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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 3, 2022 8:43:51 GMT -5
Alex Speier @alexspeier · 23m Cora said that Darwinzon Hernandez will start with Triple-A Worcester, making the Opening Day start in Jacksonville.
Hernandez will make 2-3 inning outings, but work on a regular 5-day schedule so that he can get steady between-outings work. Sox want him to hone fastball command at the top of the zone, where Cora noted, ‘There’s no damage.’ Compared his elevated fastball to that of Hader.
But Cora also noted that when Hernandez misses down, there *is* damage. That’s why they want him to have time to develop in the minors.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 3, 2022 8:53:51 GMT -5
How is Boston Red Sox’s newest outfielder, Christian Arroyo, doing? ‘There’s really nothing that’s been hard about it’ Updated: Apr. 03, 2022, 7:51 a.m. | Published: Apr. 03, 2022, 7:42 a.m.
By Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com
FORT MYERS, Fla. — Christian Arroyo never had played a game in the outfield until switching from second base to right field in the sixth inning vs. the Rays in Grapefruit League action March 26.
That includes zero games in Little League, high school and pro ball.
“I had never played in the outfield in my life,” Arroyo said here at JetBlue Park on Saturday.
How are things going for the newest Red Sox outfielder? He has appeared in five Grapefruit League games in right field, including make two starts.
“It’s good. There’s really nothing that’s been hard about it,” Arroyo said. ‘It’s just kind of getting reps out there. Just catching fly balls and stuff. I feel like when you overthink it, that’s when it gets quote-unquote hard. But for me, nah. I just try to go out there and make the plays.”
The Red Sox asked Arroyo to learn right field after they signed Trevor Story to play second base. Arroyo, who was expected to be Boston’s starting second baseman before the signing, had discussed taking outfield reps in the minors with the Giants. The Red Sox also talked with him about it a little bit last spring training. But it never actually happened until the Story signing.
He thinks he’s ready to start in the outfield if asked to do it right away in the regular season, which begins Thursday in New York vs. the Yankees.
“I don’t see why not,” Arroyo said. “I mean, I feel pretty comfortable out there now. It’s nothing crazy. Just (learning) some different types of plays, throwing to bags and stuff. I don’t see it being that much of an issue.”
The Red Sox are pleased with Arroyo’s quick progress in right field.
“He’s taken to it really well,” Red Sox bench coach and outfield instructor Will Venable said here Saturday. “His attitude about it has been great. When we first mentioned it to him, he jumped at the opportunity and he has come to me every day wanting to do early work. He’s really responded to his training. He looks great. He’s a great athlete. We talk about doing the same things that he does to get ready for the pitch in the outfield as he does in the infield. ... He’s an athlete and he’s going to figure it out.
“I think he looks great,” Venable added. “The way he’s moving, it’s been nice to see.”
Arroyo succeeding in the outfield would solve a big area of need for the Red Sox. Boston needs a right-handed hitting outfielder to platoon with left-handed hitting Jackie Bradley Jr.
Arroyo had a .356 on-base percentage, .529 slugging percentage and .885 OPS in 74 plate appearances against lefties last season.
“When you think about the fly balls that infielders catch, they’re right underneath where in the outfield, you need your eyes behind the ball,” Venable said. “Our minor league outfield coordinator Corey Wimberly has been great with working with these guys and has some great drills to help these guys just have a little bit different an approach to a fly ball. And then on the ground, there’s just some stuff with angles. ... For him, it’s just getting a feel for those different things. Like I said, he’s a great athlete. It’s not going to take a lot of time.”
Arroyo has adjusted well to catching outfield fly balls.
“It’s probably easier because you have way more time,” Arroyo said. “And realistically, if the ball’s hit hard over your head, it’s probably a homer. I think the toughest plays are going to be the ones where every outfielder look like they’re not comfortable making, which are the balls hit hard on lines that you have to dive for. And then playing right with the right-handed guys who are kind of slicing away from you and top-spinning stuff. But I think that will just kind of come with time.”
The Red Sox, for now, plan to try to keep Arroyo in right field whenever he’s asked to play the outfield. J.D. Martinez or Arroyo is expected to play right vs. lefties. Alex Verdugo has the ability to move from left to right sometimes but Cora said he prefers to keep him in left, his best defensive position.
Arroyo said he’d obviously be willing to learn left field (playing the Green Monster at Fenway) if it’s asked of him.
“I think it’s kind of one of those things where again if you see it hit hard over your head, then you kind of just kind of start sliding to the right, kind of playing the angles,” he said.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 3, 2022 8:56:12 GMT -5
Alex Speier @alexspeier · 8m We have an #unexpectedsundaymorninganalogy: Alex Cora explained Matt Barnes's diminished spring velocity by citing the mechanics of figure skating.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 3, 2022 10:17:26 GMT -5
Boston Red Sox to have Darwinzon Hernandez make 2-3 inning starts at Worcester, throw fastballs up and breaking balls down Updated: Apr. 03, 2022, 10:13 a.m. | Published: Apr. 03, 2022, 10:13 a.m.
By Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com
FORT MYERS, Fla. — Darwinzon Hernandez, who the Red Sox optioned to Triple-A Worcester on Saturday, likely will start the opener for the WooSox. Worcester opens Tuesday at Jacksonville.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora on Sunday explained the decision to option Hernandez and the plan for the hard-throwing lefty moving forward. Hernandez is expected to start games for the WooSox and pitch 2-3 innings per start.
“We know he’s one of our best guys stuff-wise,” Cora said.
But control is an issue. Hernandez averaged 7.0 walks per nine innings in 48 relief outings (40 innings) for Boston last year. He still had a 3.38 ERA despite his wildness, which shows just how nasty his stuff can be.
“I think the plan for him is actually he’s going to start probably Opening Day in Jacksonville, but he’ll go 2 or 3 innings,” Cora said. “The goal is for him to work in between starts or in between outings. He hasn’t been able to do that in years. It wasn’t a comfortable conversation because we know what he can do. But the goal is for him to work with (Worcester pitching Paul Abbott) in between starts and try to be consistent.”
The lefty has pitched in 84 games (83 relief outings, one start) for Boston the past three seasons.
Cora said they told Hernandez that they know he’s a big leaguer. But they need him to find consistency in his mechanics and approach (throwing fastballs up and breaking balls down) to become the big leaguer the Red Sox envision him being longterm.
“And that’s what he’s missing right now,” Cora said. “He dominates in Texas and then he struggles for a few weeks. We don’t want that. When he’s ready, he’ll be ready. We know he’s going to contribute. There’s a few decisions based on that. There’s a few decisions as far as who we are facing this month. Do we need more righties? All of a sudden, we’ve got a lot of lefties on our staff. And they’re really, really good. But we’re still getting there.”
Cora said it’s not about the results with Hernandez. It’s about the work he will put in between starts.
“We want him to pitch and then we want him to work,” Cora said.
Hernandez has been inconsistent in his delivery.
“But I think at the end, we want him to throw fastballs up and breaking balls down and be consistent with that,” Cora said. “And the more strikes he throws and when he throws the fastball up, there’s no damage. ... Fastballs up and breaking balls down. I hate to compare guys but like (Josh) Hader. It’s very simple. Fastballs up and breaking balls down. And he can do that. The characteristics of his fastballs, he gets swings and misses. He gets foul balls. There’s no loud contact. But when he gets a fastball down, we see the results, too. So it’s just a matter of him being consistent, repeat his delivery over and over and over again. And we do believe he’s going to contribute at one point this season. He’s going to be a big part of this team.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 3, 2022 10:18:17 GMT -5
Boston Red Sox’s Matt Barnes ‘found something mechanically,’ Alex Cora explains it using figure skating analogy Published: Apr. 03, 2022, 10:52 a.m.
By Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com
FORT MYERS, Fla. — Matt Barnes’ fastball reached just 92-93 mph in his Grapefruit League outing vs. the Pirates on Saturday. Red Sox manager Alex Cora said after the game it caught his attention.
Velocity has been an issue throughout this spring for the righty.
But the Red Sox might have identified the issue following Saturday’s outing.
“We kind of found something mechanically that hopefully it’s what gets him going,” Cora said here at JetBlue Park on Sunday.
Barnes threw Sunday on the back fields. It marked his final scheduled spring outing before the regular season begins Thursday in New York vs. the Yankees.
His four-seam fastball averaged 95.8 mph in 2021, per Baseball Savant.
“I think it’s something about his leg kick,” Cora said. “Last year he was a lot tighter. Now he’s like loose. If you want to use a reference, it’s like a figure skater. When you open, it slows down. When you close, you’re actually faster, quicker. So hopefully that’s what gets him going. Kind of engaged in his delivery. And then he doesn’t have to create. Right now, mechanically he’s so off and then he tries to create velocity and it’s not there.”
Barnes made four Grapefruit League outings. In four innings, he has allowed two runs, four hits and one walk while striking out six.
He made the AL All-Star team as a closer last year. But he allowed 12 earned runs in 10 ⅔ innings (10.13 ERA) over his final 16 outings. Opponents batted .340 against him.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 3, 2022 10:23:28 GMT -5
Alex Speier @alexspeier · 1h Matt Barnes threw an inning in a minor league camp game, in which he focused on keeping his delivery more closed and compact. After, he and pitching coach Dave Bush broke down the differences
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 3, 2022 10:30:23 GMT -5
Red Sox Stats @redsoxstats · 1h Shaw said he's not opting out because it's trending that he's going to make the team. I'm really not sure what his role is going to be. Seems like there should be someone more useful around, and you could have Arroyo/Vaz cover 1B in an emergency, then call up Casas if needed.
2019-21 vs RHP .198/.301/.366, 78 wRC+
2019-21 vs LHP .182/.245/.265, 37 wRC+
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 3, 2022 10:31:04 GMT -5
Red Sox Stats @redsoxstats · 1h Bogaerts isn't in today's lineup and hasn't played in an actual spring training game since Wednesday
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 3, 2022 11:57:11 GMT -5
Franchy Cordero vying for Boston Red Sox Opening Day roster after ‘big motivation’ following DFA last October Updated: Apr. 03, 2022, 12:51 p.m. | Published: Apr. 03, 2022, 12:09 p.m.
By Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com
FORT MYERS, Fla. — The Red Sox’s decision to designate Franchy Cordero for assignment went slightly under the radar last October because they did it during the middle of the American League Championship Series.
Cordero, who Boston acquired in the Andrew Benintendi trade Feb. 10, 2021, had batted just .189 with a .237 on-base percentage, .260 slugging percentage and 37.5% strikeout percentage in 48 games (136 plate appearances) in 2021.
“Of course it was a big motivation for me to work in the offseason and of course just keep working hard so that doesn’t happen again because that’s something no one wants to go through,” Cordero said through translator Carlos Villoria Benítez here Sunday.
Five and a half months after being DFA’d, Cordero, an outfielder/first baseman, is here at JetBlue Park still vying for a spot on the Red Sox’s 2022 Opening Day roster with the regular season about to begin Thursday in New York.
Cordero, who cleared waivers back in October, is fighting for one of the final 28-man roster spots. He’s competing with Jonathan Araúz, Rob Refsnyder and Travis Shaw. One of those spots is expected to go to Shaw.
Cordero has put together a strong case. He is 11-for-22 (.500) with four doubles, one walk and four strikeouts in 12 Grapefruit League games.
“I feel good about my spring training and all the hard work I did during the offseason and winter ball has paid off,” Cordero said. “And you can see in the results. Yeah, I’m excited. I’m excited to try to get a spot on the roster.”
Cordero focused on plate discipline while playing 24 games for Leones del Escogido in the Dominican Winter League.
“I think that was one of the things I needed to work a little bit more on. And then more contact with the ball,” he said.
Manager Alex Cora mentioned last season he thought Cordero might have been trading some intensity in his swing just to try to make contact. That led to weak contact. The power-hitter homered just once for Boston.
“I was working to try to get that balance between contact and power,” Cordero said. “That’s one of the things I think I have improved during the offseason and winter ball that I’m now making contact without lowering the intensity of the swing. I think I’m getting better with that.”
He also feels he did a better job of making contact without lowering the intensity of his swing when he played for Triple-A Worcester last season. He enjoyed success at Worcester, batting .300 with a .398 on-base percentage, .533 slugging percentage, .931 OPS, 13 homers, 24 doubles and two triples in 78 games.
Did Cordero feel pressure last year after being traded for Benintendi?
“It wasn’t any type of pressure at all,” Cordero said. “Hopefully, this year I’ll put everything together and have a great season.”
Cora pointed to the delayed start Cordero had during spring training in 2021. Cordero missed time at the beginning of camp last year after being placed on the COVID-19 injured list.
“He’s swinging the bat better,” Cora said. “In his situation, I think it wasn’t fair for him (last spring). ... He wasn’t able to get here. I understand, whatever. But I think he missed a big part of spring training. And him, being here early (this year), you see the results now. We really like where he’s at offensively. He missed the first part of camp (last year). Instead of being out there with the boys and working on his craft, he was at home. I think that wasn’t good for him in a sense, for him for his progression.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 3, 2022 11:58:01 GMT -5
Alex Speier @alexspeier · 26m Today’s Red Sox-Atlanta game start time is delayed to 1:25, evidently due to an umpire who is running late.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 3, 2022 12:57:13 GMT -5
Alex Speier @alexspeier · 9m Nick Pivetta had a "productive in a spring training sense" first inning. He didn't have initial fastball command, resulting in a HR (Matt Olson), BB, and 2B, but then regained it for a pair of Ks (Adam Duvall and Alex Dickerson) while working at 92-95 w/good feel for slider+CB.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 3, 2022 12:57:59 GMT -5
lex Speier @alexspeier · 6m Bobby Dalbec: full-count broken-bat single to left. I believe that's his third straight game with a two-strike hit while employing the new "no leg lift" approach with two strikes.
Bradley turned on a 96 mph 2-2 fastball and lined it out to right, just inside the foul pole. Second straight day with a homer
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 3, 2022 13:04:30 GMT -5
Good Lord Devers just unloaded on that. He keeps getting more expensive but that 3 run tater was impressive
5-1 Red Sox early
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 3, 2022 13:40:01 GMT -5
hahaha Devers just turned on an 0-2 pitch golfed one that may of hit the ground and it sailed down the line for another dinger lord that took some strength
5-1
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 3, 2022 14:40:43 GMT -5
Alex Speier @alexspeier · 40m Alex Verdugo with his second diving catch in as many days. The Red Sox are hopeful that the Verdugo/Hernández/Bradley triumvirate can restore the team's outfield defense to its 2017-18 elite levels.
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