After Dominant Start, Could Shane Drohan Be Back to His Old Self?

After a turbulent 2024 season, left-handed pitcher Shane Drohan appears to be returning to the type of pitcher many thought he could become. Selected in the fifth round of the 2020 draft, Drohan rose through the minor leagues, making his way to Triple-A Worcester by 2023. Prior to his promotion, Drohan had flashed potential as a left-handed pitcher with four average pitches who had solid command and control of them.

However, he struggled mightily in his first go around with Worcester in 2023, appearing in 21 games and making 19 starts. Drohan went 5-7 with an ERA of 6.47 across 89 innings pitched. He surrendered 103 hits, 19 of them home runs, while his usual command was nowhere to be found. He allowed 63 walks, after allowing 51 over 129 2/3 innings pitched in 20222.

The hope was that he would return to Worcester in 2024 and develop from that tough showing, but it wasn’t to be. Instead, Drohan found himself selected by the Chicago White Sox in the Rule 5 draft heading into 2024, and was to be part of their organization. Unfortunately, Drohan would suffer an injury-filled year with the White Sox, to the point that they decided to return him to the Red Sox. By the time Drohan had been returned, his stuff had regressed. Only his changeup was projected to be better than average. Upon his return, Drohan would only make two starts in Worcester, throwing a combined seven innings and allowing five runs. He also walked eight batters and struck out eight.

By the end of the 2024 season, Drohan's fit in the organization wasn't apparent. Other pitching prospects like Luis Guerrero, Hunter Dobbins, and Richard Fitts had passed him. Drohan wasn’t even viewed as an emergency up-and-down starter.
His work ethic entering spring training may have put him back on the list of potential options, as Andrew Parker of Beyond the Monster reported that Worcester's pitching coach Dan DeLucia praised the left-hander for the work he put in during the offseason as reported by. Entering spring training, 2025 Drohan was coming off a healthy offseason and appeared to be returning to form. His latest pitching appearance for the Worcester Red Sox on Friday evening showcased the type of pitching prospect he once was.

Starting against the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, Drohan kept them off the board as he threw four completely dominant innings. Needing just 56 pitches, Drohan surrendered only a single hit while striking out six and allowing just two hard-hit balls. Drohan worked with all five of his pitches but mainly relied on his cutter, fastball, and slider, throwing the three 71% of the time. His led with his cutter using it 30% of the time. His curveball and changeup made up the remaining 29% of pitches thrown. He induced 13 swings and misses.

Drohan's fastball isn't considered one of his best pitches, but it showed signs of promise, averaging 92.6 mph and topping out at 94.9 mph, and improvement from 2024, when it sat between 90 and 93 mph. His slider looked good, earning six whiffs, sitting between 84 and 87 mph and topping out at 87.3 mph. The pitch also featured between two and six inches of horizontal break. Just like his fastball and slider, his cutter also played well in the start, sitting between 86 and just under 90 mph as it topped out at 89.6 mph.

However, Drohan will need to continue working on his command. Just 26 of his 56 pitches were in the strike zone, but he did earn an excellent 16 chases. It's still early in the season, but across two appearances, Drohan has looked comfortable on the mound. Against the Syracuse Mets in his first appearance, Drohan threw two innings, allowing one hit and a walk while striking out two batters. 

Now 26 years old, he’ll have to continue providing results on the mound to be considered a call-up option for the Red Sox. He’s only allowed a single walk in his six innings pitched this season. All of this follows an impressive spring training during which he tossed six scoreless innings. If he can keep this performance up, we might just see him in Boston.

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