Whitlock may not be ready for Opening Day
Duran, Rafaela compete for CF spotlight
Garrett Whitlock may not be ready for Opening Day, Alex Cora admitted on Monday.
Every starting pitcher’s progress is different, but Whitlock is noticeably behind several of his rotation-mates; he hasn’t participated in PFPs (pitchers’ fielding practice) yet, nor has he thrown to live hitters.
“His next bullpen is up and down again,” Cora told reporters, including MLB’s Ian Browne. “He’s throwing the ball well, he’s moving well. Not yet doing PFPs.”
Snatched from the Yankees in the Rule 5 Draft before the 2021 season, Whitlock was a surprise standout in his rookie season. Working exclusively as a reliever and closer that first year, he posted a miniscule 1.96 ERA with 81 strikeouts across 73 1/3 innings. His 46 appearances included 11 games finished and two saves.
In 2022, the Red Sox used Whitlock as a starter and reliever before hip surgery ended his season in September. Over the first nine starts of his bigleague career, he posted a 4.15 ERA and 1.256 WHIP, with 18 earned runs, nine walks, and 38 strikeouts across 39 innings. Over 22 relief appearances totaling 39 1/3 innings, he had a 2.75 ERA, 0.788 WHIP, allowed 12 earned runs, six walks, and struck out 44 batters.
Last year was a small sample size, but the Red Sox plan to use Whitlock as a starting pitcher moving forward, and made several bullpen upgrades this offseason in order to do so.
“We’re not concerned. We’ve got a plan,” the manager said. “We’ll see where we’re at in the upcoming weeks. If he’s ready for Opening Day, he’s ready. But if he’s not, he’s not going to lose too much time. If he’s not there , it’s not because he’s hurt or whatever. It’s just the progression of where we’re at, especially moving around.”
Duran dinger
On Monday, Jarren Duran went 2-for-2 with a double and a home run to JetBlue Park’s Green Monster replica as well as a leaping catch in centerfield, helping the Red Sox extend their undefeated record in spring training games.
With Adam Duvall and Kiké Hernández each on one-year contracts, this is the year for Duran to prove himself after an underwhelming 2022. Over 58 games with the bigleague club last year, he hit .221/.283/.363 with 14 doubles, three triples, and three home runs. While his plate discipline improved, his strikeout rate dropped from 35.7% to 28.3% and his walk rate nearly doubled, he hit the ball less hard than the year before.
Defensively, he drew criticism, especially for one egregious misplay of a fly ball in July, which resulted in an inside-thepark grand slam for thenBlue Jays player Raimel Tapia, who is now his teammate.
In early August, Duran’s defensive struggles continued in Kansas City, which resulted in a brief verbal interaction with fans in the stands.
A few weeks later, the Red Sox demoted him to Triple-A, where he remained, save for one game in late September, for the remainder of the year.
Despite his struggles, Duran ranked in the 66th percentile or better in maximum exit velocity, arm strength, outfielder jump, and spring speed last year. And the Red Sox haven’t given up on him yet; “I just don’t think you become a bad player in one or two years,” Alex Cora said recently, “the talent is still there, we like the player.”
RBI for Rafaela
Duran’s path to everyday play is further complicated by one of the organization’s top prospects.
Ceddanne Rafaela was a one-man highlight reel in centerfield last season, and he offers serious speed and bat power, to boot. He stole 28 bases in 116 games between High- and Double-A last year, and hit 32 doubles, 10 triples, and 21 home runs.
As a pinch-hitter on Monday, he went 1-for-1 with a pair of runs batted in off Twins rookie Simeon Woods Richardson.
The 22-year-old prospect made the difficult decision not to join Team Netherlands for the WBC so that he can focus on spring training and hopefully earn a promotion to Triple-A. With Duran playing on Team Mexico and Hernández with Team Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic, Rafaela will have even more time to shine this spring. Cora says Rafaela will spend the bulk of his time in centerfield, but will also see time at shortstop.
Doesn’t mean Jacques
Pitching wins are a pretty meaningless stat in today’s baseball, and Monday’s game was a perfect example of why.
Joe Jacques, who pitched the sixth inning, was credited with the win… and the blown save, because he allowed the only Twins run of the day.
He also stepped off the rubber after two unsuccessful pick-off attempts, which means an automatic balk.
Chairman’s Cup
The Red Sox hosted the Twins for the first of five spring training contests on Monday.
This is the 31st year of the tradition known as the Chairman’s Cup, formerly the Mayor’s Cup, a contest between the two Fort Myers teams. The Twins moved their spring training to Fort Myers in 1991; the Red Sox joined them in 1993, after playing in Winter Haven since 1966.
The two clubs are currently tied 14-14-2 all-time.
Mariachi Monday
JetBlue Park was treated to a unique morning show on Monday, when a fivepiece mariachi band, Mariachi Villa de Guadalupe, walked into the Red Sox clubhouse.
The band’s appearance was part of an assignment from Cora to Duran and Alex Verdugo. The two outfielders will play for Team Mexico together next month, and their manager told them to do a presentation about Mexico for their teammates.
The band then took their talents onto the field, accompanying the players during some of their workouts.
Their manager was immensely pleased with the entire production, which included an impressive poster board full of information. “It was actually a great day for us,” Cora said proudly.
Club control
Monday was the anniversary of the current ownership group officially gaining control of the club in 2002.
Less than 24 hours later, Dan Duquette had been removed from his post as general manager, giving way for Theo Epstein to take charge.
After two losing seasons in the last three years, it’s easy to forget how much change this ownership ushered in. Two losing seasons in three years seems small compared to the 86-year Curse they vanquished less than two years after taking the reins.