Boston Red Sox: Rookie of the Year candidates for the near future
By Hunter Noll
2. Mike Shawaryn
Mike Shawaryn‘s rookie status depends on a few factors. The health of Steven Wright and Nathan Eovaldi‘s free agency status being among them. Even if both return though, the Red Sox minor league pitching depth might start with him.
Shawaryn dominated in Double-A last season, and more-than held his own in Triple-A. In fact, if it wasn’t for one miserable start for Pawtucket, his numbers would’ve been superb.
This season, he’ll likely start the year in Triple-A, although he should get a chance to prove himself in Spring Training. The best bet is on Shawaryn returning to Pawtucket and being one of the first call-ups should injuries arise.
Seeing as Chris Sale, Steven Wright, and Eduardo Rodriguez all missed significant time last year, Shawaryn getting a long look in the Majors in 2019 seems likely.
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The right-handed pitcher keeps the ball in the park and has the ability to rack up a decent amount of strikeouts. He can go deep into a game and keeps opponents averages low (career .233 BAA).
These all come together to create a pitcher that won’t allow too many crooked numbers in short outings.
Basically, Shawaryn’s the type of pitcher that could win a lot of games with a strong offense behind him. That’s exactly what the Red Sox have too. Which means if given enough start, he could pile up wins – which tends to matter to voters although it’s not the best stat to look at in my opinion.
That being said, it still matters obviously – and other stats like ERA and WHIP have been solid all throughout his career.
The way the Red Sox are currently set up, Shawaryn will pitch for them in 2019. How much is still a question however. This will create an opportunity for him to make his mark on the team though. That means even if he isn’t on the team too much in 2019, a rotation spot could be waiting for him in 2020.
If that’s the case, a full season to accumulate stats with a fantastic offense (and the best defensive outfield in the world) behind him, could spell ROY for Shawaryn.