People in Red Sox prospect Austin Ehrlicher’s hometown of Santa Rosa, Calif. considered him more of a basketball player than a baseball player growing up.
“I would always play basketball and then come into baseball season a little late and kind of have to catch up,” Ehrlicher said.
The 6-foot-2, 215-pound righty has struck out 10 without allowing an earned run in 6 innings so far for Low-A Salem. He pitched 3 innings and allowed two hits and one walk while striking out three against Carolina in his professional debut April 7. He again tossed 3 innings in his second appearance April 14. He allowed three hits and no walks while striking out seven vs. Delmarva.
The 20-year-old throws a fastball in the 92-94 mph range, slider and changeup. But he probably wouldn’t be where he is today if it wasn’t for his high school coach calling to ask him to come out for the baseball team as a senior.
“A lot of people don’t know, I actually quit baseball for nine months during COVID to just focus on basketball,” Ehrlicher said.
Ehrlicher gave up baseball following his junior year of high school. He worked out to increase body strength, speed and athleticism for basketball. He went from a 3-point shooter to an all-around basketball player who could throw down windmill dunks his senior year.
“Then my high school baseball coach called me up when the baseball season was about to start and asked me if I wanted to play. I said I’d give it a shot.”
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During the process of increasing his strength for basketball, he unintentionally gained arm strength (velo). He said he began long tossing with a friend “just for fun” and was able to throw a baseball more than the length of a football field. But he still had no plans to return to baseball until his high school coach called.
“I was always a good baseball player — I could pitch, I could hit — but I was throwing 81, 83 mph my junior year,” Ehrlicher said. “Didn’t play a ton. But yeah, I quit baseball and just really worked on my body for nine months.
“My first game that I started senior year of high school, I threw like 5 innings and one of the guys came up to me after the game and told me that I was up to 91 (mph),” he added. “I had never been close to 90 in my life. It’s not really something I was trying to do.”
Baseball soon became his top sport over basketball.
“Senior year of high school is when it kind of switched for me,” he said. “I just really enjoyed playing the game.”
He didn’t give up basketball though.
“I’d play a full baseball game — I’d pitch. I’d hit — and then I’d show up either for a full game of basketball or one time I showed up for the fourth quarter,” he said. “So it was a pretty packed schedule playing baseball and basketball at the same time.”
Pitchers often increase arm strength and velocity simply by long tossing.
“I think it was just the fun of it, I guess,” he said about long tossing with his friend after he quit baseball. “Yeah, I didn’t have any plans to necessarily go back. But once my coach called me, I kind of thought about it and realized it was something I had been doing my whole life and wouldn’t want to skip out on my senior year of baseball. So it started out just for the fun of it, I guess.”
What does he account for the increase in velocity from junior to senior year?
“I went from 6-2, not super athletic, couldn’t really dunk in basketball to windmill dunking in games,” he said. “Throwing long toss. Getting a little bit more physical. So I think all of that combined just created the ability for me to throw harder.”
Ehrlicher went on to play both baseball and basketball at Santa Rosa Junior College in his hometown. He shot 38.7% from 3-point range during the 2021-22 season at Santa Rosa, where his dad also had once played basketball. He shot 47.2% overall in 24 games (six starts) that season.
“My whole life, that was my main thing — being a shooter,” he said. “I kind of got more athletic (after junior year of high school) and was able to round out the game a little bit.”
The Red Sox drafted him in the 18th round in 2022 but he didn’t sign immediately. He returned for another baseball season at Santa Rosa. The new collective bargaining agreement (2022-26) allows teams to draft-and-follow junior college players for a year. Because Ehrlicher remained in junior college for the 2023 season, he didn’t have to make a decision on whether to sign with Boston until June 2023. He ultimately decided to sign with the Red Sox instead of transferring to Arizona State. Boston inked him to a $200,000 bonus.
“Went through the junior college season and kind of had that injury at the end of the season with the elbow,” Ehrlicher said. “I just talked to everyone and ultimately decided that rehabbing with the Red Sox would be my best option. So that’s kind of the way I went with it. I’m glad I did it because it worked out great.”
The rehab went well and he avoided surgery. He’s sitting around 92-94 mph with his four-seam fastball right now.
“Obviously I’m still progressing to throwing harder. The harder I throw, I think the more effective it’s going to be,” he said.
Ehrlicher’s four-seamer plays best when he throws it up in the strike zone.
“I think over the last year I’ve realized that,” he said. “So when I’m throwing my fastball, I’m just kind of thinking middle and let it play up in the zone. And that’s kind of what’s worked best for me.”
His slider — which he throws 84-85 mph — is his best secondary pitch.
“It’s definitely more of a sweeper,” he said. “I think I’m in a pretty good place with that pitch. … It’s definitely got some sweep to it.
“Last year in junior college, it was definitely less of a sweeper,” Ehrlicher added. “It was a little bit harder, a little bit less movement. But as I got to throwing bullpens with the Red Sox, it kind of just turned into that. I guess it wasn’t necessarily on purpose but we both liked the pitch and I think it’s a good one to keep progressing. So it’s kind of what it’s turned into.”
He has been throwing his changeup for approximately three years.
“Right now it’s my third pitch,” he said. “I throw it the least amount. But I’ll mix it into lefties and I’m starting to mix it into righties, too.”
Ehrlicher throws from a high three-quarters arm slot.
“I could watch (Jacob) deGrom pitch all day,” he said. “I don’t think we necessarily move the same but just his rhythm, his timing is something that I look for. When I watch him, I think it creates a better feel for me on the mound. Just as smooth as possible until the last second. That’s something he does extremely well. So watching him is something I always do.”
The Red Sox have encouraged him to pound the strike zone with all his pitches. Filling up the strike zone quickly became an organizational philosophy with Craig Breslow taking over as chief baseball officer.
“The main thing I’m focusing on right now is just being able to throw strikes with all three of my pitches,” Ehrlicher said. “Last outing was the best I’ve felt with that in a while. So I think that’s progressed well. Just continuing to improve my arsenal, improve my velocity, improve my health. Those things are going to be able to round out my game as a pitcher.”
He does miss basketball.
“I miss playing the games,” he said. “I tell my dad all the time that I don’t necessarily miss the practices. But games were always fun. I’ll shoot around here and there.”
