Former Power Hitter Dominating In Red Sox System As Hard-Throwing Reliever

The new Red Sox bullpen weapon hit 31 homers in 2019

Scott Neville | Sep 28, 2022

Former Power Hitter Dominating In Red Sox System As Hard-Throwing Reliever /

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Boston Red Sox

Do the Boston Red Sox have the next Shohei Ohtani on their hands?

Absolutely not, but prospect Michael Gettys still provided one of the most intriguing storylines of the 2022 minor league season.

The 26-year-old was previously most known for his 2019 season with the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas (San Diego Padres affiliate), where he hit .256 with 65 extra-base hits including 31 home runs and 91 RBIs in 128 games.

After being acquired by the Red Sox, he was assigned to Triple-A Worcester where he was never able to take the next step, hitting .201 with 12 extra-base hits and 14 RBIs in 46 games in 2021.

With his play trending in the wrong direction, he decided to attempt to reinvent his career, this time on the mound. The now right-handed reliever played the final five games of his 2021 season in the Florida Complex League, where he allowed two earned runs in five innings.

This year was a breakout season for Gettys, who went 4-1 with seven saves in eight opportunities, posted a 2.23 ERA and a 31-to-15 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 48 1/3 innings between High-A Greenville and Double-A Portland.

He finished the season on an incredible note, as his promotion to the Sea Dogs appeared to breathe new life into Gettys. The 6-foot-1, 217-pound reliever posted a 0.48 ERA with a .167 batting average against in 18 2/3 innings at the Double-A level.

Gettys features a fastball that tops out at 95 mph and a breaking ball that could be defined as either a curveball or slider. He pitches to contact and still needs to develop a stronger pitch mix but has been highly productive in his first professional season as a pitcher.

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Published Sep 28, 2022

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