Hernandez gets major shot
Young pitcher learns from best
FORT MYERS — There was Chris Sale slinging sliders, and David Price spotting fastballs, and then Darwinzon Hernandez.
RED SOX NOTEBOOK
One might not seem like the others, but that was all by design at Red Sox camp yesterday morning.
Hernandez, a 22-year-old lefty from Venezuela, is in big league camp for the first time after posting a 3.56 ERA and 124 strikeouts in 101 innings for High-A Salem last year. He has a high-90s fastball but can get wild with it (he walked 60 at Salem) and is still developing his secondary offerings.
Far from a finished product, Hernandez offers the kind of potential the Red Sox are looking for as they shape a bullpen that will include some small names to fill big shoes. While it’s a longshot Hernandez makes the team out of camp, manager Alex Cora is preparing him for an eventual big league role.
“I said last year, it takes more than 25 guys to win a World Series,” Cora said. “It takes a whole organizational effort and at what point in the season, I’m not saying Opening Day or the last day of the season, but at one point they’ll contribute.
“Probably Darwinzon is a guy we do feel like if he doesn’t shock the world and surprise everybody here, we’ll keep him as a starter, finish his innings and develop all his pitches. I’m not saying he doesn’t have a shot but if that’s the case and he gets sent down, he’ll be a starter so he can develop his other pitches.”
Hernandez watched Sale and Price throw, then threw his own session on the back mounds at JetBlue Park.
“Warming up, I knew they were watching me, but I really wanted to control myself,” he said.
Cora likes the idea of prospects pitching with the big league stars and said he expects to do it more often this camp.
Sale and Price are “pretty good at what they do, preparation-wise and all that,” the manager said. “And for the kid to just walk around with them and ask questions and see how they go about their business is a plus for us. Besides that, they’re locked in. The way they go about their business is impressive. Last year I saw it and this year, well, they keep doing it. We’re very happy that they finish their bullpens and we keep moving on.”
Rotation on pitch
Sale, Price and Nathan Eovaldi were not on display yesterday morning, instead getting their work done on the mounds behind the practice fields, away from the public.
They aren’t likely to make their spring debuts until early-mid March.
“It’s impressive how they take so much pride at hitting spots and they miss by an inch and they’re upset,” Cora said. “I said that last year about David and (Rick) Porcello and Chris. You see Nate, the stuff, how crisp it is, and the velocity. It’s pretty impressive for Feb. 15. It’s good to see them actually competing like that. They take pride at what they do and they know they set the tempo for us. I’m very proud of how they do it.
“It’s one of the best, if not the best rotation, one through five. We’re thinking about how we’re going to split them up, the lefties, how we’re gonna do that, but it’s cool because our lefties are all different — Sale with the fastball and slider, David with location and that changeup, Eduardo stuff-wise is up there with them. Like they like to say, ‘He’s better than us.’ Then you’ve got Rick, hits his spots and uses his four-seamer. Stuff-wise, Nate is amazing. That’s a good feeling. Looking forward to having them perform.”
Over weight
Paying attention to Rafael Devers’ weight is not something that’s on Cora’s mind.
Devers checked in at 6-foot, 237 pounds last year, but it’s not an issue to the team.
“He’s 22 so he looks great,” Cora said. “He’s been working hard. I saw him twice in the offseason. … He’s on a mission. If this kid clicks the way (Miguel) Andujar did with the Yankees, we’re that better offensively. Looking forward to him coming here and just working out. It’s not that he has to lose weight or whatever. Just take your grounders, work on your swing and be ready for the season.”
Different role
Pitching coach Dana LeVangie almost became the Red Sox bench coach last year, Cora said.
“He’s been in this organization forever in different roles and actually coming into the situation, I thought about him being the bench coach and he went against it,” Cora said. “Then this happened. I think we made the right choice.” . . .
J.D. Martinez is the last player yet to show up to camp, though he’s expected to arrive today, the official reporting day for position players.