BOSTON — Michael Wacha has allowed just six hits in 12 ⅔ scoreless innings (two starts) since returning from the 15-day IL, lowering his ERA to 2.28 in 15 starts with the Red Sox.
He knew he had this kind of season in him.
“Most definitely,” Wacha said. “I’ve always believed in myself that whenever I’m healthy, I feel very confident in my abilities to go out there and get the job done. So that’s just the main goal is trying to stay healthy. Obviously this year hasn’t gone that great health-wise. But I feel like whenever I am out there, I am healthy and I feel like I can get good results. So yeah, I’ve always believed in myself that I can put together a season (like this).”
There’s great uncertainty surrounding the Red Sox starting rotation heading into this coming offseason. Wacha, Nathan Eovaldi and Rich Hill are eligible for free agency.
Chris Sale has made just 11 regular season starts in the first three years of a five-year, $145-million extension. Meanwhile, James Paxton (rehabbing from Tommy John surgery) won’t pitch at all in 2022 after suffering a Grade 2 lat tear last week.
Boston has to decide whether to exercise both Paxton’s option years worth $26 million total simultaneously when the offseason begins. If the Red Sox decline it, Paxton has the ability to opt in for one year, $4 million.
With all the uncertainty and need to add starting pitching, perhaps the Red Sox extend Wacha a qualifying offer. Making an effort to re-sign him makes sense.
Wacha — who has had two IL stints this year (left intercostal irritation, right shoulder inflammation) — is open to returning.
“Yes, most definitely,” Wacha said. “For sure, yeah.”
That said, Wacha hasn’t thought much about his pending free agency.
“I haven’t really thought about it like that,” Wacha said. “There’s still a lot of games left to be played. And that is kind of stuff that I can’t really control right now. I try to leave that stuff for the offseason. But as far as how I’m liking Boston, I’m loving it here. The staff here is amazing. The players on this team have become really good friends of mine, and I just jell really nicely with them and get along with everyone. Just really good ballplayers and a good team. I love it here. The fans are great. Getting to play in front of a packed stadium every night is something that should never get taken for granted. It’s a very cool place to play. Putting on this Red Sox uni is something I’ll always remember, for sure.”
Wacha said last November (after signing with Boston) his changeup in 2021 felt the nastiest it has ever felt. It was by far his best pitch last year. He held opponents to a .207 batting average and .355 slugging percentage when he threw it.
The pitch has been even more effective this season.
“I know it’s got very similar action, movement and kind of results that I’ve had going back to last year,” Wacha said.
Opponents are batting only .155 with a .206 slugging percentage against his changeup this year, per Baseball Savant. It’s his second most used pitch behind only his four-seam fastball. He has thrown it 30.2%.
“I think just continuing to throw it and continuing to get the feel for it and when to throw it in certain counts,” Wacha said. “I think this year I’ve kind of taken that step — when the best times to throw it are and the best batters to throw it against.”
His sinker usage also has increased. He’s throwing the pitch 14.1% this season compared to 3.3% last year, per Baseball Savant. Opponents are batting just .127 with a .127 slugging percentage against it.
He actually began throwing the pitch more often toward the end of last season when he posted a 3.20 ERA and 3.14 FIP over his final eight outings (seven starts) for Tampa Bay.
“I think it’s just a different look,” Wacha said. “It’s got a little tail to it, a little run on it. It’s not much of a sinker. I’d call it more of a two-seam because it just kind of runs. It doesn’t have much sink action to it. But it kind of gets that horizontal movement. It’s definitely a different pitch from my four-seam. So just having a couple different fastballs to give them a different look, kind of just changes it up with similar velocity as well.”
Wacha stopped throwing his cutter altogether during the middle of last season but he’s back to throwing it again in 2022.
“I think I just didn’t have quite the feel for it last year and it was missing over the plate,” Wacha said. “I was inconsistent with the shape and location of it. Whenever you looked at the numbers, it was the pitch that was getting hit the most. So I tried going a different route with something. But it’s something that whenever I’ve got it controlled and down, it’s a pitch that breaks away from righties and can tie up a lefty. Because it’s still pretty firm I guess off my heater. And so I’ve just gotta be very conscious of where I’m throwing it and where I can miss with it.”
Wacha has a 4.00 career ERA.
He dominated in his first three major league seasons (2013-15), posting a 3.21 ERA in 64 outings (58 starts). He had a 4.56 ERA over his next two seasons but he had a 3.76 FIP, indicating he pitched better than his stats showed.
His only two really down years were 2019 and the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.
“2016, I started off good and unfortunately, I had an injury,” Wacha said. “It was a little grind getting back in there. And then I got put into the bullpen and (made) some spots starts there. Once I came back, my numbers were not great. The ball was not coming out good. But at the start of the year, I felt much better for sure. And in ‘17, I go back and look at that year as the best the ball has come out, I feel like, besides the last couple months last year and this year. I’d say very similar to that. ‘17, I felt the ball was coming out really well. And in this game, sometimes the ball bounces your way, sometimes it doesn’t. And I felt like I was a victim of a lot of bad luck that year.”
Related Content
Might Boston Red Sox, pending free agent Michael Wacha reunite in 2023? ‘It’s a very cool place to play’ - MassLive.com
Read More
No comments:
Post a Comment