Kutter Crawford improves his chances to earn a spot in Red Sox rotation
Crawford dazzles on Sunday against the Marlins
The Red Sox have spots available to win in their rotation this spring. Injuries to James Paxton and Brayan Bello, as well as Garrett Whitlock rehabbing from surgery, have allowed Kutter Crawford to battle for a spot in the rotation.
When Crawford arrived to camp, the idea of landing in the Red Sox rotation didn’t seem feasible. There was seven pitchers that came to camp vying for five spots.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters in February that the team planned to stretch out Crawford as a starter. It’s a good thing they followed through on that plan, because it looks like he’ll make the Opening Day roster.
Crawford continued to make his case on Sunday, pitching three inning, throwing 15 pitches and struck out three batters.
“It felt good to go three innings and that I didn’t allow any runners,” Crawford said to the Boston Globe’s Julian McWilliams. “I pounded the [strike] zone and tried to get ahead of guys as much as possible. I fell behind against a couple of guys but I was able to get back in the count with my cutter and fastballs. Me being able to do that early in spring and make that adjustment on the fly was a pretty good feeling.”
This spring Crawford has been spectacular, in two games, he’s pitched five innings, struck out five batters and hasn’t yielded a run in the process. He’s only given up two hits and has held opponents to a .118 batting average.
As Crawford continues to build confidence this spring, he’s also gaining the confidence of his manager.
“He learned a lot,” said manager Alex Cora. “He’s using his fastball in different areas and his velocity. When the [velocity] is there everything else is good.”
The 26-year-old pitched in 21 games for the Red Sox, 12 of them were starts while posting a 3-6 record with a 5.47 ERA. Crawford dealt with struggles to begin the season, resulting in him to figure it out while with Triple-A Worcester.
During his stint with the WooSox last season, Crawford pitched in six games, making four starts posting a 1-0 record with a 5.18 ERA.
The Okeechobee, Florida native saw moments of brilliance with the Red Sox. Over the month of July, Crawford owned a 2.57 ERA, 2.72 FIP, 8.36 K/9 through 28 innings of work, per FanGraphs.
“Overall last year, I didn’t like my numbers,” said Crawford. “But through that month and a half or so through July and August, I was able to do some good things. That gives me a lot of confidence that I can go out there and I can get big league hitters out consistently.”
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