Kyle Barraclough continues to be solid starter in WooSox rotation
When the Red Sox signed Kyle Barraclough to a minor league deal in June, they most likely weren’t expecting the veteran to already be in the mix for a MLB call-up in late July.
Here we are, after six games Barraclough has pitched in, he is sparking a conversation on receiving a promotion for a spot start. The right-hander is 5-0 with a 3.19 ERA over 31 innings pitched for Worcester. He has not given up more than three runs in a start so far. Opposing hitters are only hitting .146 against him when he has started.
The swing and miss stuff have not really been part of his game, as he is putting up a 6.7 K/9 so far. For a guy who carried a 11.4 K/9 in his 7-year MLB career as a reliever, it is a bit surprising. I spoke with him after he signed with the Red Sox back in June about what the big difference would be in the transition to a starting role.
“Being able to pitch with five pitches would be the biggest thing.” Barraclough said about starting. “Traditionally as a reliever that is not something that is necessary. It’s harder to do that when you’re coming in and only pitching one inning and you have to be a little more on the ball and careful. It’s late in the game and you might only be in there for an inning or two and you want to go with what’s working and narrow down pitch selection. In the starting role you can get a little more expansive and you can plan for multiple at bats over the course of the game. You can try to sequence and set guys up through multiple at bats as opposed to just one at bat. The five-pitch mix is really what it is, and its throwing a couple different fastballs and a cutter that I was working on last year. Being able to do that over multiple innings and being able to go out there inning after inning and throw different pitches instead of being a two-pitch guy.”
This could be the reasoning behind the low strikeout numbers as he gets settled into starting more games. He has been creating a lot of weak contact when he isn’t getting the strikeout.
Barraclough has gone at least five innings in every start for the WooSox he has made so far since signing. For a Red Sox team who is in need of starters right now, it makes way too much sense for Barraclough to get a shot at a spot start here in the near future.
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