Richard Fitts the night he was traded to the Red Sox: ‘I could barely fall asleep’
The strike thrower is expected to start with in the WooSox rotation in 2024
This past December, the Red Sox made a rare trade with Yankees, sending outfielder Alex Verdugo to the Bronx for three pitchers.
Richard Fitts, one of the pitchers the Red Sox acquired in the trade joins the organization following an impressive 2023 campaign.
The righty made 27 starts for the Somerset Patriots, posting a 3.48 ERA while striking out 163 batters. Fitts was named the 2023 Eastern League Pitcher of the Year. He also was named a 2023 Eastern Post-Season All-Star and Double-A All-Star by Baseball America.
The 23-year-old’s stock rose in 2023 and the Red Sox are hoping he develops into a starter for the rotation or a key multi-innings reliever for the their bullpen in the future.
When Fitts learned he was traded to the Red Sox, the right-hander couldn’t sleep, he was pre-occupied with the thought of being one of the few players involved in a trade between the two rivals.
“I could barely fall asleep the night that I got traded,” Fitts said to Alex Speier in an article written in BA. “I took a step back and was like, ‘Man, there’s only been (a few) trades between the Yankees and the Red Sox.’ It’s a cool list to be on.
“But ultimately, it means absolutely nothing if I can’t produce and have an impact here in Boston.”
The former sixth-rounder throws a lot of strikes, one of the main focuses of new pitching coach Andrew Bailey.
“He’s really good strike-thrower,” Red Sox farm director Brian Abraham said. “I think some more swing and miss in the zone is something we’re going to work through,” Abraham said. “Working with his secondaries, I think there’s some stuff (director of pitching) Justin Willard and (pitching coach) Andrew Bailey have worked with him to get better at. For him, just having a foundation to be able to throw strikes, getting guys out in the zone, is something big leaguers do. So to have that already is something I’m really excited about.”
There’s a lot of uncertainty when it comes to developing pitchers. Craig Breslow, Bailey, Willard and Kyle Boddy of Driveline are here to take the raw ability the pitchers have in the system and tap into their potential and start pushing through viable pitching options for the major league roster.
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