 |
| 'Don't Walk This Way!' |
One of the nagging doubts about new Red Sox closer
Joel Hanrahan is the disturbing rise in his walk rate between 2011 and 2012—more than doubling from 6% to 14%. Hanrahan points to a brace he had to wear on an injured ankle as the reason for the jump in free passes, and insists it won't be a problem going forward. Even with the higher walk rate, he still collected 36 saves with a 2.72 ERA. Nevertheless, new Red Sox manager
John Farrell and new pitching coach
Juan Nieves have already spoken to Hanrahan about dealing with the issue. This was something the Red Sox were fully aware of going in, and they seem to be addressing it with the proper amount of concern—even at this early stage.
