FORT MYERS, Fla. — When laying out the state of the Red Sox beginning rotation competitors this previous weekend, supervisor Alex Cora stated Kutter Crawford is main the pack amongst those that have but to safe a spot.
It was an encouraging endorsement for the younger right-hander, however not one thing he’s letting get to his head.
“I think everything’s still got to be earned no matter what I did last year,” Crawford stated. “Do I like my odds? Sure. But you still have to go out there and compete and throw strikes every single day. So in camp here trying to get a feel for everything again, game speed and stay on the attack and practice flooding the zone with strikes, and the rest will take care of itself.”
Scheduled to make his first begin of the spring Tuesday when the Red Sox face the St. Louis Cardinals, Crawford is coming into the largest season of his skilled profession. A former sixteenth spherical pick of Florida Gulf Coast University who was by no means thought to be a prime prospect, Crawford has risen from obscurity and final season emerged as one of many group’s most promising younger arms.
After beginning the season within the bullpen, Crawford moved to the rotation in late spring and completed the season with a 4.04 ERA over a career-high 129.1 innings. He proved he might take the ball each fifth day and ship — one thing few others on final 12 months’s workers might accomplish — however one factor he couldn’t do was constantly pitch deep into video games.
That’s been a degree of emphasis this offseason, and thus far Crawford and the group are proud of the outcomes he’s gotten.
“I spent a lot of time here at JetBlue working with our staff, so I felt like I focused a lot on my lower half, which is a big component of mine that I need to go deeper into games, and I feel like I was able to accomplish some of that,” Crawford stated. “I feel like my lower half is stronger, moves a little bit better, and I put on a little bit of weight to sustain that throughout the year.”
“He looks better physically, a little bit bigger. Sometimes that’s what it takes, get a little bit bigger, get that stamina up, and he can go six innings,” Cora stated. “If you look at the numbers from pitch 75 to 85 the stuff went down very quickly, so we’re trying to hopefully maintain his stuff.”
One issue that may’t be discounted is Crawford spent every of his first two seasons combating for a roster spot and finally making the group out of the bullpen. This time, if all goes properly, he’ll begin within the rotation from Day 1, permitting him the peace of thoughts of figuring out his position with out having to attempt to get stretched again out in-season.
The alternative is there for the taking, and Crawford isn’t taking it without any consideration.
“I’d prefer to be a starter any day of the week, so having that is a little bit liberating, but at the end of the day I don’t look at anything being given,” Crawford stated. “I’m still a younger guy, I’m still trying to establish myself in the league. I’m not established as a starter that’s going out and throwing 180 innings yet, so I’ve still got to show up every day and work and prove myself.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com