Red Sox third-round pick Dalton Rogers on his first start: 'It was a great time, I honestly felt very comfortable out on the mound'
Red Sox third-round pick took the mound Tuesday for the Salem Red Sox
On Tuesday night, Red Sox third-round pick Dalton Rogers made his debut pitching for the Salem Red Sox. The lefty made a very impressive first impression on the fanbase.
Rogers looked promising giving up one hit while walking just one and punching out eight in four shutout innings.
“It was a great time. I honestly felt very comfortable out on the mound. Definitely could have not written up a better day for my first start.” said Rogers about his first start in Single-A.
When drafted, Rogers only had three pitches in his arsenal featuring a fastball, changeup, and slider. As the southpaw continues to make more starts this season, he is looking to add more pitches to his repertoire.
“The curve that I threw in my first outing was one of my new pitches that I added a week ago. I’m also playing with a harder slider type pitch at the moment.”
The left-handed throwing Rogers was the first pitcher taken by the Red Sox in the draft. Per Baseball America, Rogers “overwhelmingly pitches off his fastball —a 92-93 mph heater that touches 96 at peak and comes with solid carry and around 18 inches of induced vertical break.”
To go along with his fastball he mixes in a low-80s slider and a low-80s changeup that can generate plenty of swing-and-miss. All of these pitches are thrown from a three-quarters arm slot.
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