Grant Gambrell talks Worcester transition; 'Used to feel pressure’ from Andrew Benintendi trade
If you might be wondering what Grant Gambrell might be doing on Sundays this fall, he might be tuning into the full slate of NFL games given the fact the right-hander is in four fantasy football leagues.
Gambrell is now two starts into his Triple-A career and the results have been very good. The 25-year-old is 1-1 with a 1.69 ERA over 10.2 innings pitched. It is a small sample size, but the outcomes have been promising.
“I am just embracing it and having fun.” Gambrell told Beyond the Monster. “When you look behind you and see who is playing behind you and you see 7-8 big leaguers there, it makes your job really easy to just pound the zone and let them do their work. It’s funny because in my last outing, I had nine strikeouts, and I don’t even pride myself on strikeouts. I am an early contact and try to get out of the game before two hours. I am trying to get in and get out. I have just been embracing the experience and having fun and just enjoying it.”
After speaking with the last starter who received a promotion from Portland this year, Brian Ban Belle, we know that the jump from Double-A to Triple-A might be bigger than most people think.
Brian Van Belle talks about adjusting to Triple-A in Worcester
Predicting how his Miami Hurricanes will do this football season isn’t something that is on top of Brian Van Belle’s list these days. When asking him this question, he let out a laugh, and stated that he has done this many times before and is always wrong.
“The pitch com is really cool; it speeds the game up.” Gambrell said of a difference between the two levels. “Hitter’s approaches are a little bit better. They see more pitches but that is good for me because I am a command guy. I pride myself on throwing strikes, so I don’t have to worry about throwing balls and trying to get chases. When I pound the zone, I will get more chases. The approaches have been a little different, with more freedom up here.”
Gambrell was surrounded by a few of the Red Sox top prospects between his time in Portland and Worcester this season. Ceddanne Rafaela, Marcello Mayer, and Nick Yorke are a few to name that played behind Gambrell in a start this year. He might know who they are given that those guys are his teammates, he doesn’t know the top guys he has been facing in other organizations.
“I think it’s a little funny because with being out of the game for two years and not being a big social media guy and don’t really follow baseball that much, I don’t really know who the big-name guys are.” Gambrell added. “It kind of goes to my benefit. It is no disrespect to them because they are ballers. It is not taking anything away from them, but it gives me an advantage because I think it’s just another person in the box. I just go out there and trust my catcher on what he is calling and be able to hit my spots. It is almost to my advantage of not really knowing who they are.”
Once a third round pick by the Royals, Gambrell came over in the Andrew Benintendi trade that netted the Red Sox four players. Do you ever wonder what one of the minor league players in that deal feel towards that trade?
“I don’t really hear much but I used to feel a lot.” Gambrell said of the pressure of the trade. “When I first got traded, I was 23. That pressure of wanting to compete and show people what I was made of but at the same time I was battling a tumor in my foot so I was trying to do both so it was going through my head a lot. I don’t really see what people are saying so it doesn’t really affect me. I just got to go out there and do my thing and it will take care of itself. Early in my career it was a pressure, but now that I enjoy who I am as a person and focus on myself, I try to enjoy the game. Being away from the game for two years, it puts a different perspective on it.”
As we start heading into September games, Gambrell knows want he wants to do to finish strong in Worcester to close out the season.
“Just keep having fun.” Gambrell added. “Brian Van Belle and Brandon Walter, both told me to just go pitch and go be yourself and don’t worry about the new level. I told them I literally just wanted to have fun. I know I will be here for the last month and start here next year and hopefully debut in the major leagues next year. While I am here, I am just going to enjoy it and the people I am playing with and learn from it.”
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Good luck Grant.