Relief pitchers to keep an eye on in Worcester
The WooSox are now three series into their season, and roles are starting to form on the team’s pitching staff. While we have seen many major leaguers like Garrett Whitlock, Brayan Bello, and James Paxton all with the team for a rehab stint, WooSox manager Chad Tracy has done a good job of getting everybody in consistently. Due to the bad series against Columbus last week, we didn’t get to see the ideal backend of the bullpen, but there was one game we got to see what the manager wants to turn to in an ideal world.
Three of the five starting pitchers in the Worcester rotation find themselves on the 40-man roster and are among the top prospects in the organization. While there are currently no relievers on the 40-man, there are a few to keep an eye on.
Joe Jacques
The 28-year-old is in his first season in the Red Sox organization. Jacques has pitched in six games this season, and his last outing was his best one yet. After losing their first four games of the series against Columbus last week, Jacques was called upon in the sixth and pitched one and two thirds innings and gave up zero hits.
Chad Tracy mentioned postgame that Jacques was “perfect for the role” due to needing to bridge to the 8th inning and the fact there were five lefties due up in a row. The gamble paid off and eventually helped the WooSox get the win.
Jacques chatted with Beyond the Monster earlier in the season about a new pitch he debuted this year, one that he called “pretty effective” early in the season.
Taylor Broadway
Broadway is one of the more intriguing names on the roster. The 26-year-old landed a non-roster spring training invite and performed well in his time with the big league club. Similar to Jacques, his last outing was his best of the season, despite struggling in his third inning of work. His first two innings were scoreless, along with four strikeouts.
“He threw some quality breaking balls and was throwing a ton of strikes." Tracy said. “He was one of the only guys that worked ahead in the count.”
We chatted with Broadway during the last homestand about how he is feeling after his brief IL stint.
Chase Shugart
Shugart is one of the last pitchers remaining from the Red Sox 2018 draft class. We saw quite a bit of Shugart in spring training, as he was one of the last cuts to minor league camp. We saw him come in a couple bases loaded situations and escaping with no damage done.
The former University of Texas closer has plenty of experience in high leverage spots, and currently carries a team low 1.93 ERA in five appearances. Shugart finds himself in a set-up role this season, and it’s a role he doesn’t take lightly.
“Whether it’s being the set up guy or being a mop guy, I just want the ball whenever.” Shugart said following the Columbus series. “It gives me extra confidence knowing Tracy trusts me in that role as a set-up guy.”
AJ Politi
Following being returned from the Orioles after being picked in the Rule-5 draft, Politi has found himself in the closer role for the WooSox. While his last two outings haven’t been good, he is being trusted with the lead in the ninth and is an intriguing relief option for the Red Sox later in the season.
Politi may not have made the Orioles roster this season, but it’s worth noting he was on other teams’ radars. It wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see Politi by September in Boston when the rosters expand, depending on if the Red Sox are in contention or not.
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