If nothing else, the Boston Red Sox just increased their average pitch speed by a few ticks.
The Red Sox bolstered their rotation Wednesday by acquiring starter Nathan Eovaldi from the Rays in a trade that sent pitching prospect Jalen Beeks to Tampa Bay. The deal wasn’t a blockbuster by any means, but it still fills a need for Boston at a relatively low cost.
So, what exactly are the Sox getting in the 28-year-old right-hander, who is slated to make his Boston debut Sunday against the Minnesota Twins at Fenway Park?
Glad you asked.
THE STATS (2018 season)
3-4 record, 4.26 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 53 K, 8 BB in 57 innings
THE ARSENAL
Eovaldi uses a four- to five-pitch mix, relying heavily on his fastball and cutter while working in a splitter, slider and the occasional curveball.
Four-seam fastball: This is Eovaldi’s go-to pitch. He throws it 41.7 percent of the time, according to Brooks Baseball, and he throws it hard: His four-seam is averaging 96.9 mph this season, behind only Luis Severino and Noah Syndergaard among qualified starters, per Statcast.
Eovaldi has hit triple digits on the radar gun several times this season, which is a good sign considering he missed the entire 2017 season while recovering from major elbow surgery.
Cutter:Â Eovaldi also throws an extremely hard cutter that regularly hits 92 or 93 mph, and he tends to throw it when he’s behind in the count. It’s pretty effective, too, holding batters to a .211 average this season while generating 10 of his 53 strikeouts, per Brooks Baseball.
Splitter:Â Eovaldi doesn’t throw his splitter a ton (14.8 percent), but it might be his best pitch. Opponents are hitting just .196 against his split this season and have struck out 16 times in 46 at-bats.
Slider:Â Surprise! Eovaldi’s slider also is harder than the league average, coming in at 87 to 88 mph. He’ll throw an occasional hanger, though: Three of his 11 home runs allowed this season have come on his slider despite him throwing it just 13.7 percent of the time.
Curveball:Â Eovaldi has a deuce but rarely throws it, and that’s probably for the best. Opposing hitters haven’t whiffed once on any of his 14 curveballs and are batting an even .500 against Uncle Charlie.
THE SKINNY
Eovaldi has had pretty electric stuff since he came to the big leagues, especially his fastball, which generated some serious buzz while he was with the New York Yankees.
His issues usually are with location, as he gets in trouble when he catches too much of the plate. A torn flexor tendon and partially torn UCL in August 2016 also put his career on hold for basically a year and a half.
The 6-foot-2, 225-pound veteran appears no worse for wear, though: He tossed a no-hitter through six innings for the Rays on May 30 in his first start in 21 months.
Eovaldi isn’t an ace. But he’s certainly capable of holding down the back end of the Red Sox’s rotation and could be a valuable asset out of the bullpen in the playoffs, where he could deploy his above-average fastball in high-leverage situations.
