Literally the only good thing about the 2022 Red Sox was the emergence of John Schreiber. The 27-year-old journeyman started the year in Triple-A, but after getting called up in April. Schreiber quickly carved out a role as the team’s most reliable reliever. With a side-arm delivery and a nasty sinker-slider combination, Cora kept turning to Schreiber in every key situation before he understandably ran out of gas at the end of the season.
As is the case with any breakout player, the question immediately turns to whether the success was sustainable. Based on Schreiber’s advanced metrics, the answer is a resounding yes. His expected ERA and expected batting average were both in the top ten percentile in baseball, while his strikeout percentage were well above-average as well. His slider was arguably the best in baseball, generating swings-and-misses on over 40% of his swings and holding batters to a .162 average, while his fastball (.178 opponent average) isn’t too shabby either.
All of this is even more impressive when you consider how his performance fell off at the end of the season. Clearly feeling the effects of being the team’s only good reliever, Schreiber had a 3.57 ERA from August 7 with his strikeout rate and walk rate moving clearly in the wrong direction. With much more help joining him in the Red Sox bullpen this year, Cora will not be forced to turn to Schreiber at every critical moment, but Schreiber should still be one of his most trusted options in the late innings in 2023.
Stat Prediction: 2.89 ERA 64 IP 3.0 BB/9 11.4 K/9
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