This winter, Brayan Bello worked on slider while at the residence of Red Sox icon.
Fort Myers, Florida: Pitcher Brayan Bello of the Red Sox worked out with Red Sox great Pedro Martinez for the second consecutive offseason.
Bello, who like Martinez is a native of the Dominican Republic, stayed at the Hall of Famer’s house for perhaps three or four days. They concentrated on his slider initially
Through interpreter Carlos Villoria Benítez, Bello stated, “I’ve been working a lot on that pitch,” on Thursday at JetBlue Park. “I used the same grip I used last year when working with Pedro during the off-season. I’m more assured after making that pitch. I think I’m in charge of it on all counts. I utilized it in today’s live BP and felt great about it. For that pitch, the offseason was successful. On that pitch, I think my confidence has increased.
In 2023, Bello, 24, utilized his slider 17.7% of the time; opponents batted.304 off of it, with a predicted batting average of.272. Additionally, the opposition hit.457 against the pitch.
“My slider wasn’t in the best shape when I got there,” Bello said. He then offered me some pointers, and that same day I was able to grasp it well and start throwing it frequently. And over the next few days, I’m growing more assured in it. I had a great time working with Pedro to get my slider back on track.
One of Bello’s objectives, he stated during Red Sox Winter Weekend in January, is to start on Opening Day. On Thursday, he was asked if he believed he could be an ace.
Indeed, without a doubt. That’s my objective, he declared. “It’s a long-term goal of mine, and it might not happen this year or next.”
Bello is “physically way ahead” of where he was this time last year, according to manager Alex Cora.
“You observe him in his surroundings. He’s developed into a man now, Cora remarked. He’s put on a little weight. He appears more powerful. He performed admirably during the off-season. It’s time for him to prepare for the opening series by building up.
“I was working on my lower body and my back as well,” Bello continued. By the conclusion of the previous year, I felt a little bit weaker. In order to extend my innings and feel more powerful at the end of the season, I therefore wanted to strengthen my lower body.
Bello faded away toward the conclusion of the previous year. He had a 3.57 ERA going into September, but over the last month, he gave up 22 earned runs in 26 innings, which caused him to end with a 4.24 ERA.
I didn’t have the best outings towards the conclusion of the year,” he admitted. Therefore, I had to take care of that straight immediately. Being aggressive from the first day, that was something I wanted to address immediately. Indeed, I was quite let down by the final few starts of the previous year.
