Jonathan Aro

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Boston Red Sox #27 prospect in 2016
  Aro was just about ready to give up on a pro baseball career after being hospitalized in two separate summers due to Dengue fever during his attempts to audition for teams. The Red Sox took a $10,000 flyer on him in June 2011, the sort of modest bonus that let the pitcher know that he was no more than a long shot to reach the big leagues. Yet after spending three years in the lower levels from 2011-13 and pitching at two Class A levels as a 24-year-old in 2014, he flew through Double-A Portland and Triple-A Pawtucket in 2015 on the strength of a three-pitch mix (fastball, slider, changeup) to reach the big leagues in June. His solid minor league resume (3.14 ERA, 8.7 strikeouts and 2.2 walks per nine innings) did not translate to the big leagues (6.97, 7.0 strikeouts and 3.5 walks per nine). Aro's ability to create deception in his delivery while changing elevations allowed him to get swings and misses at times with a fastball that he wasn't afraid to throw for strikes. He was vulnerable to hard contact in his brief big league exposure, but Aro's strike-throwing gives him a chance to contribute out of the big league bullpen in 2016.