Getting to know Red Sox pitching prospect Chase Shugart

Red Sox pitching prospect Chase Shugart is ready to make an impact

A 12th round pick by the Boston Red Sox in 2018, starting pitcher Chase Shugart knew baseball was something he was passionate about from a very young age. His uncle Ronnie had played in Jacksonville in the late 1980s, so it’s safe to say that baseball runs in the family.

Shugart was a two-way athlete in high school, playing both football and baseball, as he explained to me during our recent conversation.

"“Going into high school and getting recruited (for baseball)…that’s when I realized this is a real possibility, I can make a future out of this,” said Shugart."

The Texas native continued to flash his potential during his high school career, ultimately making the decision to commit to the University of Texas at Austin and play college ball for the Longhorns.

Shugart was initially recruited as a two-way player, having played both left field and first base along with pitching out of the bullpen. Once he joined the Longhorns, he became a full-time pitcher.

"“Doing both really helped me as a pitcher because I knew what the hitter was thinking,” said Shugart. “The mental aspect really helped me out as well.”"

Growing up an hour and a half outside of Houston, Shugart noted that he had always been an Astros fan, but did note that he enjoyed the Red Sox a great deal as well. Discovering his fondness of the Red Sox at a young age, he looked up to Mike Lowell because he “liked the way he went about his business.”

As for the mound, the young pitcher looked up to fellow Longhorn and Red Sox alum Roger Clemens and had the opportunity to build a close relationship with the former pitcher while playing with his two sons in college.

While the elder Clemens was not a coach for the Longhorns, the former Cy Young Award winner would occasionally step up and give the team some words of wisdom when necessary.

"“He didn’t want to overstep the coaches,” explained Shugart. “When the pitching staff wasn’t as good as it should be, Roger would come into the conference room at the hotel and tell us that if you didn’t have the talent you wouldn’t be at Texas.”"

The right-hander went on to say that through the years, both his uncle and Clemens played a pivotal role in his mindset and eagerness to compete. Ronnie often joked to him about how it was unfair that he got to spend so much time with Clemens, as his uncle also looked up to the former MLB pitcher during his playing career. Shugart mentioned that his uncle kept his distance to try and let his nephew develop as an athlete organically rather than take control of his development.

"“He knows me better than I know myself,” Shugart said of his uncle. “He wouldn’t sit in on my bullpens, just give me suggestions.”"

Going into his third year at school, Shugart was at practice preparing for the Super Regional in the 2018 NCAA Baseball Tournament when he was told that he had been drafted. He took a call from his regional scout outside when he returned to the locker room to be greeted by his entire team breaking the news to him in excitement.

A junior at the time, he described hearing the news as a mind out of body experience. “It was like, alright, I’m playing professional baseball after this.” The Longhorns ultimately lost in the finals to the Arkansas Razorbacks but Shugart never looked back, forgoing his senior year of college to make the jump to professional baseball. The right-hander was ready to “hop on the horse and get going.”

Shugart was able to see some action after being drafted in 2018, splitting time between the Rookie League and Low-A. In 2019, he saw a full season of work in Greenville, throwing 89.2 innings over 16 games to the tune of a 2.81 ERA. The guidance from Greenville coach Bob Kipper helped him in ways that he didn’t think he needed to improve in.

The right-hander is now regarded as the No. 25 prospect in the Red Sox minor league system, per MLB Pipeline.

The young pitcher’s repertoire consists of a fastball that sits in the mid-90s, a slider in the mid-80s, a curveball in the high-70s, and a changeup in the mid-80s, per Sox Prospects.

Over the course of the minor league shutdown due to the coronavirus pandemic this past season, Shugart spent time focusing on the mental aspect of the game. He knew that when he had a poor outing it was because he was trying to do too much. The farmhand spoke of the time he spent visualizing the work he had to put in to get to the big leagues.

"“I would go through at-bats in my head in Greenville or watch some tape,” explained Shugart. “I would wonder, what was I thinking there, why was I so good that day? Why was I so bad that day?”"

He went into detail about how he has always found his curveball to be one of his more effective pitches along with a decent slider.

"“We’re trying to fix the shape of my slider to where it isn’t so loopy, to where it’s more of a cutter,” said Shugart."

The right-hander noted that he had a setback with a nagging knee injury he suffered in April. He spent some time at the Fall Instructional Camp alongside other Red Sox prospects but was focused mainly on conditioning and strength. He did not step on the mound as the organization wants to take a careful approach in rushing him back from his aforementioned knee injury. He expects to be fully recovered by the end of January and participating in a full offseason routine.

He eventually made his way to Fort Myers to continue conditioning at the Red Sox’s spring training facility. He had been able to spend some time with both Chris Sale and Nick Pivetta. Shugart went on to mention that he was able to spend some time getting to know each of the hurlers, getting pitching advice from Sale, and working in the weight room with Pivetta.

Pitching aside, Shugart spends a significant amount of time outdoors, whether that be hunting, fishing, or golfing. He considers golf to be a hobby that allows him to take his mind off of baseball.

"“I golf when I’m not on the mound competing with myself. Golf has really helped me separate my two lifestyles,” said Shugart."

Thankfully, the right-hander has found a medium to harness any anxiety that might come with the stress of being a professional baseball player.

Shugart hopes to climb through the Red Sox system after a lost 2020 season and be an impactful presence in any way possible. Whether he starts a game, pitches out of the bullpen, or closes. He has done all three over the course of high school, college, and his brief minor league career. He is more than willing to do it again.