Conor Steinbaugh reflects on his first year in the minors and the opportunity to play in the Arizona Fall League
With the Arizona Fall League underway, there are plenty of reasons for Red Sox fans to tune in. The Solar Mesa Sox roster features seven Red Sox prospects, including Conor Steinbaugh, who is coming off an impressive 2024 campaign. In his first season in the minors, Steinbaugh made the most of his opportunities.
In 25 games, the Akron College product posted a 3.74 ERA and struck out 61 batters. He held opponents to a .243 batting average between two levels and finished the season in High-A. Due to his play, Steinbaugh has gotten the opportunity to play in the Arizona Fall League, which he isn’t taking for granted.
“Danny, Brooks, and I were all in Salem, and Liam just told us we had a meeting in his office,” Steinbaugh said. “ None of us knew what to expect. We were like, wats going on? Are we going to Greenville? We sat down in Liam’s office, and Abes popped up on the computer and told us. It was a good feeling because I know how big of a deal this is. I am thankful to have this opportunity to be here and showcase my stuff.”
For Steinbaugh, the last few years have been full of change. He found his way to the Red Sox after going undrafted and has had to adjust to a new organization quickly.
“I was training in a place in Charlotte called Tread Athletics," Steinbaugh said. "I threw at the pro day in January, and then I got a call right when Spring Training started saying the Red Sox wanted to sign me. That was the only team that reached out at the time and made me an official offer. I packed up my stuff and drove to Fort Myers."
So far, the talented 25-year-old has made the transition seem easy and has been valuable out of the bullpen. Most of his appearances during the 2024 campaign were multiple innings, and he was able to limit hard contact. Steinbaugh's key has been his ability to make adjustments.
"I graduated college in 22, had shoulder surgery shortly after, so I had been out of the game setting for a little bit," Steinbaugh said." It was definitely an adjustment getting back into the game feel. It's so much different throwing to a catcher in a batting cage than throwing in a game and having to worry about holding runners on, the weather, and stuff like that. As the year went on, I gained more confidence in myself and my pitches. I feel like I started a little slow, but as the year progressed, I finished strong, and I'm happy about how the season ended."
Due to his play during the 2024 campaign, Steinbaugh could be called up to Double-A next season. He showed that he had the potential to be a valuable arm out of the bullpen.
In Arizona, Steinbaugh has continued to show why he has a bright future as he struck out four batters in two scoreless innings of work on Tuesday night.
