Whitlock starts with new approach to job
SARASOTA, Fla. — The thought of becoming a starter consumed Garrett Whitlock’s thoughts over the last two seasons. He burst onto the scene as a Rule 5 draft pick by the Red Sox before the 2021 season, then playing a crucial role in the team’s march toward a postseason berth as a key figure in their bullpen.
However, the Sox believed Whitlock had only begun to tap into his potential. They were confident he could transition to a starter, citing his ability to throw strikes. Whitlock also had experience as a starter during his time in the minor leagues with the Yankees.
Injuries and underperformance in that role over the next two seasons have dimmed Whitlock’s prospects as a rotation piece. His desire to achieve what the Sox had envisioned for him weighed heavily on him until an old friend, former reliever Adam Warren, offered him some perspective.
“The last couple of years, I felt that kind of chip where everyone says, ‘You need to be a starter,’ ” Whitlock said Saturday afternoon prior to the Sox’ 4-3 road loss to the Orioles. “I kind of took a page from Adam Warren, where he told me, once you adapt that mind-set of being a Swiss Army knife, where you can be thrown into anything and excel, it frees everything else up.”
Whitlock, 27, is back in the mix for a starter’s role this year, freed from expectations. He’s just here to compete.
The righthander made his first Grapefruit League start Saturday. Whitlock yielded some hard contact in the first inning, including a solo home run to Adley Rutschman. Yet, he settled in during his second and final inning, striking out Jackson Holliday and Jorge Mateo on the minimum number of pitches to end the frame.
“He fell into some deep counts,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “The 3-1 changeup to Adley. Conditions were conducive to fly balls going out of the ballpark. But overall it was a good outing. The quality of pitches was good. So now we move on to the next one.”
Cora made it clear before the game that Brayan Bello, Nick Pivetta, and Lucas Giolito are part of the rotation. Kutter Crawford will likely be a part of that group, too, leaving Whitlock, Tanner Houck, and Josh Winckowski to battle it out for the final rotation spot.
“Each one of them has their strengths and has shown some weaknesses throughout their careers,” said Cora.
“With Tanner, it’s strikethrowing. Kutter, can he maintain his stuff ? Whitlock, can he stay healthy? Winckowski, can he maintain his stuff ?”
Results don’t matter as much in the spring. Both Cora and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow have indicated as much throughout camp. The Sox want to see who has improved on those weaknesses, while understanding that competition is key to improvement.
“[Whitlock] looked the part before, and he looks better now,” said Cora. “This offseason, he was healthy. That’s the most important thing. He’s attacking in the right way. We’re joking about 2021, the way he went about his business, I don’t think he made one mistake in that camp.”
In 2021, Whitlock was in battle mode. He wanted to make a big league club. There wasn’t much thought about becoming a starter. He was invested in the mentality of competing and winning at-bats against his opponents.
Expectations were at a minimum.
Whitlock is treating this spring as a launching pad forward, believing his success lies in the freedom of pitching his game.
“I don’t feel like there’s this chip or this burden like, ‘Oh, I’ve got to be a starter’ or ‘Oh, I’ve got to be a closer,’ ” said Whitlock. “It’s like, ‘Dude, you’re on a freaking big league team. Enjoy that, have fun, and freaking compete.’ ”