How did flame-throwing Helcris Olivarez first spring outing go against the Huskies?
Red Sox fans packed JetBlue Park in Fort Myers, Fla. on Friday afternoon for the annual exhibition game against Northeastern University. While the Red Sox did not feature any of their regulars in the game, fans got a look at many of the young players in the system.
Former top Rockies pitching prospect Helcris Olivarez earned the start for the Red Sox. The lefty has dealt with shoulder injuries the past two seasons, but is healthy and looking to earn a spot as an option in the bullpen.
Olivarez’s first Red Sox appearance didn’t go the way he’d like, struggling in the first inning against the Huskies. He was unable to get out of the inning, throwing 29 pitches and allowing one run on one hit with a walk. The hard throwing lefty didn’t help his cause in the inning when he threw away the ball trying to pick off a runner and hitting a batter.
“It was good for him to get out there and compete, he’s been hurt, he hasn’t competed the last two years,” Alex Cora said after the 7-2 win over the Huskies. “Although it didn’t go the way he wanted to, that feeling of going out there to prepare for the start and being able to have fun, that was good.”
The tall and athletic southpaw offers a three-pitch mix on the mound, a fastball that sits between 93-97 mph, his fastball can touch 100 mph, a curveball and changeup. His curveball misses bats offering solid spin and movement. Olivarez changeup is the weaker of his three pitches, fringe at best.
During his career in the Rockies system, Olivarez posted a 4.32 ERA pitching out of both the rotation and bullpen. The Dominican native struggled to keep the ball in the park, surrounding his fair share of homers, he was able to hold batters to a .225 batting average, while being a strikeout machine.
Over the 250 innings of work in the minors, the flamethrower has struck out 290 batters, striking out a career high 112 in High-A
If the Red Sox new pitching infrastructure can work on Olivarez command, he offers a high-ceiling and could develop into a strong bulk-innings reliever type.
