Ex-Red Sox Hurler Joins Rockies In Attempt To Revitalize Career

The veteran journeyman believes he still has some gas in the tank

Scott Neville | Jan 9, 2023

Ex-Red Sox Hurler Joins Rockies In Attempt To Revitalize Career /

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A former member of the Boston Red Sox is on the comeback trail after spending all of 2022 in the minor leagues.

The Colorado Rockies signed left-handed reliever Fernando Abad to a minor-league deal with a non-roster invite to spring training according to the New York Post's Jon Heyman on Monday.

The 37-year-old was a 2016 Major League Baseball trade deadline acquisition by former Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski.

The deal was a one-for-one swap with the Minnesota Twins, and cost Boston former flamethrower-turned-Red Sox pundit Pat Light.

Abad got off to a rough start in Boston, but remained on the roster for the 2017 season, where he was quite productive.

The journeyman posted a 3.99 ERA with a 49-to-22 strikeout-to-walk ratio and 1.33 WHIP in 56 1/3 innings in a Red Sox uniform.

Abad will not have his number hung up on the right-field deck, but he did become a reliable member of the 2017 bullpen despite battling adversity in his first few months as a member of the Red Sox.

The southpaw spent last season in the Seattle Mariners organization and made his last MLB appearance with the Baltimore Orioles in 2021.

He posted a 5.60 ERA with a 10-to-7 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 17 2/3 innings with the O's.

Now a part of the Rockies organization, he'll attempt to revive his career, similar to former Red Sox closer Daniel Bard.

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Published Jan 9, 2023

SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the Boston Red Sox for Sports Illustrated's new page "Inside The Red Sox." Before starting "Inside The Red Sox", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer. His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join the Sports Illustrated Media Group in his current endeavor as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Red Sox" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu