'Can’t ask for much more than what he’s done': Jake Bennett continues to impress with WooSox
· Yahoo Sports
WORCESTER — The other lefty pitched for the WooSox Wednesday.
With all eyes on Payton Tolle at Polar Park, with speculation swirling around the possibility of the Red Sox’ No. 1 prospect being promoted to Boston, Jake Bennett turned in another “amazing” performance for Triple-A Worcester.
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“He was cruising,” WooSox manager Chad Tracy said. “He’s been awesome.”
While Tolle found himself in TBD-limbo with Worcester, Bennett took the ball for a depleted WooSox pitching staff that needed a good performance amid a six-game homestand with the Syracuse Mets.
A 6-foot-6 left-handed pitcher acquired from the Washington Nationals in the offseason, Bennett allowed four hits, one run and one walk while striking out three across 4⅔ innings and 68 pitches.
The 25-year-old, who is listed as the Red Sox’ No. 6 prospect according to MLB.com, found himself on a pitch limit Wednesday since Bennett’s last start (April 16) was cut short (3 innings) due to a rain delay.
“Pretty remarkable,” Tracy said. “But he just pounds the zone”
So far this season, Bennett is 2-1 with a 0.86 ERA in five starts and 21 innings pitched. The Oklahoma native has allowed 12 hits, three runs (two earned) and three walks while striking out 16.
Bennett’s been impressive in his first five starts with the Red Sox organization and has looked encouraging on the mound after undergoing Tommy John surgery that held him out for all of 2024.
“I feel like it’s gone well so far,” Bennett said of his time Worcester. “I just try to work hard every day, you know? Really just take the game one pitch at a time, try to execute my pitches and whatever happens happens.”
“He’s a legitimate Major League starter candidate, no question,” Tracy said. “… Knock on wood, like to this point, I don’t think it could have gone any better. Like the (velocity has) climbed where we’re back up in the mid-90s. He’s in the zone, he is landing all of his stuff for strikes. You can’t ask for much more than what he’s done.”
As the spotlight shines bright on Tolle, who could be called up to Boston as soon as Thursday to fill in for injured Red Sox starting pitcher Sonny Gray, Bennett continues to put himself “on the map” for a future promotion to the big leagues.
“Anytime you make a trade for a top prospect, he’s already on the map,” Tracy said. “But then to see him perform at this level the way he has, he’s certainly an option for sure.”
While Tolle’s next start (wherever it is) takes center stage at the moment, Bennett has added his name as another left-handed pitching option for the Red Sox in Triple-A Worcester.
It’s difficult not to compare Tolle and Bennett at this point, a pair of 6-foot-6 left-handed pitchers from Oklahoma, but is that where the comparisons stop for the two WooSox southpaws?
“(Bennett) is definitely not anywhere near as eccentric as Tolle is,” Tracy said. “JB’s just more kind of (down to) business and quiet, but if you get engaged in a conversation with him, he is great to talk to.”
Said WooSox pitching coach Dan DeLucia: “They’re both monsters. They stand next to me (and I’m like) ‘Jeez.’ But their personalities are completely different. … Two completely different guys, even though there’s a lot of physically similar components.”
“I don’t throw as hard as him. I wish I did,” said Bennett, who topped out at 94.3 mph on his sinker Wednesday. “But you know, I think everybody’s different in their own way, which is what makes baseball great.”
And the other lefty was great for Triple-A Worcester, again, on Wednesday.
“You’re looking at a legitimate big league starting pitcher candidate,” Tracy said. “So, we’re pumped to have him. We feel pretty blessed that we were able to acquire him, and I really enjoy watching him pitch.”
—Contact Tommy Cassell at [email protected]. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @tommycassell44.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Red Sox pitching prospect Jake Bennett continues to impress with WooSox