Nick Pivetta was Mr. Reliability when it came to the starting rotation of the Boston Red Sox last season.
The 30-year-old led the staff with 179 2/3 innings pitched and made 33 starts, which tied a Major League Baseball lead in 2022. This blue-collar effort stabilized Alex Cora's rotation over a rocky 162-game road and played a huge part during a year where the injured list became far too familiar within the clubhouse.
In the process, Pivetta's innings total marked a new career-high. It also served as a very solid follow-up to his 31-start, 155-inning campaign in 2021. And this is a trend that Pivetta would like to continue, entering his seventh year in the big leagues.
"I think I have a higher ceiling than I have right now," Pivetta said at spring training, according to Tara Sullivan of The Boston Globe. "I think it's all in due time. And I'm still very young. Even though I'm 30, I have a lot left in me."
Pivetta finished 10-12 with a 4.56 ERA, striking out 175 batters in his third season with the Red Sox. And after a dead-last finish in the American League East, he intends to help uplift Boston in a year where a response is needed.
He's already shown his commitment to doing his part, electing to pass on representing Team Canada in the 2023 World Baseball Classic this month.
"I just think where I'm at, I just want to focus on what I need to do to help the team win," Pivetta said. "That's where I'm at, and believe in myself. I'm with a good organization. This is a hefty league but I enjoy the challenge."
