5 questions that could be answered in Red Sox spring training

Are Red Sox pitcher Michael Wacha’s improvements for real?

The many skeptics in Red Sox Nation were quick to criticize the Michael Wacha signing. After all, here was a journeyman 30-year-old who has a 4.62 ERA over the last six years and has topped 25 starts just once over that span. His dominant 2013 postseason run in which he looked like a future star seemed like a lifetime ago.

On the surface, his 2021 season looked like more of the same. After bouncing between the rotation and the bullpen over the first two months, Wacha was moved to the rotation in June and was terrible, allowing a 6.67 ERA over his next twelve starts. To adjust, Wacha began throwing his cutter more and saw markedly better results, posting a 2.88 ERA and striking out more than a batter an inning over his final seven appearances.

There’s a lot to like about Wacha’s profile. He features a mid-90s fastball that has ticked up in recent years, an improving cutter, and one of the best changeups in the game. As he enters his age 30 season, he’s still young enough where there is hope he can stay healthy enough to put it all together.

With many questions surrounding him in the rotation, a lot is riding on Wacha’s injury-prone right arm this season, and he can begin to inspire hope this spring by showing that last September’s improvements were for real.