Ex-Red Sox Hurler Aided John Schreiber's Breakout Season With Revamped Offseason Program

One random conversation was the catalyst for Schreiber's rise in Boston's bullpen

Scott Neville | Feb 7, 2023

Ex-Red Sox Hurler Aided John Schreiber's Breakout Season With Revamped Offseason Program /

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Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox have a former farmhand and a three-time Cy Young winner to thank for John Schreiber's breakout campaign last season.

Schreiber entered the 2022 season with a career 5.97 ERA and 1.52 WHIP in just 29 games of work at the Major League Baseball level.

Last season the 28-year-old entered with little-to-no fanfare before tearing up the league and becoming arguably the most important member of the Red Sox's bullpen.

Schreiber posted a 2.22 ERA with a 74-to-19 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .195 batting average against, 0.99 WHIP and 190 ERA+ in 65 innings for Boston last season.

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The turnaround can be attributed to a random conversation with a teammate in Triple-A Worcester.

"In 2021 I came in (to spring training) and was throwing 88 mph," Schreiber told ITM Podcast's Steve Perrault and Joey Copponi. "I think a big part of that was just not doing enough throwing in the offseason. I was talking to Austin Brice that '21 season, we were both in Triple-A, and we were just talking about 'What are you doing this offseason to get ready for next season?'

"I remember talking to (Brice) and he said the place he was working out, Max Scherzer was working out and he said Scherzer takes one or two weeks off and then gets going.

"Last season that's kind of what I did and saw some success coming to spring training and that's kind of what I'm doing this offseason."

While a repeat of last season would be welcomed with open arms to the Red Sox's revamped bullpen, he's aiming even higher in 2023.

"I feel like I'm doing a little bit more just because I've thrown way more bullpens than I did last offseason," Schreiber said. "I'm excited to get going and see what I can do and see what the Red Sox can do this season."

Schreiber is expected to be a major factor in the Red Sox's bullpen, alongside Kenley Jansen, Chris Martin, Richard Bleier, and likely, Tanner Houck. If those five hurlers perform as expected, the bullpen will be the strongest area on the roster.

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Published Feb 7, 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