Red Sox pitching prospect Zach Penrod: 'Just a thrower that learned how to pitch'
Red Sox pitching prospect Zach Penrod: 'Just a thrower that learned how to pitch'
If Red Sox fans aren’t familiar with left-handed pitching prospect Zach Penrod, he came out of nowhere this past season and quickly became one of the most talked about hurlers in the system.
Penrod started the year in Indy ball playing posting a 2.98 ERA for the Missoula PaddleHeads. The Red Sox scouting team, led by Harrison Slutsky and Mark Heil, identified Penrod as a pitcher to monitor.
“One day my coach texted me in the morning said, ‘Do you have an agent?’ I was like, I don't really know if I do or not,” said Penrod on the To the Show We Go podcast. “Okay, well the Red Sox want like your medical info and stuff like that. I was like, Oh, well, that's kind of different. Not really anybody's asked about that yet.”
Boston would sign Penrod and assign him to High-A Greenville. The right-hander offers a plus-heater that tops out at 97 mph an a power slider that will induces swing-and-misses against lefties. He also incorporates a changeup that can top out at 91 mph which is beneficial for him to get righties out.
What kind of pitcher is Penrod in his own words?
“Just a thrower that learned how to pitch I guess I could say I was always up there trying to throw hard,” said Penrod. “so that was kind of what I lived off of. And then you know, I developed a decent secondary pitch and my changeup and I enjoy throwing it so and then just spent the last three years kind of developing myself as more of a as a pitcher, rather than just up there just trying to throw as hard as I can by guys.”
“I was able to keep the velocity there and learn kind of how to pitch to guys, I think that's very important in today's game. As we move with data and everything like that, you're given like kind of a layout of how to how to approach guys, but at the same time like you can, if you learn to make those adjustments while you're on the mound, then I think it's going to be a lot more beneficial to yourself,” added Penrod.
Penrod was selected to be part of the Arizona Fall League where he torched opposing lineups and was named an AFL All-Star.
“It’s been a whirlwind, it feels like things keep getting thrown at me and I’m just along for the ride,” Penrod said. “It’s crazy to think I was in Montana and all of a sudden I find myself in Arizona pitching in the Fall League, I’ve realized how quickly things can speed up on me and meeting those challenges is enjoyable.”
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