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How Red Sox starter can be ‘a lot different’ by getting feel back for ‘bread-and-butter’ pitch
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- How Red Sox starter can be ‘a lot different’ by getting feel back for ‘bread-and-butter’ pitch
FORT MYERS, Fla. — Red Sox starting pitcher Brayan Bello ’s changeup was touted as his best pitch while he made his way through the minor leagues.
The pitch lived up to its hype in his first two major league seasons. He used it more than any pitch except his sinker in 2022-23, and opponents went just 40-for-215 (.186 batting average) against it.
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But he began throwing it less often, especially to right-handed batters. It became his third-most used pitch behind his sinker and sweeper in 2024. It became his fourth-most used pitch behind his sinker, sweeper and cutter in 2025. Opponents batted .219 with a .279 expected batting average against it last year.
Bello said he knows he needs to be more consistent with his changeup in 2026.
Manager Alex Cora thinks too much attention was placed on improving Bello’s other pitches, causing the changeup to take a backseat.
Bello agrees with Cora that focusing on adding a cutter and sweeper caused him to lose the feel for his changeup last year.
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“This year that I have both of those pitches locked in, I was able to go back and work on the changeup,” Bello said.
Cora said new Red Sox starter Ranger Suárez spoke with Bello about experiencing a similar situation with his changeup.
“It happened to him in player development with the Phillies ,” Cora said about Suárez, adding his changeup is his “bread and butter” and Philadelphia wanted him to improve his other pitches.
“All of a sudden reps for the pitch weren’t there and he lost it for a little bit,” Cora said. “Now he makes sure he can keep getting better understanding that this is what makes (him) a big league pitcher. So hopefully we can get back to that (with Bello).”
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Bello’s changeup averaged 88.8 mph in 2025, up from 87.6 mph in 2024 and 86.2 mph in 2023.
Cora pointed out that it became less effective when he threw it harder. He topped out at 92.0 mph with it vs. the Tigers on May 13. He threw at least one changeup 90.0 mph or faster in 15 of his 28 starts last year.
Throwing it in the lower-90s caused it to blend in with his sinker.
“The 91, 92 (mph) changeup last year was a bad sinker,” Cora said. “And I think lefties took advantage of it. The velo right now is 87, 88. We’ll see what happens today. But he’s in a good spot.”
Cora said Bello can be “a lot different” against lefties when the changeup plays against them.
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“And he can throw the changeup against righties,” Cora said.
Bello got a chance to test these adjustments Sunday. He gave up four runs, four hits and one walk while striking out two in 1 ⅓ innings in his first Grapefruit League start against the Blue Jays.
Despite the rough pitching line, Bello thinks the outing went well. He said he worked on the things they planned to work on and felt “every pitch was there.”
“I was very consistent with it (Sunday) and it also had a lot of depth, a lot of movement,” Bello said about his changeup. “That’s one of the things I’ve been working on the past few months — throwing it to lefties, righties in any count. And I think today we were able to take a step forward with that pitch."
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Bello added a new curveball this offseason. He said he threw it twice vs. the Blue Jays.
“I’m going to start throwing it more often,” Bello said. “Today, I felt comfortable throwing it with two strikes and also to get a swing and miss. I think from now on, that’s a pitch I’m going to rely on because I’m able to command it as well.”
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