Chase Shugart looking for hot start in Worcester
Chase Shugart is not a household name. He also is ranked outside the top 50 prospects in the Red Sox system, via SoxProspects. He did make a little history last season though, as he was part of the no-hit bid that happened for Worcester.
Shugart impressed in AA Portland to begin last season, as he only had to pitch in 25 games before he saw a promotion to Worcester. He carried a solid ERA in AA and boasted a high strikeout percentage. His ability to get quick outs like he did at the University of Texas earned him that quick promotion, but his stuff didn’t seem to fool as many bats in AAA. In his first 15 innings he pitched in Worcester, he gave up 12 earned runs and gave up four home runs. The strikeout rate was down and the opponents batting averages were way up. Opponents were making more contact and hitting for power. His ERA went from 3.77 in AA to 6.82 in AAA in the same amount of innings pitched. He had an August to forget about as well, giving up 11 earned runs in 12 innings he pitched.
That’s what makes the former 12th round pick a bounce back candidate. Shugart had the chance to finish out the season against better offenses in AAA, and that should make him more prepared to enter his first full season in Worcester. He got a chance to struggle quickly, take a mental reset to have a strong offseason, and open next year in the WooSox bullpen and hit the ground running. When he began the 2022 season, Shugart came out of the gate firing. In his first two months of the season, opposing hitters had a .653 OPS against the right hander, which comparing to his August number of .935, looks like a different pitcher.
An interesting note on Shugart via SoxProspects:
Pitched out of the Texas bullpen for two college seasons before moving into the rotation for his junior season. Stuff unexpectedly ticked way up after signing in 2018, likely surprising even the organization, but only pitched in short stints after increased spring workload and Texas' run to the College World Series.
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