by Crochet and Chapman’s strikeout stuff excites Red Sox pitching coach originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
If there was one particular ailment that plagued the Red Sox pitching staff last year, it was the inability to miss bats. The organization has already taken two major steps this winter to address that deficiency, and pitching coach Andrew Bailey couldn’t be happier.
Speaking to Sean McAdam of the Fenway Rundown podcast at MassLive, Bailey expressed his excitement over the additions of flame-throwing lefties Garrett Crochet and Aroldis Chapman. The Red Sox are coming off a season in which they ranked in the bottom third of baseball in strikeout rate.
“The ability to create swings and misses is the best outcome for a pitcher,” Bailey said. “There is no ball in play, nothing bad can happen. …Being able to come in and beat guys out not only helps the starters get out of trouble when needed or be able to put out fires late.” Games will be great. You want to collect as many weapons as possible that have this elite stuff, and that’s what we do.”
Crochet and Chapman definitely tick that box. The former struck out nearly 13 batters per nine innings last year and ranked fourth overall with 209 Ks. The latter has stood out for his strength since his debut with the Reds in 2010, and his lifetime strikeout rate of 40 percent is the highest in history. Only three pitchers have ever struck out more than half the batters they faced in a season, and Chapman is one of them.
The effect of Crochet should be felt more clearly. The Red Sox have made the 25-year-old their star, and more than two years after Tommy John surgery, he should be able to operate without restrictions.
“We’re going to treat him the same way we treat the rest of our starters,” Bailey told MassLive. “We want them to be the best version of themselves every time they take the mound, whether it’s day five or day six…whatever that looks like.”
“Communication is huge. If we have to miss starts or push a player back, we really want to meet him where he is. From an innings limits standpoint, as long as he’s healthy and there’s no signs of fatigue.” And he’s bouncing back. Okay, he’ll be in the bucket with everyone else.
“So, in my opinion, there’s no reason why he can’t go out and make all his starts, throw as many innings as he can put together and then bounce back. We know there will be some fluctuations with fatigue and ability over the course of the season. “We will have those conversations.
As for Chapman, the soon-to-be 37-year-old could make or break the decision. He made 14 saves for the Pirates last year and is just three years away from saving 30 games for the Yankees and making his seventh All-Star team.
“He’s going to have an impact,” Bailey told McAdam. “This guy has been doing this for a really long time, has had the biggest games and done really well. So we’re excited to have him down there.”
