenever you get a left-handed starter with an exciting fastball sitting mid 90's and interesting secondary pitches, it's exciting,” said Abraham. “We are excited to get to know Kyle, continue to help him develop and ultimately be a big part of the rotation in Boston. He has a strong foundation to work with and improve.”
JAMES TIBBS III
After the trade, the Red Sox moved Tibbs up a level to Double-A Portland. With the Sea Dogs, he had a double and a triple for two of his first five hits over five games.
Tibbs has advanced plate discipline for his experience level.
“He has an offense first profile, so allowing him to continue to be the hitter he has been is important. We will continue to work with his ability to damage pitches in the heart of the plate and really lean in on his skill of impacting the baseball when he barrels it,” Abraham said. “Defensively, he will get work in both corner outfield spots and eventually see some time at first base as he transitions into the organization.”
JOSE BELLO
In 28 innings in the Arizona Complex league, Bello showed his ability to miss bats, notching 14 strikeouts per nine innings.
At such an early stage of his professional career, the Red Sox have a chance to make a strong imprint on his development.
“We will continue to work on his physicality - adding strength and weight will be important as he continues to grow as a pitcher,” said Abraham. “Within his arsenal – seeing how he attacks hitters first-hand will be important and continuing to push the success he has had already while also potentially adjusting his pitch mix to lean on his strengths. He has mainly been fastball/slider dominant but we will look to stretch him out some in hopes of developing a fuller arsenal to get through a lineup multiple times."