FORT MYERS, Fla. – After putting up a 0.00 ERA in the first nine major league appearances of his career in 2024, Red Sox rookie Luis Guerrero is one to watch this spring.
“If he throws strikes he’s gonna be good for us,” Cora said. “He did that last year towards the end.”
Born in the Dominican Republic and raised in Boston, Guerrero grew up dreaming of playing for the Red Sox, idolizing players like Pedro Martinez and David Ortiz. In 2021 the Red Sox drafted him in the 17th round, and he began a rapid ascent through the farm system.
These days, approximately 10% of minor leaguers will make their major league debuts. Guerrero is on a much shorter list: players who’ve reached the big show with a lifelong disability. He was just a year old when he underwent knee surgery and needed to be hospitalized for nine months.
The limp and limited mobility in his knee belie what the right-hander, 24, can do on the mound. His four-seam fastball can hit triple digits on the radar gun. He also boasts a slider and changeup, the latter an effective weapon against left-handed hitters.
The sample size is small – 10 big-league innings and 133 pitches thrown – but promising: better than league average strikeout (25%), walk (5.6%), and hard-hit (36%) rates. His four-seamer averaged 97.5 mph, the fastest on the pitching staff and in the 94th MLB percentile.
That Guerrero reported to camp ready to earn a spot in the big-league bullpen wasn’t surprising. Resolute and persevering, he’s regarded as one of the hardest-working pitchers in the organization.
“He put (in) work in the offseason,” Cora said. “He gained 20 pounds. He looks tremendous, stronger than last year. He’s on a mission.”
Most impressive to Cora, though, is Guerrero’s mindset.
“He’s not afraid,” he said. “Everybody knows his story, so why be afraid?”
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