The Crimson Sox pitching employees goes to look so much completely different in 2026. It’s the start of December, and the roster at the moment contains 13 pitchers with expertise beginning video games within the main leagues. That quantity contains Garrett Whitlock and Jordan Hicks, each of whom will nearly actually work out of the bullpen, nevertheless it’s effectively above the usual 5 or six-man rotation that the majority groups deploy no matter their inclusion.
The newest acquisition is Johan Oviedo, a mountain of a person getting into his sixth main league season. Craig Breslow mentioned that any additions to the pitching employees wanted to maneuver the needle on the entrance of the rotation, and Oviedo is hardly a family title. Is Craig Breslow a liar? Is Johan Oviedo an all-star primed to interrupt out? In all probability, the commerce possible had as a lot to do with including depth to the system because it did the headliner, however that doesn’t imply there isn’t so much to love in regards to the new acquisition.
Oviedo solely threw 40 1/3 innings in 2025, posting a really strong 3.57 ERA. Whereas 40 innings isn’t a big pattern, Oviedo displayed promising weapons over his 9 begins. The primary of which is his four-seam fastball. As I discussed, Oviedo is big, and he makes use of all of his 6’6” body. He strides down the mound effectively, averaging 7.4 ft of extension. At about 95 mph, his fastball will get on hitters in a rush. Along with releasing from far down the mound, he releases from a low slot, creating an extremely flat strategy angle. The pitch returned a 12.2% swinging strike charge and a .149 batting common in opposition to. With outlier traits, it’s the inspiration for an awesome arsenal.
The righty additionally options two breaking balls — a curveball and a slider. The slider is tough at about 87 mph, whereas the curveball is available in nearer to 78 mph and has extra depth. The swinging strike charge on both pitch isn’t by the roof, however the numbers are strong, and he throws every pitch within the strike zone steadily. Every pitch holds a strike charge of simply above 65%, which is necessary for Oviedo for causes I’ll get into later.
Okay it’s later. Oviedo struck out nearly 25% of the hitters he confronted in 2025. He additionally walked 13.5% of them. Whereas he was in a position to get strikes with every of his breaking balls, his fastball command was nonexistent. The zone charge was low at 45%, whereas the strike charge was just under 55%. Thankfully, this hasn’t at all times been the case for Oviedo, and 40 innings is hardly a big pattern. He missed all of 2024 with an harm, and most of 2025 with an harm, so it could possibly be a case of discovering his really feel for the pitch with extra time on the mound. On prime of that, the pitch’s form helps compensate for errors. Flat fastballs play greatest on the prime of the strike zone, however they’re additionally usually tougher to sq. up over the plate.
Whereas rising his fastball strike charge is essential to chop down on walks, Oviedo’s capacity to succeed together with his breaking balls within the strike zone shouldn’t be neglected. When he wasn’t throwing his fastball for strikes, he turned to his slider extra usually, throwing it within the zone 54% of the time. Each the onerous hit charge and batting common in opposition to the pitch have been very low, regardless of being in hittable areas. His curveball wasn’t within the zone as steadily (45%), however had related contact numbers.
Whereas his fastball led his pitches in swinging strikes on pitches thrown within the zone, every of his choices did the job. Amongst beginning pitchers with at the least 250 pitches thrown, his 14.7% in-zone swinging strike charge ranked fifteenth, larger than every other starter on the Crimson Sox employees. If the Crimson Sox can get Oviedo’s four-seam strike charge nearer to even 60%, his stroll charge ought to plummet, and he’ll be a superb mid-rotation possibility, if not higher.
For the sake of completeness, he throws a sinker and a changeup as effectively. He makes use of every pitch early in counts — the sinker to righties and the changeup to lefties — to steal strikes. Like his fastball, he didn’t management both pitch effectively sufficient to return excessive strike charges. If his command improves, they might change into viable choices, however his four-seam ought to be the next precedence.
