Tag: dylan brown

Red Sox promote pitching prospect Dylan Brown to High-A Greenville

The Red Sox have promoted pitching prospect Dylan Brown from Low-A Salem to High-A Greenville, as was first reported by Chris Hatfield of SoxProspects.com.

Brown, who turns 22 next month, was Boston’s eighth-round pick (238th overall) in last summer’s draft out of Old Dominion. The left-hander received an at-slot $229,000 signing bonus but did not make his professional debut until April 2. He has since gotten his pro career off to a promising start.

In five starts for Salem, Brown forged a 2.31 ERA with 32 strikeouts to 13 walks over 23 1/3 innings in which he held Carolina League opponents to just a .181/.299/.241 clip. That includes a .167/.274/.185 line against right-handed hitters and a .207/.343/.345 line against left-handed hitters.

Among 23 qualified Carolina League pitchers entering play Tuesday, Brown ranked third in groundball rate (59.2%), fourth in FIP (2.83), strikeouts per nine (12.34) and strikeout rate (33%), sixth in batting average against and ERA, and seventh in swinging-strike rate (15.4 percent) and xFIP (3.80), per FanGraphs.

A Pennsylvania native, Brown is currently ranked by SoxProspects.com as Boston’s No. 60 prospect but figures to move up in the site’s next update. The 6-foot-5, 230-pound southpaw has a deceptive delivery and features a four-pitch mix that consists of a lower-90s fastball that has reached 95 mph, an upper-80s cutter, a lower-80s slider, and a lower-80s changeup.

“So far, he’s been able to consistently keep hitters off balance and locate all his pitches around the strike zone,” Baseball America’s Ian Cundall (formerly SoxProspects.com’s scouting director) wrote of Brown last month. “If that continues, he could become another intriguing pitching prospect to watch in a system full of them.”

With fast-rising righty Anthony Eyanson moving up to Double-A Portland, Brown will be tasked with facing more advanced competition at High-A. He joins a Greenville starting rotation that includes fellow 2025 draftees Kyson Witherspoon and Marcus Phillips. The Drive open a six-game series on the road against the Greensboro Grasshoppers on Tuesday night.

(Picture of Dylan Brown: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox pitching prospect Dylan Brown off to promising start with Low-A Salem

From Boston on down, several Red Sox pitching prospects have stood out in the early stages of the 2026 season. One name that may be flying under the radar, though, is Dylan Brown.

Brown made this week’s Baseball America Hot Sheet as a prospect with “helium” after his most recent start for Low-A Salem last Thursday. In a season-high 5 2/3 innings against Fredericksburg at home, the 21-year-old left-hander allowed four runs (one earned) on three hits, two walks, and seven strikeouts. He threw 83 pitches (56 strikes) and generated 19 whiffs, the most at the Low-A level that night.

Through four starts for Salem to begin his professional career, Brown has forged a 3.06 ERA with a staff-leading 25 strikeouts to 10 walks over 17 2/3 innings in which opponents have batted just .190 against him. That includes a .211/.318/.316 line against left-handed hitters and a .182/.294/.205 line against right-handed hitters.

“The most impressive aspect of Brown’s game so far is his ability to get right-handed hitters out,” Baseball America’s Ian Cundall (formerly SoxProspects.com’s director of scouting) wrote on Monday. “He neutralizes any platoon advantage with his changeup, which had a 42% whiff rate in college, and its bat-missing ability has carried over to pro ball.”

Among 24 qualified Carolina League pitchers entering play Tuesday, Brown ranks third in groundball rate (56.8%), fourth in FIP (2.69), strikeouts per nine innings (12.74) and strikeout rate (34.2%), fifth in batting average against, ninth in swinging-strike rate (14.3%) and xFIP (3.69), and 10th in ERA, per FanGraphs.

A Pennsylvania native, Brown was selected by the Red Sox in the eighth round of last July’s draft out of Old Dominion. The 6-foot-5, 230-pound southpaw received an at-slot $229,000 signing bonus and entered 2026 ranked by SoxProspects.com as Boston’s No. 60 prospect before making his pro debut on April 2. In addition to a lower-80s changeup, he features a lower-90s fastball that has reached 95 mph this year, an upper-80s cutter, and a lower-80s slider.

As noted by Cundall, Brown — who turns 22 in June — “has the size the Red Sox look for in a starting pitcher.” If he maintains this level of performance at Salem, he could emerge as a candidate for a promotion to High-A Greenville “in short order.” That timeline could accelerate further if pitchers ahead of him — such as fellow 2025 draftees Kyson Witherspoon, Marcus Phillips, and Anthony Eyanson — move up to Double-A Portland in the near future.

(Picture of Dylan Brown: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)