Plus, the Red Sox make some roster cuts.
It’s foolish to try to evaluate pitchers during spring training, particularly pitchers who aren’t fighting for rotation spots and who can therefore take their time gearing up for the season. Sometimes pitchers will focus solely on breaking balls for an entire spring outing. Other times they’ll deliberately pull the reins on their fastball. If you’re watching from the couch back home, it’s hard to gauge whether any particular pitcher is ready to start the season. But they know when they’re ready. And after striking out seven and allowing just two hits in four innings of work against the Twins yesterday, Opening Day starter Garrett Crochet sounds like he’s ready to go. (Julian McWilliams, Boston Globe)
As for the other end of the Red Sox rotation, while Richard Fitts appears to have the fourth slot sewn up as Lucas Giolito and Brayan Bello keep working toward full health, the fifth spot remains up for grabs. Quinn Priester looks like the leading candidate to make the team, but Bay Stater Sean Newcomb has impressed. (Jen McCaffrey, The Athletic)
Austin Adams, Isaiah Campbell, and Noah Davis will definitely not be making the team, though. They’ve been reassigned to minor league camp as the latest roster cuts. (Christopher Smith, MassLive)
Given that he grew up an hour away from Fenway Park, there’s a good chance that Newcomb met Luis Tiant on Jersey Street once or twice when he was growing up. But it was Florida native Chris Sale who gave El Tiante a nice tribute as he took the mound a few days ago. (Ian Browne, MLB.com)
But Sale isn’t the only player who looks up to a former Sox legend. Alex Bregman has long idolized Dustin Pedroia, going all the way back to when Bregman served as the bat boy during one of Pedroia’s college games. (Rob Bradford, WEEI)