Red Sox' top surprise uses upper-90s heat differently from Garrett Crochet
Rookie Hunter Dobbins beat the Yankees for the second time in a week last Saturday, allowing just two hits and one walk while striking out five in 6 scoreless innings.
But the 25-year-old righty — who will start for the Red Sox on Friday against the Giants in San Francisco — didn't blow away the Yankees in the same way as ace Garrett Crochet did the night before.
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Dobbins has been Boston's most consistent starter behind Crochet. And he throws with about the same velo. Dobbins is in the 75th percentile among major leaguers in average fastball velocity (95.7 mph) while Crochet ranks in the 78th percentile (96.0 mph).
But Dobbins (4-1, 3.74 ERA) threw zero four-seam fastballs to Aaron Judge last Saturday. He used six curveballs, four sliders, four splitters and two sweepers to retire Judge three times (two swinging strikeouts, one groundout to third).
That's much different from Crochet's attack plan against Judge the night before when the ace struck him out three times before giving up a 443-foot, 115.5 mph solo homer to the reigning AL MVP to tie the game 1-1 in the ninth inning. Of the 21 pitches Crochet threw to Judge, 17 were four-seam fastballs.
So why didn't Dobbins — who topped out at 98.2 mph against the Yankees — use the same heat against the star slugger?
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Dobbins said his fastball doesn't have the same elite shape as Crochet's heater.
'He, also being from the left side, throws hard and hitters don't see that as often,' Dobbins said. 'And he has a little bit more ride and a little run than mine. He can use his as that power fastball. I have to set guys up a little bit more if I want to be able to use it that same way.'
Dobbins has been Boston's biggest rotation surprise this year.
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He was behind Richard Fitts, Quinn Priester and Cooper Criswell on the starting pitching depth chart in spring training. But 76 games into the 2025 season, he has thrown the fourth most innings (55 ⅓) among Red Sox pitchers.
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Dobbins has done it this season with above-average command/control. He is in the 93rd percentile among major league pitchers in walk percentage (4.8)
He has shown his fastball doesn't need the same elite shape as Crochet's but can he work to make it more like Crochet's? Dobbins' expected batting average against the four-seamer is 69 points higher than Crochet's.
'The fastball's one of those things that, if you're gonna throw a four-seam, your shape is your shape,' Dobbins explained. 'There's not really much you can do to change it drastically. There might be little tweaks but overall that's more of, I have to be smart and I have to set up my pitches the other way.'
Dobbins saw an uptick in velocity during the second half last year. He put himself in a better position to maintain that mid-to-upper 90s velocity for a full season by adding weight in the offseason. As he said recently, 'I know to hold up for 162-plus (games) I couldn't be at 180, 200 pounds, so I got up to 210 now.'
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Dobbins has increased his velocity without a focus on weighted balls like many pitchers use these days.
'Kind of old school, get in the weight room, lift,' he said. 'I like to long toss a lot, so yeah, stretch it out. Kind of throw it as far as I can. Let the body adjust that way. But then also I just let the body build up through the year. We're getting to that point where the body should start to be peaking a little bit. Weather's warming up, so start throwing a little harder with that. But yeah, just kinda old school ways.'
How far does he long toss?
'I haven't really measured it, but I try to get at least over a football field. But I don't have an exact number.'
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Dobbins also likes to toss the football around, even before his starts.
'Physically, it gets my shoulder going,' Dobbins said. 'Kind of loosens it up. It's a way that I can kind of get moving, bounce around, be athletic. Do a different motion than throwing a baseball. Mentally, it's something I've always done so it just kind of helps me relax, kind of get in the zone. Just kind of gets the day started right.'
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