Whitlock is Best as...
It is all about maximizing the Sox best arm.
When you think of how Garrett Whitlock should be used this season, you have to think about what is best for the 2022 Red Sox. It’s easy to get caught up in what this 25 year-old could become because anytime a pitcher has elite command with elite stuff, he has a chance to be special. Through the first 24 games, we have seen Whitlock be the long man out of the pen, close a game out, and start games. Obviously, Whitlock can be successful however Alex Cora decides to utilize the right hander.
When it comes to Whitlock the starter, we haven’t even had a full look at what he can do in that role. Against the Rays in his first career start, he threw 4 shutout innings and only allowed 1 hit. 5 days later, he faced the Blue Jays and grinded through 3 innings allowing 4 hits but only allowed 1 unearned run. Whitlock is not stretched out enough in terms of his pitch count to work into the 5th and 6th innings, but it is easy to imagine what he can do with more opportunities. As a Red Sox fan, I don’t think I have been this excited about a young starting pitcher since Clay Buchholz.
The Red Sox enter Wednesday 10-14 and 8.5 games back in the A.L. East. In Whitlock’s last start, he threw 61 pitches. He is still 3-4 starts (2-3 weeks) away from being completely stretched out to throw around 80-100 pitches to allow him a chance to work deeper into games. Due to the bad start from the Red Sox, they do not have the luxury of waiting for Whitlock to get stretched out. They need to win baseball games and they need to win them now. Using Whitlock as an extended opener feels like a waste when the bullpen needs to throw 4+ innings to secure a solid Whitlock start. I would much rather see Whitlock come in when the game is on the line and shut it down.
Since Whitlock has been moved to the rotation, the Red Sox are 3-7 and have blown 1 lead in the 8th and 2 leads in the 9th in that stretch. Now, I should say that the one blown save occurred when Story booted the final out and then the Rays’ Kevin Kiermaier hit a walk-off 2-Run Home Run. Whitlock should be used as the primary closer for the Boston Red Sox, but he should be throwing 1-2 innings at a time. I still like the idea of Whitlock routinely working multiple innings. If it is a 1 or 2 run game with the heart of the opponent’s lineup due up in the 8th, bring Whitlock into the game. If he can’t pitch the following game, so be it. Win every game possible. If the Sox have a 2-3 run lead in the 8th, save him for the 9th.
I also like the idea of having Whitlock available during extra innings. The “Zombie Runner” that starts off the 10th inning is a challenge for most pitchers. Whitlock has the stuff to prevent that run from scoring or at the very least, limiting the damage to just the Zombie Runner. I can envision scenarios where Whitlock comes into a tie game in the 9th and stays on to pitch the 10th. Those are the moments you want your best arm in the game. That arm is Whitlock.
The Red Sox have a weapon in Whitlock and should maximize the number of games he can impact during the season. If he starts, the most games he would impact moving forward is about 27. A typical pitcher makes 32 starts in a season when completely healthy and Eovaldi has already made 5. Another aspect about Whitlock that cannot be overlooked is the innings. The most innings he’s ever thrown is 120 innings back in 2018, which was before his TJ surgery. Boston should be careful with how many innings he throws as he only threw 73 last season. Starting would push him way past that number. If he comes out of the pen mainly as a 1-2 inning closer, Whitlock could impact 35-50 games when the games are on the line and limit his innings.
The last thing to consider is the makeup of the Red Sox pitching staff. The staff has done an adequate job to start the season and has given the Red Sox the opportunity to win almost every single night. Although the bullpen may not have a ton of arms that people trust, the numbers have been good. If the bullpen struggles at some point, there are not many proven reinforcements coming other than Josh Taylor, who was stellar last season (3.40 ERA). The same cannot be said about the starting rotation as Chris Sale is expected back sometime in June and James Paxton will be available sometime in the second half.
Garrett Whitlock’s future in Boston will be as a member of the Red Sox rotation. I believe he has the necessary makeup to be a big league starter and a damn good one. This team needs to win baseball games and needs a lockdown closer at the end of a game. When the Red Sox have a lead in the 8th and 9th innings, they need to hold it. Whitlock is their best option. It’s time to move Whitlock back to the pen.