Kutter Crawford has been named to the Boston Red Sox's Opening Day roster.
The plan is for Crawford to pitch in multi-inning stints. Through four spring training outings, Crawford pitched five innings and struck out 10 batters while compiling a 1.80 ERA. Even with a strong spring, the news surprised Crawford himself.
"I didn't expect to see the (velocity) jump that I've thrown with," Crawford told reporters this week at Red Sox spring training, per MLB.com. "I was kind of surprised my first outing. I always expect to succeed when I get handed the ball. I have high confidence in everything I do. You don't make it this far not being confident in your ability. Having the success I've had, it's cool."
Crawford was called up to the big leagues last September during the Red Sox's COVID-19 outbreak. His brief tenure was not a successful one, but Red Sox manager Alex Cora offered insight on how Crawford can grow from that experience.
"I still remember when I took him out that day," Cora told reporters this week. "I said, 'You're a big leaguer. You're gonna help us.' Here's the time he's gonna help us. I do believe he's going to be good for us. He adds a different mix. The split hopefully will play. We're gonna push him to use it."
The 26-year-old prospect out of Florida Gulf Coast University will get his second chance in the big leagues straight out of the gate in the 2022 season. Crawford spoke more on his mindset heading into Opening Day.
"Whatever my role is, my job is to throw strikes whenever I get handed the ball," Crawford told reporters. "I'm just looking forward to any opportunity I get to pitch in the big leagues."
