Taking a look at WooSox rotation options after first roster cuts
The Worcester Red Sox open their season on March 29th in Lehigh Valley. The first round of cuts from big league camp have been made and the Red Sox are starting to thin out the position battles.
So far, we have seen Brandon Walter, Wikelman Gonzalez, and Luis Perales optioned to Triple-A along with Melvin Adon, Nathan Hickey, Stephen Scott, Franklin German, Alex Hoppe, Helcris Olivarez, Chase Meidroth, Joe Dunand, and Corey Rosier all reassigned to minor league camp.
There are many more to come within the next week with there being 54 players still remaining in camp in which 17 of them are non-roster invites. Let’s take a look at how the WooSox starting rotation is lining up to open the season.
Brandon Walter
This will be Walters third season appearing in a game in Worcester. After getting promoted late in 2022 from Portland, the left-hander has made 23 appearances for the WooSox along with 9 in the majors.
His strikeout numbers dipped drastically once reaching Triple-A, as he posted his worst K/9 in his professional career last season with an 8.43. His BB/9 reached the highest in his career as well sailing to a 3.35.
While his numbers may have been down, the Red Sox had a huge need for arms last season and called up Walter to come out of the bullpen. He wound up throwing 23 innings over 9 appearances, which were all in relief. The Red Sox look for him to be one of the top options for starting pitching depth this season.
Cooper Criswell*
There is an asterisk here due to Criswell not officially being optioned to Triple-A yet.
Alex Cora has mentioned Criswell as an option for the rotation after Lucas Giolito’s injury came about. The 27-year-old has pitched in 12 games in the majors and started two of those games. He has pitched in 86 games throughout his minor league career and started 68 of those games.
The former Tampa Bay Ray represents a critical depth piece that the major league team will need over the course of the season. As we all saw with Giolito, all it takes is once pitch even for a guy who is always derived as “durable” or an “innings eater”.
If Criswell doesn’t make the big league team out of the gate to start 2024, look for him to slot in at the top of the WooSox rotation until needed in Boston.
Richard Fitts
Fitts is the only arm of this potential rotation that has never seen action above Double-A.
The Auburn product threw 150 innings last season for the Somerset Patriots and went 11-5 with a 3.48 ERA. Fitts saw his velocity increase as the 2023 season went on and had topped out at 96 MPH with the fastball. This should help his odds to stick as a starter after really not starting until he got to professional baseball.
Developing a third consistent pitch will be crucial for the 24-year-old as he should be beginning the season in the middle of the WooSox rotation.
Grant Gambrell
Gambrell is one of the more under the radar guys in this starting rotation.
The 26-year-old had a heck of a run in 2023 after missing the entire 2022 season after having five surgeries to remove a benign tumor in his heel bone. He wound up making 6 starts in Greenville, 15 starts in Portland, and 2 starts in Worcester.
In the 10 innings of work in Triple-A, Gambrell struck out 14 batters and carried a 1.69 ERA over his two starts.
While it was a very small sample size to end 2023, it was encouraging to come up and see success early on while trying to adjust to the ABS they have at the Triple-A level. It would be encouraging to see Gambrell take that momentum and add to it out of the gates to start 2024 in Worcester.
Brian Van Belle
Van Belle is another arm that flies a little under the radar due to not possessing flashy stuff or high velocity.
The 27-year-old prides himself on his command and that has helped guide his way through the Red Sox lower minors. His fastball only tops out at 92 MPH, but he throws a ton of strikes.
The Miami product threw in 13 games in Worcester and struggled with giving up the long ball. Van Belle gave up 18 home runs over the 60 innings he threw. On top of that, he seemed to struggle with adjusting to the ABS as he out up his highest BB/9 in his professional career.
It will be interesting to see how Van Belle bounces back in 2024 after getting a taste of Triple-A hitters and dealing with the automated balls and strikes. He is just fine slotting in towards the back end of the Worcester rotation and giving the team solid innings.
Honorable mentions
Hunter Dobbins represents the top option on the starting depth chart currently in Portland. The 24-year-old made his pro debut in 2022 after coming back from Tommy John and tops out at 97 MPH.
Josh Winckowski is another name in consideration for the rotation in Worcester if he does not make it on the big league roster breaking camp. You can easily interchange him and Criswell, as one will most likely make the big league roster breaking camp.
