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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 14, 2020 3:14:45 GMT -5
Red Sox @ Marlins Tuesday 15th September 2020 630pm @ Marlins Park
Tanner Houck ( MLB Debut)
The Red Sox #10 prospect is set for his MLB debut 3 years after he was drafted. Has worked hard on a new pitch, a splitter, that he believes will help vs lefties.
Sandy Alcantra 2-1. 3.97
He had a bumpy return from the COVID-19 IL but has been in top form in his past two starts, showing more bat-missing ability to go with his high ground-ball rate.
Prospect Houck to make MLB debut vs. Fish
By Ian Browne @ianmbrowne September 13, 2020
The Red Sox have brought some spice to Tuesday’s opener of a three-game series in Miami by announcing that Tanner Houck, the club’s No. 10 prospect as ranked by MLB Pipeline, will make the start.
For the 24-year-old righty, Boston’s first-round pick in the 2017 Draft, it will be his Major League debut. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. ET, live on MLB.TV.
“Definitely excited,” said Houck. “It’s been a dream of mine since I started playing baseball, so finally getting that call to make my debut and get that start, I’m truly honored. Very excited for it as well. It’s something I’ve been working my whole life for, so I guess it’s a dream come true.”
Houck has worked hard this summer at the alternate training site in Pawtucket, R.I., to make sure he’s ready for that dream.
His weakness going into the season was getting lefties out. Houck thinks he has rectified that issue by altering his pitch mix.
“I definitely feel a lot more confident with lefties. I’ve definitely added a new weapon with the splitter,” Houck said. “I banged my changeup about two months ago. I was kind of on the fence with both of them for a while there throwing the changeup and the split. One day they were like, 'Here are the numbers, and your split plays way better to righties and lefties.'
“It just kind of opened up a new avenue and focused my mind completely along with continuing with developing the glove-side along with the four-seam fastball, and continuing to throw [the] two-seam and slider has been a big thing getting out lefties.”
For Houck, the thrill of knowing he is going to make his MLB debut on Tuesday turned emotional when he spoke to his mother.
“She definitely started crying,” Houck said. “That was the first thing. She was like, ‘Cool, I have to stop crying here for a second.’ Just getting to share that moment with her was truly special. She’s been there from the beginning. She was the one that, countless nights, driving over to St. Louis about 45 minutes just to take me to a pitching lesson because I was seven years old saying I want to pitch in the Major Leagues one day. So she definitely started crying and it was just a surreal moment getting to do that with her.”
Almost unfathomably, Houck will become the 15th different pitcher to start a game for the Red Sox this season. Tuesday will be Boston’s 49th game of the shortened 60-game regular season.
Unlike the many openers the Red Sox have used, Houck should be ready for a traditional start.
“I know whenever I was down in Pawtucket, I was up to 90 pitches between five and six innings. I think I did that twice,” said Houck. “I feel pretty confident going 90 to 100 pitches. I take pride in that, honestly. I take pride in being able to get through six, seven innings every time, 100 times, and just go out there and have a bulldog mentality.”
For Houck, the hardest part about Tuesday will be to channel his emotions.
“Right now, I’ve just got to embrace it and kind of let all the emotions out,” Houck said. “I know Tuesday will be a little bit different feeling, the heart will probably be pounding a little bit different, maybe a few butterflies, but just knowing that it’s still the same game, it’s still 60 feet, 6 inches to home plate and I just got to execute my gameplan and if I do that, I’m really confident.”
Ian Browne has covered the Red Sox for MLB.com since 2002. Follow him on Twitter @ianmbrowne and Facebook.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 14, 2020 3:17:27 GMT -5
Red Sox @ Marlins Probables
Wednesday, 630, Mazza 1-1/ 5.85 vs TBA
Thursday, 1pm, Eovaldi 2-2/4.82 vs TBA
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 14, 2020 3:36:08 GMT -5
Red Sox activate Tanner Houck, give pitching prospect thrill of a lifetime Houck to make MLB debut Tuesday vs. Marlins By Julian McWilliams Globe Staff,Updated September 13, 2020, 8:43 p.m.
The first call Tanner Houck made was to his mother, Jennifer. The Missouri native remembered all the long trips they took into St. Louis when he was just 7 years old just so Houck could get pitching lessons. It was part of the sacrifices his mother made.
“She’s been there for everything,” he said.
Houck will make his major league debut, starting in Tuesday’s matchup against the Miami Marlins. The righthander joined the Sox' taxi squad for their series against the Tampa Bay Rays. But it wasn’t until Sunday morning, while he was on the field, that Houck got the news from manager Ron Roenicke that he would be activated.
“I’m definitely excited,” Houck said. “It’s been a dream of mine since I started playing baseball. Finally getting that call to make my debut and get that start, I’m truly honored. It’s something I’ve worked my whole life for.”
Houck, 24, was the Sox' first-round draft choice in 2017. In his three minor league seasons, Houck compiled a 4.08 ERA in 249 innings, striking out 243 batters. In his 25 innings last season at Triple A Pawtucket, Houck struck out 27 and compiled a 3.24 ERA. He’s always had issues against lefties. In 2019, lefties hit .283 against him. Righties, meanwhile, batted just .227. Houck also walked 31 lefties compared with just 15 righties.
Despite the cancellation of the minor league season, Houck spent his time down at the alternate training sight, honing his craft. At times, the Sox minor league staff would have Houck focus on pitching against lefties. It helped Houck get better control of that aspect of his game.
“I definitely feel a lot more confident against lefties,” Houck said. “I definitely added a new weapon with the splitter. I was kind of on the fence with both my changeup and splitter.”
The team presented Houck the numbers, showing him that he’s more effective when he throws his splitter instead of his changeup to righties and lefties. As a result, Houck eliminated the changeup from his repertoire.
“It just kind of opened up a new avenue,” Houck said. “I’ve been able to focus in on that completely along with continuing to develop the glove-side four-seam fastball, then continuing to throw a two-seam and slider.”
It remains to be seen if Houck can remain a starter. That largely depends on Houck, who was sent to the bullpen for a portion of 2019. To be a starter, he would certainly need to prove he can be successful against lefthanders.
This year won’t provide too much of a sample size, but Houck could get three starts before the season’s end. There would be nothing better for him than to go into the offseason having made a good impression.
“I’m looking forward to seeing what he’s going to do,” Roenicke said. “We talk about it, the emotions you have your first outing. We’ll see how he handles that. He acts like he’s a confident kid and I know he’s got the big arm. Hopefully that first inning goes smooth an we’ll see what he’s all about.”
For Houck, this opportunity was 24 years in the making. You could say the same for his mother, too. It all came pouring out of her after Houck told her the news.
“She definitely starting crying,” Houck said. “Just getting to share that moment with her was truly special.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 14, 2020 8:44:33 GMT -5
The somewhat bizarre evolution of Tanner Houck
By Rob Bradford 33 minutes ago
It was only fitting Tanner Houck’s meeting the media Sunday was dominated by talk of one single pitch.
The path to his big-league debut Tuesday night, after all, has been dominated with talk of the great white whale, that one offering which will put the whole package together.
Currently, it is a split-fingered fastball.
"I definitely feel a lot more confident with lefties. I’ve definitely added a new weapon with the splitter,” Houck said. "I banged my changeup about two months ago. I was kind of on the fence with both of them for a while there throwing the changeup and the split. One day they were like, 'Here are the numbers, and your split plays way better to righties and lefties.'
"It just kind of opened up a new avenue and focused my mind completely along with continuing with developing the glove-side along with the four-seam fastball, and continuing to throw [the] two-seam and slider has been a big thing getting out lefties."
Houck's evolution is the ultimate reminder when it comes to developing baseball players. Even when it comes to first-rounders, what you see isn't ultimately usually what you're going to get.
He was taken 24th overall in the 2017 MLB Draft in large part because the Red Sox believed he was a perfect candidate to be something he wasn't. Houck was the clay, and the Red Sox were thrilled with the idea of molding him.
"One of the things we liked about Tanner in the draft is that we thought he was a top of the first-round pitcher and because of the style he was throwing he wasn't pitching up to his potential," former assistant pitching coach Brian Bannister told WEEI.com during 2018 spring training. "Literally, the pitches he was throwing was holding him back a little bit. We saw a power guy with a very flexible, loose, springy body that was capable of doing things that a lot of guys aren't capable of. We were really interested to see what he would look like as a power pitcher instead of a sinkerballer. He always had tremendous control, never walking anybody.
"He's been amazing because you don't usually have a first-rounder where you almost take him back to the drawing board immediately. But it was just an opportunity because he has such an aptitude for pitching, physically he's very talented, and he was very open to maximizing his performance. All of those ingredients led us to see him as a four-seam, power curveball, power changeup, cutter/slider guy who has a chance to be a long-term starter and not a reliever."
About that curveball ...
For a while that was the pitch which served as Houck's flavor of the month(s), using it to strikeout Mookie Betts in a backfield scrimmage. (That punch out came immediately after he got J.D. Martinez on a high-90's fastball.)
It was an offering that represented a familiar theme: Houck needed at least one more pitch than what he was delivering. On the day of those strikeouts on Field 5 at Fenway South, he was excited about the possibilities represented by the pitch.
"It's definitely come a long way," he told WEEI.com at the time. "I've been throwing it just over two months now. The best line I was always told was that it takes three years to develop an elite pitch. The first year you kind of learn how to throw it. The second year you learn how to control it. The third year you really learn how to master it and do whatever you want with it. I'm just on the beginning trails with it, but I'm super-excited with how it's come along."
Now? Same message, different pitch(es).
“I said I had a changeup but I think I threw it maybe 20 times all throughout three years of college," Houck said Sunday. "I was definitely a two-pitch pitcher. The first thing (the Red Sox) said whenever I came in was, ‘All right, if you want to be a starter in the big leagues, you have to develop a third pitch."
Where Houck has landed is in a confident place. He has the type of fastball and slider that can get any big-league righty hitter out, and the split-finger seems to have evolved to the point of controlling lefties, as well.
It will be 1,211 days between when he threw his last college pitch for the University of Missouri and when he takes the mound at Marlins Park. Seems about right.
“Right now, I’ve just got to embrace it and kind of let all the emotions out,” Houck said. “I know Tuesday will be a little bit different feeling, the heart will probably be pounding a little bit different, maybe a few butterflies, but just knowing that it’s still the same game, it’s still 60 feet, 6 inches to home plate and I just got to execute my gameplan and if I do that, I’m really confident.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 14, 2020 13:42:30 GMT -5
Red Sox Stats @redsoxstats · 2h JBJ is hitting .304/.396/.565 in September. When looking at what he was doing I found this ridiculous split from this season:
27-63 (.429) 4 HR, 8 K, 10 BB vs. 4-seam fastballs 10-85 (.141) 1 HR, 30 K, 4 BB vs. all other pitch types
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 14, 2020 13:43:32 GMT -5
Red Sox Stats @redsoxstats · 2h Devers is really struggling against 4-seam fastballs. Last year he missed when he swung 27%, this year it's 43% (ranks 290th/296) and is not improving as the season moves along.
4-seam FB 19: .292 BA, .393 xwOBA 20: .216 BA, .233 xwOBA A lot more up and away fastballs coming.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 14, 2020 13:44:36 GMT -5
Red Sox Stats @redsoxstats · 1h Eovaldi's curveball has been excellent for him, opponents are 3-25 (.120) 12 K, 1 BB against it.
Bizarrely, his cutter, which was his devastating pitch in the 2018 championship run, has been a very bad pitch for him since then.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 15, 2020 4:34:32 GMT -5
With these moves, the Red Sox’ final days won’t be a total loss By Peter Abraham Globe Staff,Updated September 14, 2020, 6:41 p.m.
The Red Sox have finished last in the American League East three times since 2012 and almost certainly will again this season. They’re 17-31 with 12 games remaining.
But for the first time in decades the Sox are worse than bad. They’re irrelevant.
A thoroughly likable Celtics team starts the Eastern Conference finals on Tuesday against Miami. The new-look Patriots won their first game and face the Seahawks, Raiders, and Chiefs over the next three weeks.
The Sox, meanwhile, are one of a handful of teams with no realistic chance at making the 16-team postseason tournament Major League Baseball is conducting this season. Their season has dissolved into an endless series of transactions involving borderline big leaguers.
When righthander Tanner Houck makes his major league debut at Miami on Tuesday night, he’ll be the 45th player to get into a game. That’s only two fewer than the Sox used over 162 games last season.
There’s nothing the Red Sox can do to change the outcome of this lost season. But here are a few suggestions to make the final days productive ones:
▪ Play Bobby Dalbec every day — The Sox were off on Monday and have next Monday off. There’s no reason to give the 25-year-old rookie any more days off.
Every plate appearance adds experience he can use to build for next season. If Dalbec proves to be a reliable player, at least 2020 will have accomplished something.
▪ Shut down Nate Eovaldi — The righthander is lined up to start Thursday. Let him pitch that game then send him home.
Eovaldi has been on the injured list at least once in five consecutive seasons. He has two years and $34 million remaining on his contract and there’s no reason to take any chances with his health.
▪ Alternate Michael Chavis and Yairo Munoz at left field and second base — Both are candidates to be utility players next season and need more experience in the outfield. Let these final two weeks be a competition.
Munoz is an interesting player. He’s 13 of 34 in nine game with six extra-base hits and has started games at six positions in his career. He’s somebody who should get as many at-bats as possible in the time left.
▪ Try Alex Verdugo at different spots in the lineup — He has shown he can hit leadoff. Try him hitting second or third a few times and see how that looks.
Verdugo has hit second twice and has yet to hit third. If manager Ron Roenicke needs to push J.D. Martinez down a few spots, so be it. He checked out of this season weeks ago.
▪ Release Dustin Pedroia — That sounds harsh, but it’s not. Pedroia’s career has clearly come to an end because of his battered left knee. But he is signed through 2021 and will take up a spot on the 40-man roster all winter. It’s time to have that settled.
The Mets released injured David Wright when he had two more years on his deal. He collected his money and the team regained the roster spot. Wright and Pedroia have the same agents — Sam and Seth Levinson — so it should be easy to come to an agreement on this.
The Sox should release Pedroia and, at the same time, name him a special assistant, the same post Pedro Martinez, David Ortiz, and Tim Wakefield all have. Schedule a day for him to be honored in 2021 and let everybody move on.
▪ Announce Roenicke’s status — Roenicke managed this season on a one-year contract and had everything going against him from the start. He never had a chance.
Roenicke has spoken in recent weeks like a man who expects to be managing next season, but ownership has been quiet on the matter.
If Roenicke is staying on, give him a new deal. Otherwise make a clean break as soon as the season ends. He’s 64 and has earned the right not to twist in the wind once the season ends.
It’s not impossible, but it’s highly unlikely Alex Cora is going to return. Chaim Bloom has consistently said there was a reason it was decided Cora had to go and that hasn’t changed.
Bloom undoubtedly has a list of candidates he’d want to talk to and the sooner that gets going, the better.
▪ Cut ticket prices for 2021 — Sox management completely misread the room by raising ticket prices after missing the playoffs last season. Then came the Mookie Betts/David Price salary dump and it looked even worse.
It ultimately didn’t matter, as fans weren’t allowed at Fenway this season. But sometime soon the Sox should announce a reduction in prices for next year with a promise of quick refunds if the pandemic keeps the gates closed.
The Sox badly need to rebuild their relationship with the fan base. I think they underestimate how aggravated people are with them.
▪ Let’s hear from John Henry — The principal owner (and owner of the Globe) has not taken questions from reporters since Feb. 17, nearly seven months ago.
There are certainly plenty of issues to discuss.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 15, 2020 4:43:59 GMT -5
Boston Red Sox vs. Miami Marlins Tuesday, September 15, 2020 at 6:40pm EDT Written by Sporty Jordy
The Boston Red Sox hope to continue to pull themselves from rock bottom in Tuesday’s interleague tilt with the Miami Marlins. After splitting even with the Tampa Bay Rays, there’s some hope that maybe the Red Sox could put a little run together late in the season. They’ll lean on rookie starting pitcher Tanner Houck in this outing against Marlins righty Sandy Alcantara.
Houck cuts his teeth in the big league It’s about time the Red Sox shift their focus towards developing a homegrown pitcher.
Tanner Houck, the 24th overall pick of the 2017 MLB Draft, will have his chance to make his first ever big-league start against the Marlins on Tuesday night. It’s the perfect time to get the young arm some reps with the Red Sox’s season already in the trash. Not to mention they’ll be facing a sluggish Marlins offense that ranks 27th in ISO (.141) and 23rd in OPS (.712).
“Right now, I’ve just got to embrace it and kind of let all the emotions out,” said Houck, via MLB.com. “I know Tuesday will be a little bit different feeling, the heart will probably be pounding a little bit different, maybe a few butterflies, but just knowing that it’s still the same game, it’s still 60 feet, 6 inches to home plate and I just got to execute my gameplan and if I do that, I’m really confident.”
It could help if the Red Sox could get something going offensively to back up their young pitcher. The team currently ranks top-10 in batting average (.264) and OPS (.776), and they’ll be staring down a pitching rotation for the Marlins with a 4.78 ERA. So they should be able to at least get their bats going in this series.
Whether they can actually hold their own on defense remains to be seen. Houck certainly couldn’t make things worse with the team already sitting dead last in the league in run-scoring defense.
Finally, the Marlins play someone new You can rest assured the Marlins are happy to be done with their marathon series against the Philadelphia Phillies. It must have felt like a full-blown playoff series as they finished up their seventh and final game on Monday. The Marlins finished strong with three straight wins in the end to tack onto a 5-2 victory at home.
They’ll welcome in a new guest from the American League in Tuesday’s meeting with the Red Sox. It’s hard to make much of the offensive explosion the Marlins showed in their previous two games against the Phillies—besides the fact that the Phillies are one of the worst defensive teams in baseball. However, the same can be said about the Red Sox, and that’s what makes this game so intriguing.
Sandy Alcantara has received the nod to start at pitcher after an ugly run-in with the Phillies last Thursday. The 25-year-old righty gave up six runs in six innings of a game that the Marlins won strictly on offensive willpower. However, only three of the runs were actually earned in that game. So he can thank the Miami defense that’s averaging the second-most errors in the league. Of course, he isn’t without culpability as well. He’s throwing a 3.97 ERA and 1.24 WHIP in 22.2 innings of work on the mound.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 15, 2020 4:51:27 GMT -5
Boston Red Sox pitching prospect Tanner Houck building legacy in hometown with adoption charity: ‘I wanted to give back to something bigger than myself’
By Chris Cotillo | ccotillo@MassLive.com
FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Tanner Houck was warming up to start a high school baseball game when he noticed something out of the ordinary in the stands. His mom, who had no small children, was pushing a stroller as she approached the field.
Houck did a double take, wondering why that could be. Though he was in the middle of his routine before pitching for the Collinsville (Ill.) Kahoks, he took a second to get his mom’s attention and ask what was going on.
Jennifer Houck told her son to hold on, so Tanner finished his pregame preparation. He then walked over to the fence separating the crowd from the field and got an answer that would change his life.
“She walks over, hands me a Gatorade and goes, ‘It’s your new sister,'” Houck recalled.
The child in the stroller was a 4-year-old girl named Reanna, who the Houcks had just taken in as a foster child. Within weeks, she’d feel like part of the family, and within a couple years, be adopted permanently.
“I’m getting ready to pitch," Houck said, “and I’m thinking, ‘Oh my God.’”
***
Adoption was in the Houck family long before Reanna came along, as both Tanner’s father and stepfather were adopted. But growing up, the Red Sox prospect never thought much about it as he grew up alongside his biological sister, Shelby.
Jennifer Houck, a high school teacher who works with children who have behavioral disorders, was starting to think ahead to what life would look like when both of her kids left the house. Even if Tanner, who was taken by the Blue Jays in the 12th round of the 2014 draft, turned pro instead of attending the University of Missouri, there would be a void at home.
“She was never going to be an empty-nester, by any means,” Houck said. “She came to me and (Shelby) and was like, ‘Would you mind if we became foster parents?’”
The Houck kids told Jennifer they’d be open to the idea but didn’t hear anything more about it for the next year. Though it was always in the back of Houck’s mind, the possibility didn’t seem real until he met Reanna that day at the field.
“I was ecstatic,” Houck said, “having a whole new sibling.”
The Houcks were Reanna’s fourth foster family in as many years, as she spent the early part of her life bouncing between her birth mother and foster homes. She quickly became part of the family despite the large age gap with her two new siblings.
After a few years as Reanna’s foster mom, Jennifer approached Tanner and Shelby with another proposition. She wanted to know if her kids would want to adopt Reanna permanently.
The answer was a no-brainer.
“She’s already part of the family,” Houck said. “If she was taken away, I would be so upset. She was part of us and she needed to be part of this family.”
After some formalities were taken care of, Reanna officially became a Houck.
“It was more paperwork than it was actually, ‘Hey we’re going to fully adopt you,'" Houck said. “She was already fully part of this family and we were just signing paperwork so the government could see that.”
Now 13, Reanna is starting to forge her own path. She’s trying a variety of sports, though her brother doesn’t think she’ll follow his lead and become a professional athlete. Reanna loves reading and is academically gifted, opening up unlimited possibilities for her future.
“(My mom) gave me and (Shelby) all the opportunities, whether it was sports, academics or anything else we wanted to do," Houck said. "(Shelby) danced for all those years. Now, (Reanna) is getting all these opportunities.”
***
After a successful three-year career at Mizzou, Houck re-entered the draft in 2017 and landed with the Red Sox, who took him with the 24th pick of the first round. After agreeing to a bonus worth more than $2.6 million, the righty started considering possible charity initiatives. He decided to focus on one that hit close to home -- both literally and figuratively.
Before his first full pro season in 2018, Houck launched his "Pitch for Adoption” campaign and pledged $25 for every strikeout he recorded during the year. All the money he raises is donates to the St. John Bosco Children’s Center, a facility in southern Illinois that focuses on providing therapeutic residential care for children who experienced trauma in the early parts of their lives.
Though Reanna never lived at St. John Bosco, the facility’s mission resonated with Houck and his family. Houck approached the center’s leaders, including its director of residential services, Mike Philbin, and proposed his plan to help them raise funds.
Houck fell short of his goal to raise $10k in each of his first two seasons but is actively thinking of ways to raise more money in future years. In addition to his strikeout pledge in 2019, he hosted baseball camps from which all the proceeds went to the charity. This year, he’s planning more camps, a golf tournament and a potential competition with teammate Thad Ward, who has expressed interest in making a similar strikeout pledge.
“I think starting it when I did was the best thing for me, so we can let this thing grow as my career grows,” Houck said. “Then just continuing to push that envelope every year."
Just before leaving for spring training, Houck hosted a pizza party at the center and dropped off a check for $4,400. Even during the season when he can’t visit in person, Houck sends birthday cards to residents and records videos documenting some of his baseball adventures.
“These kids were dealt a rough hand from the beginning,” Houck said. “I want to show them, ‘Hey, you have someone who cares about you. Someone’s fighting in your corner and wanting nothing but the best for you.’ So whether I can be with them 24/7 or just be with them once or twice a year, I just want them to know I’m here for them.”
Houck enjoys visiting St. John Bosco during the winter so he can see how the center is using the donations. The contributions fund toiletries, school supplies and other activities the kids want to pursue.
The state of Illinois funds much of the center’s budget but doesn’t cover extracurricular activities, according to Philbin. Houck’s donations help pay for those after-school programs, allowing many of St. John Bosco’s residents to pursue sports or other programs they might show interest in.
“Their picture of what their world can look like is very different than most kids,” Philbin said. “So Tanner’s here, and his sister is adopted. He’s saying, ‘You can have a life that’s made of what you’ve dreamt it to be. It doesn’t have to be what you think is predetermined.' That’s something that resonates a lot with our older kids."
Houck has enjoyed getting to know some of the residents but the nature of their situation means he’s happier if he returns to significant turnover at the center. The ultimate goal is for the children at St. John Bosco to get placed in permanent homes like Reanna did.
“If I can go back and hear that all those kids got placed in a home and it’s a whole new group, honestly that’s the best thing,” Houck said. “Obviously, I want to have a connection with them, but also I want them to get a family and have a family like I did growing up.”
Philbin has been impressed with Houck’s dedication to the cause, noting that some athletes put their name on charities but don’t fully invest in them. The kids at St. John Bosco are all very familiar with Houck, who they call their “baseball guy.”
“It’s somebody they can see on TV and say, ‘Wow, I have a connection to that person,'” Philbin said. “It helps them feel special in a way that a lot of times, they don’t get to.”
Houck isn’t yet a household name in Boston, but that might change in 2020. An uneven pro career to this point took a positive turn late in 2019, when Houck showed promise as a reliever and reached Triple-A Pawtucket.
Houck, now 23, received his first invitation to major league spring training this year and made three appearances (two starts) before being reassigned to minor league camp over the weekend. He’ll start the year out with the PawSox and then potentially join the major league staff later in the year in whatever role the club thinks fits him best.
As Houck continues to try to make his own major league dreams come true, he’ll continue to play a vital role in granting the wishes of hundreds of underprivileged kids back home.
“(My mom) gave me everything I ever wanted and let me do whatever I wanted to do growing up,” Houck said. “That had an amazing effect on me. For me, I wanted to give back to something bigger than myself.”
Red Sox fans might just know Houck’s name from prospect lists, but a small pocket of people in suburban St. Louis view him much differently. On certain nights this summer, those folks might even find themselves rooting for the Red Sox.
“We definitely cheer for our Cardinals. It is Cardinal Nation,” Philbin said. “And we cheer for our hometown heroes, wherever they might end up.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 15, 2020 4:55:13 GMT -5
Rookie Houck to debut against hot Marlins FLM
Former first-round pick Tanner Houck's initial phone call was to his mother.
Houck, a 24-year-old right-hander from Collinsville, Ill., will make his major-league debut on Tuesday night when his Boston Red Sox visit the Miami Marlins to start a three-game series.
The 24th overall selection in the 2017 MLB Draft, Houck got the news on Sunday that he would be facing the Marlins, and his initial thought was to call Jennifer, his mom.
"Getting to share that moment with her was truly special," said Houck, Boston's 10th-ranked prospect. "She was the one who took me to countless pitching lessons in St. Louis, 45 minutes away. She started crying when I gave her the news."
Houck said he started dreaming of the majors since he was a young pitcher at age 7.
Last year, Houck made it to Triple-A for the first time, mostly pitching in relief.
A former University of Missouri star, Houck went 17-18 with a 3.26 ERA in his collegiate career. In three years in the minors, he went 15-20 with a 4.08 ERA.
Houck, who will be the 15th different Red Sox starting pitcher this year, has had difficulty retiring lefties in the past. But he has honed a splitter that he feels will get the job done. He also feels he is stretched out enough to throw 90 to 100 pitches.
Tuesday's matchup between the Red Sox and Marlins is an odd reversal of fortunes. The Red Sox, who won a World Series as recently as 2018 and still managed 84 wins last year, now have the worst record in the American League at 17-31.
Meanwhile, the Marlins -- who haven't made the playoffs since 2003 -- finished last season with the worst record in the National League at 57-105. Yet, the Marlins are currently on a three-game win streak and firmly entrenched in playoff position at 24-21, good for second place in the NL East.
Miami has not played well at home this season -- just a 7-11 record -- but the Marlins just won five out of seven games from the visiting Philadelphia Phillies. That was the longest series in Marlins history, and it allowed Miami to pass the Phillies in the standings.
On Tuesday, the Marlins will turn to 2019 All-Star right-hander Sandy Alcantara (2-1, 3.97 ERA), who has struggled since returning from the COVID-19 list, allowing 15 runs (nine earned) in 16 innings.
Alcantara is a hard thrower who does a lot of damage with his sinker, holding hitters to a .189 batting average on that pitch.
In parts of three years with the Marlins, Alcantara, 25, is 10-18 with a 3.83 ERA. He has never faced Boston, but he is 5-10 with a 4.22 ERA in 20 career starts at Marlins Park, including two complete games/shutouts.
Alcantara figures to face some talented batters, including speedy center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr., who has a hit in 22 of his past 26 games.
However, Red Sox DH J.D. Martinez -- a Miami native and three-time All-Star who led the American League in RBIs in 2018 -- is in a massive slump. He is batting .205 -- 99 points below last year's average -- and is 1-for-25 in the past six games.
Miami, meanwhile, is led by shortstop Miguel Rojas, who is batting .370 in 27 games.
"This was a huge series for us," Rojas said after defeating the Phillies. "But we have to keep going."
--Field Level Media
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Post by scrappyunderdog on Sept 15, 2020 8:37:34 GMT -5
Boston Red Sox pitching prospect Tanner Houck building legacy in hometown with adoption charity: ‘I wanted to give back to something bigger than myself’
By Chris Cotillo | ccotillo@MassLive.com
I couldn't finish the article. It was too good. I have to circle back ,and maybe more than once. Kudos to Mr. Cotillo on this one.
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Post by scrappyunderdog on Sept 15, 2020 8:50:18 GMT -5
Meanwhile, the Marlins -- who haven't made the playoffs since 2003 -- finished last season with the worst record in the National League at 57-105. Yet, the Marlins are currently on a three-game win streak and firmly entrenched in playoff position at 24-21, good for second place in the NL East.
Kudos to the Marlins. And to Jeter for staying the path. He/they took a hammering for trading away Stanton, Realmuto, Yelich and Osuna, but he completely rebuilt the team.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 15, 2020 9:56:14 GMT -5
Red Sox at Marlins Series Preview
A look at the most important Boston-Miami series currently happening in sports. By Matt_Collins@MattRyCollins Sep 15, 2020, 10:30am EDT
The opponent in one sentence
The Marlins are probably the most surprising team in all of baseball this year, sitting in second place in the NL East with a clear path to the postseason. Record
24-21 Head-to-head record
Red Sox 0, Marlins 0 Trend
Up. Because of a major COVID breakout on their roster early in the year, Miami has been scrambling to make up games almost all season. That included a bizarre seven-game series over the weekend against the Phillies, and they took five of those in a huge matchup as those two jostle for position in the NL East. They also took two of three from the division-leading Braves before that, giving them seven wins in their last 10 games. Pitching Matchups
9/15: Tanner Houck vs. Sandy Alcantara, 6:40 PM ET
The Red Sox have an actual exciting starting pitcher taking the mound for Tuesday’s series opener, which has certainly been a rarity this season. Houck is set to make his major-league debut for this one. The former first round pick has had a lot to work on in the minors and has had his repertoire changed up, then reverted. There are still major questions here, but at a certain point the team has to see what he has. The biggest thing to watch here will be what he looks like against left-handed hitters, as this will be the biggest factor in him sticking in the rotation rather than shifting to the bullpen. Houck has started throwing a splitter rather than a changeup to help in this respect, so that offering will be the number one pitch I’ll be looking at in this start.
Alcantara is a former top 100 prospect who pitched in the majors for a full season for the first time last year. He was the Marlins lone All-Star in 2019, but the peripherals never really matched the results as his strikeout rate was surprisingly low. The good news for the righty is that he has upped his strikeout rate in four starts this season. The bad news is he hasn’t improved the control and has had a bit of an issue with the long ball. The sample is obviously small here with just 22 2⁄3 innings, but his 3.97 ERA isn’t matched by his 4.97 FIP. It’s been an every other start kind of year for him through his four starts — he missed pretty much all of August — with two starts in which he allowed only one earned run and two in which he allowed at least six total runs. His last time out, to be fair, three of his six runs were unearned. Alcantara will offer a pair of high-90s fastballs along with a slider and a changeup.
9/16: TBD vs. Trevor Rogers, 6:40 PM ET
The Red Sox only have one TBD start for this series, which has to be a record for them. There’s a distinct possibility of a bullpen game with Dylan Covey and Ryan Weber potentially being used, though with the season getting close to the end now may be the time to get Nick Pivetta up for a start. There’s been no indication as of this writing that is the plan, though.
Rogers was the 13th overall pick back in 2017 who has been pushed fairly quickly through the minors and up to the majors despite being selected out of high school. He was a bit old for his class, to be fair, and now at 22 he’s made four starts in this rookie season. With 26 strikeouts over 18 innings, the stuff is clearly there, but he’s also already allowed five homers, which all have actually come over his last two outings. The lefty is coming off a particularly rough start his last time out when he allowed nine runs over just three innings against the Phillies. There are going to be strikeouts, but the Red Sox have to be ready to jump on mistakes in this one. Rogers will offer a pair of low-to-mid-90s fastballs along with a changeup and a slider.
9/17: Nathan Eovaldi vs. José Ureña, 1:10 PM ET (MLB Network for those out of market)
Eovaldi just made his return from the injured list over the weekend against the Rays, and is now just looking to build up some positive momentum to take into the offseason. The workload is still being built up and he went only three innings in Tampa, so four or five innings is likely the most we can expect in this one. Look for the velocity to still be there without much issue, but the issue will be how much of the plate he is catching.
Ureña was one of the Marlins affected by the team’s COVID outbreak early in the season, and because of that he only was able to join the team at the beginning of this month. The righty has only made two starts so far this season, and he’s struggled to the tune of a 7.71 ERA since his return. Based on his history in the majors, Ureña is not going to get a whole lot of strikeouts and the key for the Red Sox will be to draw some walks and take advantage of mistakes. If he gets into a groove, he can be tough. Ureña will offer a pair of mid-to-high-90s fastballs along with a slider and a changeup.
Old Friends
None Notable Position Players
Starling Marte was the big addition made by Miami at the trade deadline and he’ll be right in the middle of their lineup every day. He’s a very aggressive hitter, but he generally will punish mistakes.
Jesús Aguilar has been quite the waiver wire pickup from this offseason, showing a return to form for Miami with big power and great rates on both strikeouts and walks.
Brian Anderson has quietly been a steady performer for the Marlins for a few years now. He’s taken things to another level in 2020, using a high BABIP to vault him to a 129 wRC+.
Corey Dickerson is suffering from a big of bad BABIP luck and isn’t hitting for the power he’s shown in the past, but he puts together tough at bats more often than not.
Matt Joyce is a platoon bat, but he has been extremely tough on righties throughout his career and will be a major test specifically for Houck to start this series.
Garrett Cooper isn’t going to draw as many walks as you’d like to see, but he hits for solid power and keeps his strikeouts at a comfortable level.
Jazz Chisholm is a top prospect who was just recently called up, but he’s struggled early in his career with a strikeout rate above 30 percent.
Miguel Rojas has been Miami’s best hitter this year (although he’s missed time due to COVID), and while it’s partially due to an inflated BABIP he’s also showing great plate discipline and big power.
Jorge Alfaro is struggling in all three of the true outcomes, and a high BABIP is the only reason his total offense this year hasn’t completely cratered. Bullpen Snapshot
Brandon Kintzler is the anthesis as what we think of when we talk about a modern closer, as he strikes out fewer than five batters per nine innings. His weak contact, groundball-heavy approach continues to work, though.
Brad Boxberger and Yimi García are the top two set up men in this bullpen, with the former walking a tightrope with his peripherals but putting up good results and the latter absolutely dominating, albeit in a small sample.
Richard Bleier is the top lefty in this bullpen and is a familiar name given his past in the Orioles ‘pen. He is essentially a left-handed version of Kintzler. Injuries
Jon Berti suffered a finger injury last week against the Braves. He’ll be out for this series, but it shouldn’t be too long-term beyond that.
Elieser Hernandez was off to a hot start this year, but a lat injury put him on the IL and he was eventually shut down for the season.
Francisco Cervelli is going to miss the season after suffering a concussion, and given his history of head injuries he may have to shut it down for good.
Logan Forsythe went down with an oblique injury last month and will not be able to return.
Magneuris Sierra has been out for a few weeks now with a hamstring injury, and it’s not yet clear when he’ll be able to come back.
Harold Ramirez missed the start of the year after testing positive for COVID, then hurt his hamstring in his first game back and will be unable to return.
Sean Rodríguez has not been able to play this year due to an IL stint for undisclosed reasons.
Drew Steckenrider went down with an elbow injury towards the end of the 2019 season, and he’s aiming for a healthy return in 2021.
Pat Venditte has been out for a few weeks with an oblique injury, and it’s not clear when the switch-pitcher will be able to return.
Stephen Tarpley went down with an oblique injury in late August, and it will come down to the wire if he’ll be able to come back before the season ends.
Brian Moran has been out since mid-August with a knee injury and there hasn’t really been an update since then.
Mike Morin suffered a UCL injury in August, and while he’s still mulling over whether or not to undergo surgery he won’t return in 2020.
Brandon Leibrandt is out for the year with an elbow injury.
Jeff Brigham and Jordan Holloway were both part of the COVID outbreak and have yet to be cleared to return. Weather Forecast
There is some possibility for rain all three days for this series, though the probability is relatively low every day as of now. Either way, Miami has a retractable roof, so the games won’t be in danger.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 15, 2020 11:48:59 GMT -5
Who Is Tanner Houck? What To Know About Red Sox Pitcher Ahead Of MLB Debut
The 24-year-old righty gets the ball Tuesday against the Marlins
by Logan Mullen
57 minutes ago
It’s a debut three years in the making.
When the Red Sox take on the Miami Marlins on Tuesday, getting the ball for Boston will be 24-year-old righty Tanner Houck, a 2017 first-round pick making his big league debut.
As far as pitchers go, Houck has moved relatively quickly through the team’s minor league system — and as a first-round pick, the hope is that he can become a useful MLB starter.
We’ll get the first glimpse into that possibility Tuesday at 6:40 p.m. ET. Until then, here are a few things to know about Houck.
He’s undergone some pitch mix changes When the Red Sox drafted Houck, he still was pretty raw. A largely two-pitch pitcher who occasionally threw a changeup, the Red Sox appeared to relish the opportunity to mold him, which has led to some changes over time.
The big talk this year has been the splitter he developed. He ditched the changeup, and now boasts a splitter that has been drawing rave reviews from the alternate training site.
In order to hack it as a major league starter, guys need at least three pitches they can throw comfortably. Houck now has that with his fastball, slider and splitter.
“He’s gotten so much better with command, with execution, with development of a third pitch, which was crucial for him,” Paul Abbott, the Triple-A Pawtucket pitching coach, said Monday on a call over Zoom. “There was never a doubt or a question about his talent or ability. It was just a matter of getting a big league pitch mix. He’s got it now.”
According to Sox Prospects, his fastball sits between 92 and 94 mph, but tops out at 98.
As for the slider, well it can be pretty nasty, especially to righties.
He has fared much better against righties than lefties What ultimately could prevent Houck from becoming a Major League starter is his struggles against left-handed hitters. The difference in success during his career based on who he is facing is so staggering that it’s easy to see why he could one day top out as a specialist out of the bullpen.
That’s because although he held righties to a .227 batting average through the 2019 season, lefties were hitting .283 off him. As a result, emphasis at the alternate training site has been placed on getting Houck more comfortable against left-handers.
He’s sure to get some action against lefties in Tuesday’s game, as the Marlins usually have three or four left-handers in their lineup on a given night.
His windup is a little noisy Don’t be alarmed if you’re watching Houck for the first time Tuesday and find yourself thinking “Jeez, it looks like that kid is working really hard out there.”
Houck long has had a windup that features a high leg kick and a lengthy extension on the follow-through.
While some pitching coaches try to steer pitchers, especially young ones, away from particularly emphatic windups, that hasn’t been the case with Houck.
He also pitches from a lower arm slot, so you might see some similarities between Houck’s delivery and Chris Sale’s.
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