Hunter Dobbins, who won 2024 Red Sox minor league starting Pitcher of the Year, should be added to the 40-man roster by Nov. 19 at 6 p.m. because of his Rule 5 Draft eligibility.
Dobbins’ fastball velocity makes him so intriguing. The 25-year-old righty sits between 95-97 mph and was up to 99 mph this past season. The Red Sox know they need more velo out of their bullpen in 2025 after they finished this past season tied for 20th in relief pitcher average fastball velocity (94.2 mph).
So Dobbins, a 2021 eighth round pick, has a chance only to be part of Boston’s starting pitching depth but to compete for a spot in the bullpen with a strong spring training like Kutter Crawford did in 2022.
Dobbins said he’ll be focused on improving his command this offseason.
“I just want to be a little bit better at kind of going in and out,” Dobbins said. “Now that I’ve gotten a taste of the Triple-A strike zone, it’s tight. So now I know what to prepare for. I know what to really attack. And I think an offseason to focus on that will put me in a good spot to push for a roster spot next year.”
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Dobbins recorded a 3.08 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and .237 batting average against in 25 starts (125 ⅔ innings) between Double-A Portland and Triple-A Worcester in ‘24. He averaged 8.6 strikeouts and 3.4 walks per nine innings.
As Baseball America wrote, “Though his strikeout rate was modest, he avoided barrels, allowing just two home runs.”
He has four offspeed pitches: splitter, sweeper, slider and curveball. He said the splitter, a swing and miss pitch, technically falls under the new term of “splinker,” a hybrid between a splitter and sinker. It’s a pitch Pirates rookie ace Paul Skenes throws.
Dobbins earned a promotion from Portland to Worcester in late August. Below is a look at the velocity of his four-seam fastball in each start.
- Aug. 30 vs. Toledo: 31 four-seam fastballs, 97.5 mph max, 95.3 mph average.
- Sept. 6 at Rochester: 28 four-seam fastballs, 97.2 mph max, 94.7 mph average.
- Sept. 12 vs. Syracuse: 29 four-seam fastballs, 97.2 mph, 95.9 mph average
- Sept. 18 at Lehigh Valley: 25 four-seam fastballs, 96.6 mph max 95.0 mph average
“It’s really cool,” Dobbins said about winning Red Sox minor league Starting Pitcher of the Year. “It’s kind of a testament to a lot of hard work. A year of just kind of keeping my nose down and grinding. And especially to win it when there’s so many other starting pitchers in this org that had great years like (Richard) Fitts, Isaac Coffey. … To win it when I’m in the same org as though guys, it means a lot.”
Dobbins is looking to add weight this offseason.
“I’m going to try to add about 10 more pounds,” Dobbins said. “I’m at about 206 right now. So 215, I feel like that would be a good weight to kind of maintain 162 games.
“I feel it’s a little bit easier to put on the muscle and keep it now,” he added. “I don’t know if that’s something that I’m getting a little older, a little easier to do it.”
