Alex Cora on James Norwood: ‘Glad that we got him’
Norwood was acquired from the Phillies for cash considerations on Saturday
On Saturday afternoon, the Red Sox acquired right-handed reliever James Norwood in a trade with the Phillies. The Sox new reliever will occupy on a spot on the 40 man roster.
Norwood has struggled this season with the Phillies pitching to an 8.31 ERA in 20 appearances.
Despite his stat line, the Red Sox are excited about the potential Norwood can bring. The 28-year-old reliever has a fastball that averages 96.6 mph when he throws it. On the flip side, opponents are hitting .375 when he throws that pitch.
Manager Alex Cora spoke highly about Norwood to reporters on Saturday afternoon.
“Good fastball, good split, good slider,” Cora said. “The numbers don’t represent that but one of those intriguing arms with good velo.”
Earlier this month, Norwood showed off his velo when he was clocked in at 98 mph. According to Ahaan Rungta of Player Profiler tweeted Norwood’s fastball velo was clocked into the 91st percentile. That ranks him in the 86th percentile among all MLB pitchers.
Norwood offers three pitch mix, his fireball fastball, slider and a splitter. Norwood will get an opportunity out of the Red Sox bullpen and showcase his fastball.
“We’ll see what happens but glad that we got him,” said Cora.
Follow Chris on Twitter @ChrisHenrique
For additional Red Sox and Major League Baseball content, follow Beyond the Monster: Boston Red Sox on Twitter @BeyondtheMnstr.