June 1, 2022 at 1:00 PM
May Players of the Month: Brayan Bello and Devlin Granberg
Highlighted by a promotion from Double-A Portland to Triple-A Worcester, it was a memorable month of May for Brayan Bello (pictured). The top pitching prospect in the Red Sox organization, Bello kicked off the month by tossing a seven-inning no-hitter against the Reading Fightin' Phils at Hadlock Field on May 5. He then tossed six scoreless frames in his final start for the Sea Dogs before moving on up to Worcester on May 17 -- his 23rd birthday.
Since then, Bello has made three starts for the WooSox. The hard-throwing right-hander has posted a 3.18 ERA and 2.58 FIP with 26 strikeouts to eight walks over 17 innings of work. He became the first pitcher in the International League this season to record 10 or more punchouts in multiple games. 
As the reigning Red Sox Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Year, Bello has come a long way since signing with Boston for a modest $28,000 as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic in July 2017. Equipped with a high-octane fastball that is complemented by a changeup and slider, the 6-foot-1, 185-pound hurler has put himself squarely on the map and could make his major-league debut at some point this season.
On the other side of things, Devlin Granberg enjoyed a productive month of May at the plate for Portland. In his last 25 games with the Sea Dogs, the right-handed-hitting outfielder has slashed a stout .321/.447/.524 with eight doubles, three triples, one home run, eight RBIs, 18 runs scored, two stolen bases, 13 walks, and 16 strikeouts over 103 trips to the plate.
Like Bello, Granberg has come a long way since being selected by the Red Sox in the sixth round of the 2018 draft out of Dallas Baptist University. Originally signed as a first baseman, the 6-foot-2, 225 pounder has seen the majority of his playing time this season come in center field. At 26, Granberg is not regarded as one of the top prospects in the organization, though it feels like he should be in line for a promotion to Worcester before long.
Honorable mentions for the month include catcher Nathan Hickey (.960 OPS in 15 games), first baseman Pedro Castellanos (25 RBIs in 23 games), center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela (hit for the cycle on May 17), right-hander Josh Winckowski (made his major-league debut on May 28), left-hander Chris Murphy (2.30 ERA in 27 1/3 innings pitched), and right-hander Gabriel Jackson (3.91 ERA in 25 1/3 innings pitched).
Photo Credit: Brayan Bello by Kelly O'Connor