Cameron Tran

only one day off for the first 21 days is really rough though, i mean you saw what happened last year early.

He looks a lot more relaxed this year. Kinda like what we saw last year when he got hot in June/July. His 2 strike approach definitely looks better.

Bello is still a possibility, threw a bullpen friday that went well. I don't think Ottavino, Moore or Adams will stick around if they don't make the major league roster. Fulmer might, Cora loves him as a mentor in AAA and he seems to be content with that role. Penrod will be in AAA when he is healthy. Robert Stock is also an intriguing arm theres some upside there I think he'll fight for a spot in AAA. I also really like Nick Burdi, he's got medium-high leverage potential if he can stay healthy and develop a good secondary. trust Criswell the most as a spot starter early with that heavy schedule, He was pretty solid as a starter last year (3.45 ERA in 89 innings). I think the AAA pen ends up being Fulmer, Stock, Penrod, Bernardino, Drohan, Kelly, Webb, and Burdi.

I think Weissert deserves a spot more than Guerrero right now. Weissert pitched really really well to end last season (0 ER in his final 16 IP). Guerrero has more raw talent and will probably surpass Weissert at some point this season, but to start the year I trust Weissert more. I do agree though I think Criswell Fitts and Priester will start the year at AAA depth options.

For the second spring in two years, Ceddanne Rafaela is a major talking point of Spring Training. This year, the question was "how can Ceddanne make the leap his sophomore year?" Well, we may have our answer. Ceddanne has came out of the gate hot this spring, with 5 hits in his first 13 at bats, with a homerun, a double, and 5 RBI's. More importantly though, he has 2 walks to 0 strikeouts so far. The last time Rafaela drew a walk in a major league game was August 9th, in which he drew 2 against Houston. In August and September, he drew 2 walks and struck out 46 times. His K%, BB%, and chase % were all amongst the bottom in the league, with his K% and chase % in the bottom 1st percentile. Rafaela, and the Red Sox, knew that plate discipline and his swing decisions. To address that, Rafaela made some slight adjustments to his swing and mindset as he prepared for this upcoming season. His new swing features a leg kick and lowered hands. More importantly, Rafaela looks much more comfortable in the box this season. His swing looks much more controlled, and he overall looks less erratic and more focused at the plates. Even his outs are loud outs. In today's game against the Mets, Rafaela fell into an 0-2 hole in his 2nd at-bat. While the at-bat ended with a lineout, Rafaela battled in a way we didn't see last season. He fouled off 3 tough pitches and didn't chase the spoiled stuff. He's been doing that all spring too. Rafaela's potential as a 5-tool player is through the roof. We know what he can do in center. We know what he can do on the basepaths. If he can be even a league average hitter, he'll be an all-star for years to come. He's got true 20-20 potential, if he can reach that, the Red Sox will add a very dangerous right-handed bat to an already feared lineup.

Buehler looked impressive after that lead off double from McNeil. Yoshi looked confident and comfortable in the box. Haven't seen that from him in a while. Do yall trust him as a full-time DH this year? Is he playing to increase his trade value by the deadline?

Kid is still only 21, was a first round pick just a few years ago. Only 131 professional games but looked solid in AA last year. Reports say hes added weight and strength and he looks good early in camp. What do you make guys make of him?

Despite early injury concerns to starters Brayan Bello, Lucas Giolito, and Kutter Crawford, Alex Cora shut down the idea of starting the year with a six man rotation. Speaking Friday, Cora said, "[A six man rotation] is a conversation for when everyone is healthy. You cannot protect everyone. We've got some guys in the bullpen that we need to protect too. I think versatility and multi-inning relievers will benefit this team probably better than a six-man rotation." With Bello reportedly being on track for opening day, the rotation will likely consist of Bello, Tanner Houck, Lucas Giolito, and newcomers Garrett Crochet and Walker Buehler. Kutter Crawford, who led the team in starts and innings pitched last year, is not expected to be ready by opening day as he deals with knee issues. He figures to be inserted into the rotation when healthy. Cora's remarks on multi-inning relievers also gives us some insight on what looks to be a crowded bullpen. Cora intends to use Whitlock as a multi-inning guy this year, but it is unclear how much Whitlock will be able to throw early in the season coming off the internal brace procedure. Josh Wincowksi, who operated as a started in AAA following his demotion last season, is someone Cora could turn to for a few innings of work. Righty Cooper Criswell could also be converted to a multi-inning reliever after losing his spot in the rotation. Premier Red Sox arms Justin Slaten, Liam Hendriks, and Aroldis Chapman are all late-inning, high leverage guys, so it will be interesting to see how Cora builds his bullpen around them.

When Alex Cora named Jarren Duran the Red Sox everyday leadoff man, it came as a surprise to many Red Sox fans. They didn't expect what would come next. Duran not only brokeout as the Red Sox best player last year, but one of the best in the MLB, finishing 8th in AL MVP voting. While we probably won't see another Jarren Duran, here's 3 players primed for a big breakout 2025. Ceddanne Rafaela, CF Rafaela had a solid debut season, bouncing between both middle infield positions and center field. This season, Cora has stressed that Rafaela will be a CF this year, as he hopes the consistency will allow him to focus solely on his bat. We know what Rafaela can do in center, posting 5 OAA at the position with some truly jaw-dropping range, but he left a lot to be desired at the plate. Much is already known about his struggles. His 2.6% walk rate ranked in the bottom 1% of hitters, while his chase rate was in the same percentile. If he can figure out his plate discipline issues, the Sox hope that his new swing will allow for more consistent contact. Through a few spring training games, he's added a larger leg kick and lowered his hands. He's shown flashes of 20-20 potetnial, so don't be surprised if a permanent move to CF, an assumed new approach at the plate, and a more consistent season lead to an above-average campaign at the plate for the sophomore. Vaughn Grissom, 2B Where Grissom is going to play, if he breaks camp with the big league, is the big question for the presumed second baseman. Grissom, acquired from the Braves for reigning NL Cy Young winner Chris Sale, endured an injury riddled first campaign that saw him spend most of the year in AAA. Grissom can hit, we all know that. Still just 24 years old, he posted an OPS above .660 in both his MLB stints with Atlanta. This season, Grissom has come into camp notably stronger, and, more importantly, with his confidence back. Grissom reportedly lost 15 pounds battling the flu early in April, and spent most of the season just trying to get that weight back. In his September stint last year, he looked much better than what we saw in April, with a .333 AVG and a couple hard hit doubles. Alex Cora, and Red Sox fans alike, hope a proper offseason and camp will prove 2024 a mulligan. Greg Weissert, RHP Weissert was one of the pitchers received from the Yankees in the Alex Verdugo trade. Immediately, his funky sidearm delivery and nasty sweeper wowed Red Sox fans, but the righty struggled out of the gate, with a 4.39 ERA in the first half. After two separate demotions to AAA, Weissert returned and was lights-out for the Red Sox down the stretch. In 16 innings in August and September, Weissert allowed 0 earned runs and walked just 3. Despite having some of the most horizontal break in the game, his sweeper was actually his worst pitch last year, posting a run value of -5 as hitters hit .320 off it. It's still a great pitch, fangraphs loves its movement and how Weissert is able to locate it, so Cora can hope some better luck this year could give him a dangerous high-leverage guy this year .

Last season, the Red Sox bullpen had the 7th worst ERA in baseball, allowing the 3rd most hits, only the lowly White Sox and Rockies allowed more hits. To try and fix this problem, the Red Sox have brought with them 30 pitchers vying for maybe 7 spots in the Red Sox bullpen. Of those 30, I believe only 4 are locks to crack the opening day roster. Those 4 are: Liam Hendricks, Justin Slaten, Aroldis Chapman, and Garret Whitlock. That means 25 pitchers are fighting for 3 spots. Of those 25, I believe only 12-15 of them have a real shot at breaking camp with the team. A few (Chris Murphy and Luis Perales) are expected to miss all of 2025. A handful haven't performed well enough in AAA, or haven't even pitched in AAA, to warrant a realistic shot at the big league level. Here's a brief note on all the pitchers who I believe have a chance of making the big league bullpen. Josh Winckowski, RHP: Winckowski threw the most innings out of everyone who I believe is not guaranteed a roster spot with 76. He's coming off a tough 2024 bouncing between the bullpen and rotation, but Cora hopes a firm bullpen role will take him back to 2023, where he threw to a 2.88 ERA out of the bullpen. Brennan Bernardino, LHP: Much like Winckowski, Bernardino will look to bounce back from a tough 2024 and regain his 2023 form. Bernardino was dominant in the first half last year, with a 1.80 ERA in his first 32 innings, but really struggled after the All-Star break, having an ERA above 8 in his final 19 innings. Greg Weissert, RHP: A complete opposite from Bernardino, Weissert struggled in the first half, leading to a late July demotion to AAA. Once he returned to the major league club though, Weissert was dominant, not allowing an earned run in his final 16 innings pitched. Luis Guerrero, RHP: Luis Guerrero is my personal favorite arm in this bullpen. The 24 year old threw 10 MLB innings last September, but looked extremely impressive, allowing just 6 hits and striking out 9. He has a fastball that sits 97, which lead to an incredible 13.09 K/9 in AAA last year. Don't be surprised if he's eventually closing games for the Sox. Zack Kelly, RHP: People within the Red Sox organization love Kelly's stuff, but he has struggled to stay healthy and consistent in recent seasons. The righty had a solid year last year, with a 3.97 ERA across 56 innings. His strikeout and walk numbers were both career bests, but he allowed much harder contact. If he can put it all together, he has the arsenal to be an effective late inning guy for Alex Cora Justin Wilson, LHP: Wilson was Breslow's first signing this offseason, agreeing to a 1 year deal early in November. The 12 year MLB vet will come in as one of the few lefty arms in contention. Wilson really struggled last year with the Reds, with a ERA above 5 in 46 innings. He has a solid fastball and a plus plus slider, but he allowed pretty loud contact last year. He'll have to limit the barrels this season to stick. Jovani Moran, LHP: The Red Sox acquired Moran this offseason from the Twins in exchange for minor leaguer Mickey Gasper. Moran last pitched in 2023, sitting out 2024 following Tommy John. After a great 2022 in which Moran had a 1.78 FIP across 40 innings, he regressed heavily in 2023, ballooning to a 3.82 FIP and 5.31 ERA. If Moran can get his changeup back to where it was in 2022, and develop at least one above average secondary, he could be effective. Adam Ottavino, RHP: Red Sox fans should be familiar with the 14 year veteran, as he was a key bullpen arm in the 2021 ALCS run. Since then, he's spent 3 seasons with the Mets, throwing over 55 innings with an ERA below 4.50 each year. Since that year with the Sox, he's become much more of a 2 pitch guy, relying heavily on his Sweeper and Sinker. The stuff is still there, so don't be surprised if a strong spring pushes Ottavino into the bullpen. Robert Stock, RHP: Stock, 35, returns to the MLB after spending time pitching in Korea and Mexico, where he recently won the triple crown. In his time in Mexico, Stock drastically lowered his arm slot, now throwing from a similar angle as Weissert. Don't be surprised if Andrew Bailey inserts a sweeper into the mix. Matt Moore, LHP: The Sox signed Moore to a minor league deal on Sunday in wake of Zach Penrod's injury. Moore, a former #1 overall prospect, struggled early in his career, but had a solid resurgence after a move to the bullpen. In 126 innings in 2022 and 2023, Moore had a 2.20 ERA and an incredible 191 ERA+. While Moore struggled in 2024 (5.30 ERA in 48 innings with the Angels), his stuff was pretty similar to what it was in 2023. The Red Sox can hope 2024 was a blip and a return to 2023 form is in order for the veteran. Michael Fulmer, RHP: Fulmer, once a rookie of the year winner with the Tigers in 2016, signed a rare 2 year minor league deal with the club last offseason as he rehabbed from Tommy John. The once highly touted starting pitcher prospect has been solid since a move to the bullpen in 2021. In 191 innings of relief, Fulmer threw to a 3.55 ERA and a 3.70 FIP. At minimum, Fulmer will be a AAA depth guy who Cora has already praised for his leadership and mentoring abilities. Zach Penrod, LHP: Penrod made his debut for the Red Sox in a short, 4 inning cameo for the team in September. While there, Penrod showcased his 97 MPH fastball that played well AA and AAA last year. In 62 minor league innings, Penrod had 13 K/9, although he struggled in his stint in AAA with a 5.93 ERA. He'll likely have to improve his secondaries to have success in the bigs. Hunter Dobbins, RHP: Dobbins was the Red Sox Minor League Pitcher of the Year last year, having a 3.08 ERA across 25 starts in AA and AAA. Dobbins doesn't have the best strikeout stuff, but he limits walks and keeps the ball on the ground fairly well. He's only 25, and his fastball sits 95 but lacks life. If he can improve his secondaries, he could feature as a mid-level starter, but he'll likely end up a multi-inning reliever in the future.