WooSox skipper Chad Tracy praises starting pitching for allowing just two runs in 18 innings to begin the season
When the Red Sox hired chief baseball officer Craig Breslow, it was with the focus of developing pitching up and down the organization. After adding Andrew Bailey, Justin Willard, Kyle Boddy, and others, the impact is being felt up and down the system.
The WooSox opened their season last Friday on the road against Lehigh Valley. During the quick three-game series, Worcester posted a 3.76 ERA while striking out 31 batters, walking 10 and holding opponents to a .198 batting average.
One of the focuses the Red Sox have hammered into the pitchers over the first 40 days in camp and now as they report to their affiliates is attacking the strike zone and getting ahead of the count.
“It’s been emphasized to the nth degree with everybody. In Triple-A and in the big leagues, you have to live inside the strike zone,” said WooSox skipper Chad Tracy. “If you think you’re going to throw stuff outside the strike zone, as a pitcher-hitter matchup, you can’t. You got to trust yourself; we’re going to develop your stuff, and you have to win in the zone. It’s been pounded on them, you want to get the ball over the plate.”
Cooper Criswell started for the WooSox on Tuesday and attacked the strike zone. He tossed five scoreless innings, giving up four hits and one walk, and struck out five batters. Criswell induced 10 whiffs in his start, and he credited the new pitching focus and his catcher, Tyler Heineman.
“I felt good out there,” said Criswell to Beyond the Monster following the game. “Heineman caught a great game back there, mixing all four pitches, and I went a little less cutter today. I had my other three pitches working and got some big-time ground balls.”
The WooSox starters have only allowed two earned runs over the first 18 innings to begin the season.
Tracy believes that early on in the season, his pitchers, from the starters to his bullpen, have embraced this philosophy, and it’s yielding positive results.
“We’re still looking at data and doing reviews with the pitchers after. With specific goals for guys and things they’re working on, there’s definitely a change. Most of the guys here were in major league camp. They’ve already been exposed to it,” added Tracy.
The pitchers in the minors, particularly those pitching at Triple-A, will be working on pitch selection and usage, allowing them to be ready for the big league level.
“They’ll be ready when they go up there,” Tracy said. “That’s the expectation. We saw a good opening series in the big leagues. We had a good opening series in Worcester with the way we pitched. It was fun to watch. Hopefully, we can carry it through.
“The amount of work that’s gone into each of them individually isn't just one blanket thing. Each one of them has been looked at and targeted. This is what we want you to work on.”
