Red Sox Prediction: Kutter Crawford

I’m not going to go overboard on this one. In previous player previews, I have dived deep into the numbers to evaluate what has gone right or wrong for said player and what we can project moving forward. That’s my job as a local baseball nerd. I’m trying to create expectations and find optimism for the upcoming baseball season.

With Kutter Crawford, however, there is no point. There is no secret weapon that is going to magically unlock his potential. None of his pitches are very good. He doesn’t strike out or walk batters at an elite clip. He had an ERA over 5 as both a starter and reliever. Lefties own him, and righties aren’t scared of him. He’s a slightly better option than local batting practice pitcher Josh Winckowski and recently DFA’d Connor Seabold, but not by much.

What Crawford has going for him is that he is a pitcher with average strikeout and walk rates with experience as both a starter and reliever. Because of that, he’s a pretty good bet to nail down that 26th spot on the Red Sox roster. So when the Red Sox are losing to the Blue Jays 8-2 on a rainy Tuesday night in June, you’ll likely be seeing Kutter Crawford jog in from the home bullpen. He’ll give up a couple of hits, a walk, and a run or two, but it’s not like it makes a difference anyway. But someone has to pitch those innings.

Season Prediction: 5.23 ERA 98 IP 3.2 BB/9 8.6 K/9