Exclusive Red Sox Interview: Blake Wehunt Reflects On His 2023 Draft Experience and New Cutter

[Nick John]

“To be honest it was a complete surprise,” Blake Wehunt said as he thought back to the 2023 draft.

Taken in the ninth round out of Kennesaw State by the Boston Red Sox, Wehunt never expected to be drafted by the organization. The right-hander admitted that going into the 2023 draft, he had talked to teams here and there, but really had no idea when it came to expecting anything. All he knew was that he had a decent year to the point he had a shot at hearing his name called, but he wasn’t entering the draft with the thought of getting picked.

“I hadn’t talked to the Red Sox much, so I went into it with zero expectations,” Wehunt recalled about the pre-draft process. “Sure enough, the Red Sox ended up calling. I’m blessed to be where I’m at.”   

Wehunt didn’t pitch much after getting drafted in 2023, getting into a single game at the Florida Complex League where he tossed one inning and struck out a batter while allowing one hit. The 2024 campaign was a bigger year for the pitcher, as in his first full professional season, he moved through three minor league levels, going from Single-A Salem and finishing the year with Double-A Portland.

This past season saw Wehunt deal with injury, spending time on the injured list due to a lat strain. On the season, Wehunt wound up going 2-8 with a 5.68 ERA in 63 1/3 innings. In total, he appeared in 17 games and struck out 76 batters. But despite that, the season was still a success because of his improved cutter.

“The fastball was 93-95 at the time and we have this huge gap in the arsenal where everything was either slow or fast. And so they came up with the idea of the cutter, and I was able to understand how to throw it pretty quickly,” Wehunt said as he talked about the process behind how a pitcher decides to add to their arsenal. The pitch, which he added in 2024, has evolved from there.

“The plan before was to have something to show hitters early in counts that wasn’t a fastball and wasn’t off-speed. As I’ve grown to use it more, it’s definitely become more of an [offering] I can throw it in any count. It’s developed into using it how it should be vs just get ahead with it.”

 

Of course, despite the improved cutter and Wehunt’s own work ethic, the injury still lingered on his mind as the season wore on and as he eventually got ready for the offseason.

“Coming back (during the season) was a little tough because mentally, I had to learn how to trust that again. Now I’m to the point I don’t feel [the injury] anymore.”

Wehunt spent half of October and half of November in Florida to do maintenance on his injury and making sure it was fine before getting into his usual offseason routine. Though, he also found time to enjoy some of his favorite activities.

“I’m a big-time outdoorsman. Hunting, fishing, I’m all for it,” Wehunt explained when asked about things he enjoyed doing outside of baseball. “Most of the offseason I find myself doing [that kind of stuff]. Chasing deer and ducks and everything else.”

And despite his enjoyment of hunting, Wehunt also knows that once New Year’s Day rolls around, it’s time to put the guns and bows away and to begin ramping up for baseball.

“As soon as New Years is over, let’s put the rifle and the bow down and lets really hone in.”

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