FORT MYERS, Fla. – Eric Gagné was one of Red Sox prospect Luis Guerrero’s two favorite pitchers growing up.
“I was playing PlayStation and I saw this guy who throws hard, great offspeed stuff,” Guerrero said through translator Carlos Villoria Benítez on Sunday at JetBlue Park. “And I decided to research more about him. And that’s why I really liked him. He, for me, is one of the best and also Pedro Martinez as well.”
Gagné, who won the NL Cy Young in 2003 when he converted a perfect 55-of-55 save opportunities for the Dodgers, often reached 100 mph with his heater.
“I like his aggressiveness on the mound,” Guerrero said.
Like Gagné, Guerrero throws heat. He topped out at 102 mph last year, he said. He was up to 100.1 mph after a late-season promotion to Triple-A Worcester, per Statcast. He posted a 2.32 ERA and 1.23 WHIP in 49 relief outings (54 ⅓ innings) combined between Double-A Portland and Worcester last year. Opponents batted just .157 against him.
Guerrero is here in Red Sox big league camp as a non-roster invitee. The 23-year-old righty has held opponents to only a .167 batting average in his two minor league seasons (93 ⅓ innings).
He’s certainly someone who could contribute to the Red Sox bullpen in 2024. MassLive listed him as one of 10 prospects with a chance to make his MLB debut this season.
“Of course that’s my main goal this year,” Guerrero said. “But not only getting there. It’s staying there and being able to establish myself there. And of course stay healthy throughout the season.”
Guerrero needs to improve his command. While he’s averaged 12.2 strikeouts per nine innings in pro ball, he’s also averaged 5.2 walks.
He reached 100 mph for the first time in 2021, the year the Red Sox drafted him in the 17th round (496th overall) out of Chipola College.
“My last year in college I noticed my arm was getting stronger and stronger,” Guerrero said. ‘Since then, I’ve never stopped working. My goal was to throw 100 mph.”
Guerrero also throws a split-finger fastball and sweeper.
“I think my splitter was very good (last year),” he said. “After my fastball, that’s my second best pitch. I know that’s a pitch I can mix in with the fastball and blend in very well for the hitters.”
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He said the split-finger fastball can be put stress on his arm sometimes.
“So that’s why I keep on working on getting my elbow stronger, so I’m able to throw that pitch for strikes,” Guerrero said.
It plays well with his fastball because the release point is the same with both pitches.
“But the fastball goes vertically up and the splitter goes down,” he said. “So the hitters have a tough time to see the difference between the pitches and make a decision on it.”
Guerrero underwent right knee surgery as a 1-year-old and the muscles in the area are underdeveloped. He still walks with a limp. So how is he able to be so explosive on the mound delivering the ball to the plate?
“I’ve lived my whole life with my leg like this,” he said. “So I think for me, it’s nothing different. I feel like my (right) leg is stronger than the other leg. For me, it’s just something I’m used to. It’s nothing really different.”
Guerrero was selected to pitch in the Futures Game at Seattle’s T-Mobile Park last year. Back then, manager Alex Cora praised him for his heart and the courage to overcome his physical disability.
“He has his limitations and for him to throw 100 with that split (is impressive),” Cora said last June. “I saw him in spring training walking around one day after a workout. And I didn’t know the whole story. I saw him walking and I was like, ‘Are you OK?’ And then he told me what happened. I felt so bad because I didn’t know. But then it’s like a lot of respect for him because he was the first one in the gym when we were there and he didn’t have to. He was always available when we brought him in as a backup pitcher.”
Guerrero called being selected for the Futures Game “a dream come true.”
“Some guys that had already been told me that if I had the opportunity to go to take advantage of it. Like (Brayan) Bello and (Ceddanne) Rafaela went before. So they talked to me about it,” he said. “So I think all adversity has a reason. I just try to be an example for everybody else. I try to get them to understand that everything has a reason. And if I can do it, everybody else can do it.”
