Rule 5 Draft pick becoming 'secret weapon'

Rule 5 Draft picks tend to live on the fringes in Spring Training. They are traditionally bubble players -- otherwise they wouldn't have been made available in the first place.

However, right-hander Garrett Whitlock is turning him into something much bigger than that for the Red Sox.

He has been one of the biggest stories of camp -- a pitcher not just capable of making the team but one who can make a significant impact.

Give Red Sox manager Alex Cora credit for calling this right out of the gate. In one of Cora's first media sessions of Spring Training, back on Feb. 20, he spoke about Whitlock without being prompted to do so.

"Whitlock is a guy that I'll be paying a lot of attention to," Cora said nearly a month ago. "Wait 'till you guys [in the media] come down here, whoever comes down, and you see him. He plays the part. And the most impressive thing about him is the way he acts, the way he takes care of his body and what he does."

Whitlock, who is ranked the club's No. 30 prospect by MLB Pipeline, has put that on full display each time Cora has handed him the ball.

On Friday, Whitlock turned in the best of his four outings, striking out five of the first six Tampa Bay Rays batters he faced in the Red Sox's 11-7 victory. Overall, he went three innings and retired nine of the 10 hitters he went up against.

In his four Grapefruit League outings, Whitlock has yielded just one run over nine innings. He hasn't walked anybody. He has 12 strikeouts.

Yes, that will play.

"Staying healthy has been a big thing for sure, but for me, just not taking anything for granted anymore," said Whitlock, who has never pitched above Double-A. "Just loving every second out there, and that's what I'm focused on right now -- loving everything and listening to veterans and soaking everything up."

Those veterans are noticing the work habits and the results the 24-year-old is displaying.

"The first time I saw him throw in Spring Training, it was early in camp, and I was very impressed," said Red Sox righty Nathan Eovaldi. "He's got a great changeup, he's got great command, he's quiet. He's very focused and determined to be a part of this team, and he's doing everything [he can]. He's going about his business the right way. So I'm not surprised with what he's been able to do out there on the field just because of the way he's handling himself in and around the clubhouse and out there in the bullpen. So he's kind of our secret weapon right there."

The secret weapon, as Eovaldi called him, is in his first Spring Training since undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2019.

The Yankees left him unprotected in last December's Rule 5 Draft, and the Red Sox swooped in and took him from their top rivals.

At this point, Whitlock seems like a lock to make the team. If he didn't crack the roster, the Red Sox would have to offer him back to the Yankees for the cost of $25,000.

"What Garrett did today was impressive, but he's been doing that the whole spring," said Cora. "It's a good fastball. He's able to elevate with it late in counts and it was a great day for him."

For Whitlock, every day he is on the ballfield is now a great day. Tommy John surgery can give a pitcher a new outlook on life.

"It's meant the world," said Whitlock. "I mean, when you have an operation like Tommy John, it's never given that you're ever going to play again. And I promised myself that if I was going to get a second chance and I was going to be back on the field, I would never take a day for granted again. Every little kid's dream is to play professional baseball, and I don't care if it's at the [Gulf Coast League] level or if it's at the Major league level. I get to play a kid's game for a living and it's so much fun."

A starter in 38 of his 42 appearances in the Minor Leagues, Whitlock projects as a reliever the way the Red Sox are set up. All of his outings in Spring Training have been multi-inning relief appearances.

"My college coach told me the best pitching advice I've ever had, and that was, 'When they hand you the ball to go, get outs. You go get outs until they come take the ball away from you,'" said Whitlock. "And so whatever role that is, you know, that's always gonna be my mindset."

Barring a late surprise, Whitlock's role will include starting the 2021 season at Fenway Park with the Red Sox.