Four of a Kind For Kipper

Granted, Pawtucket Red Sox pitching coach Bob Kipper served as Boston's bullpen coach in 2002. And last season, after Torey Lovullo replaced John Farrell as interim manager which prompted the Red Sox to promote Kipper from Pawtucket to Boston to be their bullpen coach on August 17, Kipper admitted his time as a coach in the Major Leagues was filed under the heading of "You're never too old to learn."

"I believe we never stop learning," said Kipper, who last season worked with a quartet of Boston's top young pitchers. "As much as someone like me who's been in this game for my entire adult life (he pitched in the Major Leagues for eight seasons before transitioning into a coach), I never contend that I know it all.

"The seven weeks I spent with Boston (last August & September) really exposed me to how much preparation- not that I didn't understand preparation is a big part of helping our players perform - but how much preparation is involved in helping our players become more well informed. It's not just how much information but trying to get them the right information.

"How can the information helps this guy's game - and individualizing it a little bit more," added Kipper. "That probably was the biggest thing for me, not having been in the Major League environment since 2002."

Of course the way information is provided now as compared with when Kipper pitched in the majors in the 1980s and early 1990s is more refined.

"The amount of video that coaches watch is invaluable," said Kipper. "It enables us to identify a tendency, a weakness, a strength, a predictable pattern or something that might give us an advantage."

Suffice to say Kipper watched enough video, in Pawtucket and Boston, that each of four young pitchers - Henry Owens, Noe Ramirez, Eduardo Rodriguez and Brian Johnson - all made the jump from Triple A to the Red Sox.

Henry Owens

Owens, a 6-foot-7, 220-pound lefty, was one of two rookie starting pitchers who made their Major League debut last season Boston.

Even though Owens' record only was 3-8 with Pawtucket, he did record an impressive 3.17 ERA over 21 starts replete with 87 hits in 122 innings plus 103 strikeouts.

Then, in 11 Boston starts, Owens was 4-4 with a 4.57 ERA and 50 strikeouts in 63 innings.

But one problem Owens must overcome is his tendency to issue walks.

In 517 career minor league innings, he's walked 230 batters.

"You identify so many things that become a challenge for Owens," said Kipper. "First of all, don't discount that fact he's 23 years old. At 23, you're not supposed to have all the answers. You're not perfect. There are going to be some bumps in the road and there have been some for Henry. But he's managed those bumps in the road professionally.

"That speaks to the intangible skill set he clearly has."

One "bump in the road" Owens must learn to traverse is his size (in a sense he's a mini-version of Randy Johnson).

"He has a 6-foot-7 frame," said Kipper. "It's the way he was born. He also has size 17 feet. Right away there's a physical challenge Henry has and he's trying to get all these parts to work together, to work in synch, to deliver the baseball and command the baseball.

"We have youth. We have his overall physicality. Now, we saw a young man, and this was a big area of discussion last year with Henry Owens, up until the middle of June he was issuing about 5 ½ walks per nine innings."

Despite that stat, Kipper is adamant about Owens not being rushed even though he was promoted to Boston.

"Everybody develops in their own time and their own way," said Kipper. "What I knew about Henry Owens was he's a diligent worker. He was putting in the time and making the effort and doing the right things that ultimately were going to come together to help him create greater consistency and success. He did that.

"Even up until the middle of June, he was having some starts where you began to see some things start to come together. You would see a four-pitch walk and then you'd see him respond and put together two or three really good at-bats and get off the mound.

"Maybe early in the season, it would be a four-pitch walk followed by a five-pitch walk followed by a 2-0 count where he wasn't making the necessary adjustments to put himself back on track," continued Kipper. "These things were beginning to develop last year and we got to the middle of June and we really started to see the benefits of all the time and work Henry put in."

One game in particular that sticks in Kipper's mind was played on June 14 against Toledo.

"I remember a game here against Toledo and (Tigers D.H.) Victor Martinez was rehabbing and was in their lineup," recalled Kipper. "Henry went six really efficient innings (four hits, one run, one walks and seven whiffs) and he never looked back.

"When you look at what he did in a two-month period leading up to his call to the big leagues it really is incredible. I don't look at the 5 ½ walks over the first 2 ½ months of the season. I look at what he did following that and how he put himself in position where he was able to command the baseball with much greater frequency which now translates into fewer walks, greater pitch efficiency, more success, and pitching deeper into games.

"It was really nice to see him do those things when he was in Boston last year," added Kipper. "I feel it's essential that he continues to do the things that allowed him to be successful last year. There was a lot of growth and maturity from Henry."

If there's one operative word when it comes to Owens, it's patience.

"One thing I'll try to be with Henry is patient," said Kipper. "I always felt if a player sees a staff member panic they're going to panic. I think it's important that we appreciate the fact the game isn't easy. The game is challenging.

"I feel Henry has a chance to be really good in terms of the amount of development and improvement we saw in him in a short period of time last year - taking into account the fact he's young and has physical challenges with his size. He's never used that as an excuse. This guy is motivated and determined where he can maximize his ability to throw a baseball."

Noe Ramirez

That reliever Noe Ramirez made the move from Pawtucket to Boston is one thing.

That he even survived to become a Major League pitcher is another.

Ramirez grew up in an extremely rough neighborhood in East Los Angeles which, in a story printed in the Los Angeles Times, is referred to as "a bleak bastion of crime controlled by the Hazard Grande, a notorious gang said to have ties with the Mexican mafia."

"Growing up in a tough neighborhood is going to beat you down and make you tough," said Kipper. "One of the things we appreciate about Noe is he's a tough kid who doesn't back down. That's something we saw at the Major League level last year when we called on him to get out some of the toughest hitters in baseball.

"Noe never backed down from those challenges. He opened some eyes. I think people appreciate the fact he has the personality to pitch in big-game situations. I think he wants those situations.

"Is that a by-product of his upbringing," queried Kipper. "It could possibly be. Is his upbringing part of his personality? It could be."

Ramirez was solid during his time in Pawtucket. In 31 games (30 relief appearances), he was 4-1 with a 2.32 ERA plus 18 walks and 38 strikeouts in 42 innings.

A right-hander, the 26-year-old Ramirez was called up to Boston in September. In 17 relief appearances, he was 0-1 with a 4.15 ERA but with an impressive 13 strikeouts in 13 innings.

"He's got a little different look to his delivery and his arm angle that creates deception," said Kipper. "It's a low, three-quarters, side-arm slot. There's a little funk that creates some deception that benefits him. He has a three-pitch mix going with a late-sinking fastball which is his best weapon. He has a complementary changeup that he's done a lot of good work with the last two years. He's learned to manipulate the baseball to create late fade to his changeup.

"He's always had a late-sweeping slider. He's a good athlete who defends his position well. He understands the importance of controlling the running game.

"There's a lot to like about Noe," continued Kipper. "But the personality for me is the attribute that stands out."

Eduardo Rodriguez

Realistically speaking, left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez may have put McCoy Stadium in his rear view mirror.

After dominating International League batters at times, posting a 4-3 record with a 2.98 ERA in eight starts for the PawSox last season, Rodriguez was called up to Boston in late-May and fit nicely into the Red Sox rotation.

In 21 games, he was 10-6 with a commendable 3.85 ERA and 98 strikeouts in 121 innings.

"He was called up because there was a need and he was our best option in Pawtucket," said Kipper. "He certainly was experiencing a level of success that would suggest he would be a good option and where there might be a likelihood of his succeeding.

"When Eddy first arrived in our organization at Portland in 2014 (after being acquired in a trade deadline deal from Baltimore for Andrew Miller), we were all impressed with the poise and composure this young man had. Those things are evaluated in the face of adversity throughout the course of a game. How a young man manages challenges throughout a game. When his back is up against a wall how does he respond?

"For me, he always seemed to respond in a very mature, professional and poised manner."

From a purely physical standpoint, Rodriguez is rated as having a quick arm, strong hands and athleticism which can't be taught.

"He's able to spin a baseball which creates backspin which leads to that late life and late carry throughout the zone," said Kipper. "He's worked diligently on a changeup that he throws off his fastball delivery that has a late, fading action that has become a legitimate secondary weapon for him."

Rodriguez, who turned 23 this April, has also worked with Red Sox pitching coach Carl Willis on the way he gripped his slider which helped create more depth and break.

"When I arrived in Boston in the middle of August to the time he left here in the middle of May, his slider was significantly better with regards to shape and break," said Kipper.

Brian Johnson

Two words that should be added to Brian Johnson's resume' are Intestinal fortitude.

In the 2012 Futures at Fenway game, he was drilled in the face by a line drive and suffered several orbital fractures.

Then, in his lone start last season for Boston, he injured his left UCL which landed him on the disabled list for the last two months of 2015.

As a result he was unable to display the form that, at Pawtucket, enabled him to go 9-6 with a 2.53 ERA with only 74 hits allowed and 90 strikeouts in 94 innings.

"I really respect Brian because of what he's had to go through early in his baseball career," said Kipper. "I've said this many times. I can't imagine myself going through something so traumatic and being able to work myself back through that. When I see Brian working himself through what was the biggest hurdle in his life, to me that wreaks courage.

"I see a guy who's mentally strong and mentally tough. Brian facing a Major League hitter, after what he endured, is going to pale in comparison."

How true.

In scouting parlance, Johnson has what's called a high level of "pitchability."

"For me, he's not going to wow you with velocity," said Kipper. "His fastball success is based on command and deception. His delivery is pretty clean to the extent that he exposes the baseball late in his delivery which creates that level of deception.

"He has the ability to move the ball in and out and isn't afraid to do so. He has a developing changeup. Everybody knows about his curveball. It's a legitimate pitch. If he has one above average pitch for me it's his curveball."

Conversely, as proficient as Johnson's curveball is, the 25-year-old left-hander has shown a tendency to become enamored with it.

"The one thing he has to be mindful of is the predictability in which he uses that pitch," said Kipper. "It's so good that you can develop what I call a love relationship with it and get predictable. I didn't see the one Major League start he made in Houston. But my understanding is he got a little predictable with it. Maybe it got over-used and now it lost its effect.

"Houston hitters were starting to eliminate other pitches and sitting on his curveball. You want to avoid that. What makes Brian special when he's really good is he's unpredictable which leads to that high level of 'pitchability.'"

Arguably the best news of all regarding Johnson is his UCL injury has healed and he was 100 percent when spring training rolled around.

"He's healthy," said Kipper. "He's ready to go and he's excited. I really respect Brian not only for what he went through but who he is."