Article: Talk Sox Red Sox Pitchers of the Month - March/April 2025

[Alex Mayes]

With the first full month of the season completed, we’re handing out awards for March and April. I’m taking a look at the top three pitchers on the MLB roster, with a bonus honorable mention for extra fun. Without further ado, onto the awards!

Honorable Mention: Garrett Whitlock
Garrett Whitlock appears here, despite giving up a three run home run to tie the game on the final day of April, because he seems to be regaining his 2021 dominance after he requested to move to the bullpen full time before this season. He has the makings of an elite set-up reliever and should be someone Alex Cora can turn to every couple of days to shut down opposing offenses, his final appearance in April notwithstanding. Whitlock is a valuable piece of the bullpen and will likely climb from honorable mention to top three a handful of times this season.

#3: Walker Buehler
After two less than stellar starts to the season, Buehler has claimed the number two spot in the starting rotation. Much like Crochet, you feel confident that the Red Sox are going to win when he’s on the mound. His ERA is deceiving a bit, as he’s pitched far better than his 4.28 would indicate. Buehler has admitted that he’s no longer the type of pitcher to blow you away with his velocity, but his success is coming from his expansive pitch mix. So far this season Buehler has shown a four-seam fastball, cutter, sinker, sweeper, knuckle curve, changeup, and slider. Hitters are guessing more often than not as to which pitch they are about to see. While it’s likely unfair to ever expect Buehler to become the pitcher he was before his injuries, this version fills a need perfectly for the Red Sox and they would be smart to lock him into a longer term contract.

#2: Justin Slaten
I debated a bit about which closer to give the nod to for the first month of the season but settled on Slaten because he has a higher ceiling than Aroldis Chapman now. Realistically, Slaten is the closer of the future in Boston and should take the role over at some point during the 2025 season. He’s currently sporting a 3.48 ERA with 10 1/3 innings pitched and nine strikeouts. The other thing that gave Slaten the edge over any other reliever was that he has altered his pitch mix to make him a more effective strikeout pitcher. His curveball is devastating so far this season and hitters are struggling mightily against it. As Slaten grows as a pitcher, it won’t be shocking to see him show up consistently on these lists moving forward.

Pitcher of the Month: LH SP Garrett Crochet
This was pretty cut and dry as Crochet has been as advertised since arriving in Boston. He closes out April with a three and two record, 2.05 ERA, 50 strikeouts, and a 1.05 WHIP. 50 strikeouts rank him second in the AL, only behind Carlos Rodon who has 52. His Baseball Savant page is fiery red and projects to remain that way all season. Every time Crochet toes the rubber you expect the Red Sox to win that game, he’s that dependable. After his two rougher outings this season, he has looked inward and realized what went wrong for him. He’s been quoted as wanting to get back to his fastball instead of trying to nibble on the edges of the zone. As he returns to mid-season form, look for Crochet to win his fair share of monthly MLB awards.

What do you think? Who would get your vote? 

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