Over the last few years, the Red Sox have focused on rebuilding their farm system. One player to keep an eye on is Josh Winckowski. The Ohio native has only spent one year in the Red Sox system but showed promising signs. As Boston ended their playoff drought in 2021, he made a good first impression pitching between two levels.
In 23 games last year, Winckowski posted a 3.94 ERA. The former 15th round pick held opponents to a .241 batting average and only allowed 11 home runs. Although he did have some control issues, Winckowski pitched more than 100 innings for the second time in his career.
While Winckowski started the season in Double-A, his best stretch came in Triple-A. After being promoted to Worcester in September, he posted a 2.25 ERA in two starts. Against more advanced competition, he held opponents to a .122 batting average and recorded 12 strikeouts. The Estero High School product limited baserunners as he finished the season in impressive fashion.
Here's new Mets prospect Josh Winckowski throwing last year.
MLB Pipeline ranks the 22-year-old as the No. 26 prospect in the Mets system.
FanGraphs reports that the sinkerballer was up to 97 during instructs and added a splitter. pic.twitter.com/bHIe9qMXN5
— Michael Mayer (@mikemayer22) January 28, 2021
What Winckowski will look to improve on in 2022
When baseball does resume, Winckowski will be looking to build on his performance in Worcester. Before the promotion, he had allowed 46 earned runs in 100 innings of work. He had also walked 30 batters and allowed 100 hits. However, as his control improved, he showed flashes of the pitcher he could be. With his MLB debut projected to come in 2022, continued improvement will be key in a system full of talent.
With the regular season hopefully only months away, Winckowski is currently the Red Sox’s 20th best prospect. He is also one of the key returns from the Andrew Benintendi deal. While the Red Sox have built up their pitching depth, Winckowski will only be one phone call away when injures inevitably occur at the major league level.
As Winckowski continues to adjust to more advanced competition, consistency will be critical. He possesses a fastball that reaches the high nineties and a solid splitter. If he can develop a third pitch, he may have a future home in the Red Sox rotation. Regardless of when the season starts, he will be a player to watch after a strong finish to his 2021 campaign.
-Jamie Gatlin ( JamieGatlin17 on Twitter)
( Featured Image credit to Norm Hall/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
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