FORT MYERS, Fla. — Greg Weissert was relaxing at home on the evening of Dec. 5 while Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow was working the phones. Breslow completed a deal with the rival Yankees, sending Alex Verdugo to New York for pitchers Richard Fitts, Nicholas Judice and Weissert.
“I was pretty surprised,” Weissert said Wednesday at JetBlue Park. “It caught me a little off guard. I was just sitting at home on my couch late one night, 9:30 or something like that. And the call came in and they let me know I was going to be traded. It was pretty crazy because I had been with the Yankees my whole career. So to be with a new team is definitely different but it’s exciting.”
Fitts is the top piece the Red Sox acquired in the deal but the 29-year-old Weissert is an interesting right-handed pitcher with a plus slider. He had some success with New York last season, posting a 4.05 ERA with two holds in 17 relief outings (20 innings). He has recorded a 2.90 ERA in 231 minor league outings.
In 2021, Baseball America wrote that “internal evaluators (from the Yankees) grade Weissert’s slider as the system’s best.” His BA scouting report noted he throws the pitch in the low-80s and “shows outstanding spin at nearly 2,800 rpms on average as well as an elite 19 inches of horizontal break.”
“Just sink ‘em and slide ‘em,” Weissert said about what he likes to do. “Mostly sliders.”
Weissert’s sinker — which averaged 94.1 mph last season — and slider are his two most frequently used pitches. He throws with a low three-quarter arm slot, which gives him deception. Baseball Savant actually characterizes his slider as a sweeper.
“Mostly sinkers and sliders and just trying to play them off each other,” he said.
On what makes his slider effective, he said, “I think just because of my setup and the deception I guess and general movement. I’m not exactly sure why but it seems to work.”
Weissert is focused on command, something that needs to improve. He has averaged 4.2 walks per nine innings in the minors and 3.7 walks per nine innings in the majors.
“Just really trying to throw strikes with everything,” he said. “Just keep it in the zone and let the stuff move.”
He also mixes in a cutter and changeup.
“I’ve got a lot of pitches,” he said. “I just try to throw them all for strikes. … Just offering a different look (with the cutter and changeup) so guys can’t look at one thing too much. So just having a good mix.”
Weissert grew up a Mets fan living in Bay Shore on Long Island.
“And I went to college in the Bronx (Fordham University) so it was pretty cool to be able to play there for my first big league experience,” he said.
He is looking forward to facing his old team and embracing the rivalry from the other side.
“It will be fun. I’m excited to get out there against the Yankees and get going,” he said.
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In his downtime, Weissert enjoys golfing and has an outstanding 1.5 handicap.
“I just picked it up in spring training one year, in 2017,” Weissert said. “I think we just went out one day. Bored during spring training. We didn’t have anything to do. The first couple of spring trainings, I was by myself. My wife now, she was at home. So I didn’t have much to do at spring training. So I killed time with the boys. Just go out there and play and I got addicted to it. Still addicted to it.”
Could he go pro in golf after retiring from baseball?
“No, I don’t think so,” he said, smiling.
Weissert also played volleyball at Bay Shore High. He was a setter, taking after his mom Liz and older sister Nicole. He got into it just “messing around” at Nicole’s volleyball tournaments growing up.
“So I was the same position as them,” he said.
