FORT MYERS, Fla. — Several Boston Red Sox pitchers walked a mile in their fielders’ shoes Thursday.
The Red Sox conducted a drill called “The Juanchi” — named after Boston pitching coach Juan Nieves — on one of the back fields at JetBlue Park. The exercise involved pitchers playing at each infield position to gain a better understanding of what each entails on a given play.
“What we try to do is have every pitcher understand the responsibilities of all the defensive players at their position,” Red Sox manager John Farrell said Thursday of the unique drill. “So we rotate guys through so they can anticipate the game situation, what an individual or player at those respective positions are going to be doing. It’s more just understanding the situation and anticipating more.”
Nieves, Laz Gutierrez and Goose Gregson oversaw the drill.
