FORT MYERS, Fla. – Kutter Crawford spent most of his offseason in Fort Myers, with a notable exception.
He paid one in all his fellow Red Sox pitchers a go to, making the journey from southern Florida to Chris Martin’s dwelling in north Texas. Along with former teammate Ryan Brasier, Crawford and Martin loved a protracted weekend.
“He’s got a ranch out there, so I wanted to go out there and check it out and see what he’s got going on,” Crawford advised the Herald on Wednesday. “Saw an old teammate, Ryan Brasier, and played some golf. We just kind of had a long weekend outdoors, siting around a campfire and shooting the (expletive).”
Crawford might be 28 on April 1, and is getting into his fourth 12 months within the Majors. He’s from Florida, and has spent his total skilled profession within the Red Sox group; they chose him within the sixteenth spherical of the 2017 draft. Martin, a Texas native, is sort of precisely 10 years his senior, and getting into his ninth season, the Red Sox are his seventh group.
And but, the 2 have cast a bond.
“Last year obviously was his first year on the team, and I’m still kind of a new face, being a young guy. He was somebody that I was able to connect with,” defined Crawford. “We’ve received very related pursuits and I feel we’ve related perspective on a number of issues.
“I think he’s a good guy to talk to. He’s older, he’s been around, he’s had ups and downs. I try to pick his brain, try to see how he thinks about things. He’s a good guy to lean on and have in your corner.”
Martin has spent his total profession within the bullpen, pitching to a powerful 3.36 profession ERA over 324 outings (302 ⅓ innings) within the common season. In his first 12 months in Boston, the veteran right-hander posted a 1.05 ERA – a private finest for a 162-game marketing campaign – throughout 55 appearances, together with 12 video games completed and three saves.
Crawford’s function has been extra fluid. He made his Major League debut in 2021 with a single begin, and to this point, he’s pitched in 53 video games, together with 36 begins and eight video games completed. Martin’s steerage has helped him navigate the unexpectedness of getting used each which approach.
“I don’t try to get too caught up in the role-type stuff situation. Whenever boss-man (Alex Cora) says he needs me to pitch, I’m gonna pitch,” Crawford mentioned. “And no matter whether you’re starting or you’re closing the game, you got to come in and throw strikes, so that’s a big focus whether you’re starting or relieving, that I think helped me. Even though the roles might have been different month to month, me just focusing on trying to throw strikes, and competing being the number-one thing, helped me be able to bounce back between those roles.”
Among the subjects of dialog was their new pitching coach, Andrew Bailey, who additionally occurs to be Martin’s former teammate from the 2015 Yankees. “That’s kind of crazy to think about,” mentioned Crawford. Martin mentioned it makes him really feel “old.”
“He’s awesome,” Martin mentioned of Bailey. “Kutter came down and he visited me, and he talked about how much he liked him. (Bailey is) kind of new-age, and he’s analytical. That’s kind of where this game’s going, and it can benefit, having someone that understands it.”
After taking the job in November, Bailey started attending to know his new arms over Zoom, the telephone, and in particular person.
“He’s come down and checked in on us,” Crawford mentioned. “Me and (Garrett) Whitlock and Winck (Josh Winckowski), we were able to get a little extra work and just pick his brain and see his viewpoints on a lot of things. It’s been really great so far, he’s got a good energy. He’s a younger guy, but he’s got a good energy, he’s full of life. It’s been great so far.”
Alex Cora described Crawford’s 2023 efficiency as excellent, however he’s additionally known as on him, and the opposite younger arms – Garrett Whitlock, Tanner Houck, Josh Winckowski, Brayan Bello – to take steps ahead.
“Obviously, we signed a couple guys in this offseason, but not a crazy offseason for us,” Crawford mentioned. “There’s definitely still time, but you’re gonna have to reply on your younger core guys, and that core is myself, and Whit, Winck, Houck, and Bello.”
“For this team to be good, you need your younger guys to take that step forward. (Cora) kind of saying that, yeah, it definitely motivates us to go out there, and we know he’s relying on us and we don’t want to let him down.”
The gamers within the Red Sox clubhouse know what everybody’s saying about them: a stunningly underwhelming offseason, a roster completely out of its depth within the perennially fierce AL East, one other last-place projection. That motivates them, too; the detrimental buzz is concurrently being tuned out and used as gasoline.
“Absolutely,” Crawford mentioned when requested if the detrimental notion drives him. “I don’t assume any man in right here, on this clubhouse, needs to lose. We play this recreation to compete and attempt to beat the opposition within the different dugout.
“So yeah, we’re going to go out there and play to win every single game we can. And yeah, if the world thinks that we’re already out of it, even better. It’s going to make it even sweeter in the end if we do something special.”
Reminded of David Ortiz saying at spring coaching final 12 months that he likes when individuals view the Red Sox as underdogs, Crawford smiled. “I love it, too.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com