As a pitcher, Andrew Bailey’s time in Boston was quick and irritating, bookended by accidents and surgical procedures.
How he’ll fare because the Red Sox’s new pitching coach stays to be seen, however he’s thrilled and grateful to get a second likelihood.
“I’m really excited about the opportunity to work with Boston, you know, be a Red Sock again, and come back to the organization in a different capacity,” he mentioned over Zoom on Tuesday. “Life’s too short to turn down opportunities like this.”
By his personal admission, he is aware of how disappointing this sport may be. He started his profession with back-to-back All-Star seasons in Oakland, the place he was named 2009 American League Rookie of the Year. They traded him to Boston, and made 49 appearances for the Red Sox between 2012-13, which means he was a part of one of many worst seasons in franchise historical past and one of many biggest.
“I know what failure feels like in a major market and in Boston, specifically,” he mentioned. “I know what it’s like to blow a save in Boston… We won the World Series and we finished last place. I experienced both of those, so I’ve kind of run the gamut.”
“I was brought here to do a job, and unfortunately, as a player I wasn’t able to do that job to the best of my ability due to injuries,” he mentioned. “It’s not too frequent you get a second opportunity to kind of right the ship in a different capacity, so to say.”
In spherical two, Bailey will sort out an space wherein the Red Sox have struggled mightily over the past half-decade, and for a lot of the century. If he can do for them what he did for the San Francisco Giants, who boasted a number of the greatest pitching within the sport over his 4 years as their pitching coach (sixth-best ERA, third in strikeout-to-walk ratio), it will likely be a shocking transformation.
“The goal is to have a lot more frontline starters and a system that is feeding the major league team,” he mentioned.
“I’m always a fan of run prevention” and “Strikes are everything” are two pillars of his pitching philosophy. Only 9 groups posted worse ERAs than Boston in 2023. Red Sox pitchers allowed a mixed 718 earned runs (776 complete), however they have been higher than league common in strikeouts, and limiting walks (8.1%). Bailey’s Giants have been the very best; they led the best way with a 6.7% stroll charge, the one membership beneath 7%.
Historically, the Red Sox have relied closely upon outdoors pitchers to cause them to their 4 championships this century, however they presently have a rising homegrown star in Brayan Bello. Last spring coaching, Pedro Martinez instructed the Herald that he believes the 24-year-old right-hander can win a number of Cy Young awards. Bailey wasn’t fairly as effusive when discussing the homegrown expertise, however did describe Bello as “a special player, a special pitcher.”
“He’s at a very, very high ceiling, and we expect him to keep on developing,” he mentioned. “There’s definitely special attributes about him that we’ll be doubling down on… but Bello has the potential to be a frontline starter.”
Bailey’s doctrine emphasizes ongoing adjustment, evolution, and openness to alter. “I believe that, philosophically speaking, that players are never finished products,” he defined. “I think, if we ever are a little bit complacent in that, negativity can creep in and poor performance.”
Tuesday was Bailey’s first official day on the job, however he’s already aware of a number of of the arms he’ll be working with within the coming months. He mentioned he was “fortunate” to work with Mauricio Llovera, the reliever whom the Red Sox acquired from the Giants on the 2023 commerce deadline, and joked about having to see Kenley Jansen “too much” when the Dodgers and Giants would face off. He talked about watching Chris Sale “dominate for years,” and singled out Garrett Whitlock when discussing the younger pitching expertise on the roster.
“I think there’s a litany of arms that are special in Boston,” he mentioned, “And I’m hoping to help them perform at their best as often as possible.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com