Jake Bennett dominates Triple-A with 0.86 ERA, standout changeup

Jake Bennett turned five Triple-A starts into a loud announcement, posting a 0.86 ERA while leaning on a changeup that graded in the 95th percentile in expected wOBA. In Worcester, the left-hander did not just miss bats, he made Boston’s next move feel inevitable, and the club had already sent him to the majors by early May.

The pitch that changed the conversation was the one he can bury against right-handers. Bennett’s mid-80s changeup has carried the profile of a true out pitch, with significant fade, chase swings on the outer edge and enough tumble to create weak grounders when hitters do make contact. It is set up by a fastball that sits 92-94 mph and can touch 96, and the combination is more uncomfortable than overpowering because Bennett throws from an easy, repeatable low three-quarters delivery that hides the ball well. His command has wavered at points, but the package in Worcester looked far cleaner, and the results showed it.

That ascent has been years in the making. Bennett, 25, was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, stands 6-foot-6 and weighs 234 pounds, and was drafted 45th overall by the Washington Nationals in 2022 for $1,734,800 after helping Oklahoma reach the College World Series. At the University of Oklahoma, he teamed with Cade Horton and won four of five postseason starts, building the kind of big-game résumé that made evaluators believe a major league starter might be inside the frame.

Injuries then interrupted the climb. Bennett had Tommy John surgery in September 2023 after his elbow gave out in August, missed the entire 2024 season and returned in May 2025. He answered with a 2.27 ERA across three levels that season, then led the Arizona Fall League with 25 strikeouts in 20 innings, a stretch that reinforced the idea that his changeup and feel for pitching could survive the surgery and still play at a high level.

Washington traded Bennett to the Boston Red Sox in December 2025 for right-hander Luis Perales, and Boston moved quickly to label him one of its better young arms, with MLB Pipeline ranking him as the club’s No. 6 prospect and giving the changeup a 65 grade. By the time his Worcester run ended, the story had moved beyond prospect hype. Bennett had shown a one-pitch identity sharp enough to force a big-league decision, and in an era when front offices prize deception, strike-throwing and one weapon that can tilt an at-bat, that kind of left arm does not stay in Triple-A for long.