Red Sox reliever working on adding a cutter to his arsenal for next season
The Red Sox bullpen was one of the few bright spots for the team last season. New chief baseball officer Craig Breslow will need to determine what mix of arms will be part of his bullpen for next season.
One reliever is getting back to work this offseason and is looking to add an additional pitch to his arsenal.
In a video that surfaced on social media, Red Sox righty John Schreiber is working on adding a cutter, and shows off the details on how he’ll grip the ball and from which arm slot he intends to throw it from on the mound.
Schreiber appears to be looking for another pitch to change the eye level of opposing hitters. Last season, he featured a fastball, sinker, slider and changeup. The addition of the cutter will be his fifth pitch.
Last season, Schreiber made 46 appearances posting a 3.86 ERA. The right-handed hurler missed time after suffering a right lat injury in May. Schreiber spent two months on the injured before getting back on the mound in July.
“Felt good tonight, right where I want to be on my first rehab assignment.” Schreiber told Beyond the Monster during his rehab stint with the WooSox in July. “Pitch shapes were good, command could be a little better with certain pitches and counts tonight but felt good with the results. After a few more outings, mechanically, I will feel 100% where I need to be before coming off the IL and I’m excited to get back. Really glad to be out there competing again.”
Schreiber relied heavily on his slider (37.5%), four-seam fastball (28.8%) and sinker (25.4%) last season. He held opponents to a .185 batting average and a .200 expected batting average with his slider. The addition to the cutter will offer him the luxury of setting of getting a pitch with movement in on the hands of opposing batters.
His slider averaged 80.9 mph last season, based off the video above, if he can build a strong cutter that can be in the 85 mph ballpark, he could change the whole complexity of his pitching arsenal for next season and beyond.
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