The 2022 Major League Baseball season wasn't a good one to Boston, but it was especially brutal for Red Sox pitcher Josh Winckowski.
Winckowski, who made his MLB debut on May 28, was forced into action following the Red Sox's initial wave of pitching injuries far earlier than anyone had predicted. If being brought up too quickly wasn't bad enough, he was forced into a starting role when prognosticators mostly viewed him as a middle-relief arm at best.
The results were what you'd expect from such a trying situation.
Winckowski went 5-7 across 15 appearances and 70 1/3 innings pitched. His 5.89 ERA was the worst of all qualifying pitchers on the Red Sox roster, thanks in part to the 10 home runs and 27 walks he issued over the course of the season. It was a rough rookie season, which led to a very serious offseason challenge being laid out.
"We all collectively challenged him over the offseason and said you can just come in here and work out, or you can try to change your career in a significant way," said Red Sox minor league pitching coach Dan DeLucia, per Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic. "He's a competitive guy and he was very open to the challenge."
The work was done to help Winckowski sharpen the way he does things on the mound. McCaffrey writes that "he developed a new grip on his slider, sharpened his cutter, increased his sinker usage, changed his windup and altered his mental approach."
Those offseason changes, plus a move to the bullpen in a full-time capacity, have paid off splendidly for the 24-year-old. Through nine relief innings across five appearances, Winckowski has a 1.00 ERA and has struck out eight batters as opposed to walking just one.
His role will only continue to grow with sustained success, which can all be contributed to a worthy challenge from the Red Sox.
