Boston Red Sox pitching prospect Connelly Early makes first start with Triple-A Worcester, impresses his new manager.
WORCESTER — Before Connelly Early tossed his first Triple-A pitch, the Red Sox prospect painted a pretty clear picture for how he wants to perform on the hill.
“I go out there every single time just trying to be as electric as possible,” Early said.
With Early making his WooSox debut Saturday, the 23-year-old lefty pitched 3⅔ innings, giving up two hits, allowing five walks and striking out two.
Following the WooSox 4-3 loss in 10 innings, Early was optimistic about his first start in AAA — despite some jitters and free passes. The electricity was certainly there.
“Always fun to pitch in a new place,” Early told the T&G postgame. “We went over everything and felt good going into it, so just went out there and did my thing.”
After learning he’d been promoted to Triple A from Double-A Portland along with fellow pitcher David Sandlin last Sunday, Early met with the media at Polar Park Tuesday and shared his — and the Red Sox organization’s — pitching philosophy.
“Throw nasty stuff in the zone,” Early said.
On Saturday, Early relied heavily on his slider — throwing it 36 times and producing 16 swings and four whiffs on the pitch. The 6-foot-3 lefty also threw his four-seam fastball (14 times), changeup (12), sinker (7) and one curveball.
Overall, Early tossed 70 pitches — 40 of them for strikes — and topped up at 94.5 miles per hour on his sinker and 94.1 on his fastball. The plan going into his first WooSox start was to throw roughly 75 pitches.
Mission accomplished.
“He kept zeros on the board,” WooSox manager Chad Tracy said. “So, I think he’s got better in there, for sure. But I was encouraged by the stuff, and I think as he continues to pitch here and get comfortable here, he’s going to be a good one.”
Early was encouraged from his Worcester debut. The No. 5 ranked prospect in the Red Sox system, according to MLB.com, hopes to continue to bring electricity to the mound.
“Definitely build from today,” Early said. “I feel like, I was just trying too hard to be in the zone. I just need to trust myself and go out there and not pick around, just throw it in the zone and attack hitters. So I feel like that’s what the focus will be in the upcoming week, especially my bullpen, just trust my stuff, let my stuff be free and go out there and do it in the pen.
“So then I take it into the game and feel good.”
—Contact Tommy Cassell at [email protected]. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @tommycassell44.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Red Sox prospect Connelly Early makes Triple-A debut with WooSox
Category: Baseball
