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| (Getty Images) |
The Red Sox will
send out 24-year-old pitching prospect Jalen Beeks to start against the Tigers on Thursday. Beeks was a 12th-round pick in 2014 from the University of Arkansas (the same collegiate program that produced
Andrew Benintendi). So far this year at AAA Pawtucket, Beeks has gone 3-3 with a 2.56 ERA. He has whiffed 80 hitters in 56.1 innings of work. His fastball tops out at 95 MPH ands he has developed an effective cutter—which can work well against both left- and right-handed hitters. With
Drew Pomeranz now on the 10-day DL, and the rest of the rotation getting extra rest, a Thursday starter was needed. While the kid will likely head back to the
State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations right after the start, it is comforting to know that Boston has some reasonable starting pitching depth at the high-end of the system.
