Red Sox Reliever Could Be In Line For Bigger Role In Bullpen

When the Boston Red Sox acquired Jorge Alcala from the Minnesota Twins, the reliever was on the verge of getting designated for assignment. While his numbers at the time weren’t flattering, Boston took a flier on the once-excellent reliever.

Alcala hasn’t pitched with a lead for Boston yet, but he may have earned some opportunities. He’s made some tweaks that are paying dividends and has yet to allow a run.

The major change Alcala has implemented is changing his pitch mix. Since joining the Red Sox, he’s only thrown four sliders. With Minnesota, his slider was his primary breaking ball, accounting for 22% of his arsenal. It used to be an effective offering, but opponents hit .389 against it this season.

With the Red Sox, he’s cut his mix to two pitches — a four-seam fastball and a curveball. The fastball has touched 100 mph and missed bats at a high rate. His curveball has been effective as well, inducing both weak contact and swinging strikes.

He’s also been in the zone more often. Command was an issue for Alcala in Minnesota. His walk rate before the trade was 13.2%. After the move, he’s seen his fastball zone rate rise by about 10 percent, and walked just one of the 15 hitters he’s faced.

Aroldis Chapman, Greg Weissert, and Brennan Bernardino all rank in the top 30 in appearances. If Alcala remains effective, he could shoulder some of the load and handle high-leverage opportunities.

They won’t want to lean on Alcala too often, though. When working on back-to-back days, his ERA is 7.29.