Lefty Jojo Ingrassia isn’t the hardest thrower in the Red Sox minor league system but he induces plenty of swing and miss.
The 21-year-old has 43 strikeouts in 24 ⅔ innings, an average of 15.7 punch-outs per nine innings. He has struck out 43.9% of the 98 batters he has faced for Low-A Salem.
It’s the deception in his delivery that confuses hitters. SoxProspects.com noted that his fastball “jumps on hitters”
“I like the way it comes out of my hand and gives a ride-run situation to the hitters,” Ingrassia said. “If you look at my mechanics, I’m really deceptive when it comes out (of the hand). So that’s how it jumps on hitters.”
The Red Sox drafted Ingrassia in the 14th round in 2023 out of Cal State Fullerton. He has a 1.46 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in 11 outings (two starts) for Salem. Opponents are batting just .184 against him.
He tries to consistently throw his fastball in the strike zone to induce weak contact and swing-and-miss.
“I’ve been able to throw a couple this year that start on the outer third and run off the plate and still get some swings just from the movement in my arm slot,” Ingrassia said.
It’s all about hiding the baseball until it leaves his hand.
“It’s definitely intentional,” Ingrassia said. “I grew up never throwing the hardest. So I had to learn to get outs other ways. And it’s mainly I just keep the ball behind my body for a really long time. I’m told you don’t see the ball ever until it’s coming out of my hand. And I have sort of a crossfire release. So it looks like I’m going to release the ball coming in from behind the lefty. And I guess that’s just part of the reason it’s so hard to see.”
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He’s topped out at 94-95 mph with his fastball this year. He averages approximately 92 mph.
“I’m definitely looking to add velocity through programs, maybe unlocking it through some mechanical changes,” he said.
Ingrassia said his fastball is a four-seamer but “it profiles more of a two-seam.”
He also throws a changeup and slider “that’s more of a sweeper.” His sweeper/slider sits around 80-84 mph. He describes it as having “the flat, sort of long, horizontal break that we’re seeing take over baseball.”
“It’s a really good out pitch to lefties, especially from where I throw,” he said. “And it comes out going away from them.”
He’s also been effective using it early in counts against right-handed hitters to get ahead. It sets up his changeup to throw with two strikes.
“Getting something that’s breaking in on them so they are sort of self-conscious about the inside pitch and thinking they have to get to it,” Ingrassia said. “And then I can either throw my changeup, which fades away and get a swing and miss, or I can throw a fastball off of it and freeze them. Just a really effective pitch I can use to anybody.”
He described his changeup as a “split-change.” He started throwing it last year and it’s quickly developed into one of his best pitches, especially when he’s ahead in counts. It tunnels well off his fastball.
Ingrassia has begun throwing it to lefties this year after previously throwing it primarily to righties.
“I’ve been pretty effective doing that, which I’m really happy about,” Ingrassia said. “It just gives me another pitch to throw. It gives them something else to think about instead of just having fastball/slider.”
He said a lot of his confidence comes from his teammates and coaches always helping him improve and reinforcing that he has good stuff and that he needs to keep throwing it in the zone.
Ingrassia past two outings have been starts after he worked as a multi-inning reliever in his first nine games. Is he a starter now?
“I’m not 100%,” he said. “It’s kind of just been, ‘Here’s the ball, you’re starting’ or ‘you’re coming out of the pen following (Jedixson) Paez,’ who’s a great guy to follow. I mean, I don’t really care either way what I am. I just want to help the organization as best I can. And whatever it takes to move me up in levels, I’m here for it. As long as the ball’s in my hand, I don’t care what inning. I just love to be out there pitching and doing the things I love to do.”
He grew up modeling his game after future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers.
“It just started as a little kid growing up in San Diego,” Ingrassia said. “I watched him dominate the Padres day in and day out. And as a lefty, I was like, ‘If I can be like that guy, I could make a career out of this.’ Growing up, every kid wants to be a pro athlete. And that was just the guy I saw. I loved the way he carried himself on the field, the pitches he threw, the way he just went about everything.
“Obviously as a young kid watching him dominate, it’s a guy you want to model your game after,” Ingrassia added. “You play your rivals at least four times a year and I watched every one of the games he pitched. I would sit there with my dad and we’d just talk about how good he was, the things he did and the things I can incorporate into my game. He became one of my favorite players to watch and a guy I tried to be like on the field.”
Ingrassia worked out of the bullpen in college. He struck out 64 batters in 54 ⅔ innings during his college career (10.5 strikeouts per nine innings). He also averaged 13.8 strikeouts in his nine outings (eight starts) in the Alaska League (collegiate summer league) in 2021.
“It’s not that important to me,” he said about strikeouts. “I mean I love striking guys out. It’s awesome. It’s fun. … I don’t really think about it. I just go out there and try to throw pitches in the zone. Luckily, they miss. I think my deception plays into it.”
Ingrassia’s superstition
Ingrassia would eat just one meal before his starts in high school.
“Just going to class super early in the morning and having games right after (school), I would only eat one meal,” he said. “And I was pitching really well. I got superstitious and I was like, ‘I have to keep this going.’ When I went to college, it kind of faded away because I was coming out of the bullpen and it was super hard to just have energy only eating once a day, especially coming out in the back end of games. You start a game at 7, you could be coming out at 9 o’clock. And if you only eat one meal at 1 (p.m.), it starts to dwell on you a bit.
“But I really picked it up again when I was starting in summer ball after my freshman year,” he added. “And I threw pretty well there, kept it going and then started coming out of the pen at the end of games again so I started eating more. But the two starts I have had this year, I have eaten only one meal before.”
A dominant pitching staff
Several of Ingrassia’s Salem teammates are pitching well .
Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz, a 20-year-old righty who MassLive ranked Boston’s No. 22 prospect entering 2024, has a 3.06 ERA in eight outings (seven starts).
Jedixson Paez, a 20-year-old righty from Venezuela, has a 2.53 ERA in seven outings (five starts).
Blake Wehunt, a 23-year-old righty who Boston drafted in the ninth round in 2023 out of Kennesaw State, has a 2.22 ERA in seven starts.
“I love our team,” Ingrassia said. “All of us are doing our part to try to make this team as best as we can.”
Ingrassia and Wehunt are roommates.
“He’s always in the zone,” Ingrassia said about Wehunt. “He’s a great guy. It’s fun to always be around him. He’s always in a good mood. He’s always throwing well and always competing. Even the days he doesn’t have his best stuff, he’s always in the zone competing and just working as hard as he can to be the best pitcher he can. It’s always fun to be around other guys who are dominating because you can throw ideas off of them. You can learn off of them. He’s a great guy to just talk to, learn from.”
