Red Sox invite eight non-roster players to spring training
The Red Sox begin spring training on Feb. 12.
The Red Sox announced eight non-roster players have been invited to Fort Myers in February for spring training: third baseman/first baseman Jantzen Witte; lefthanded pitcher Mike Kickham; righthanded pitchers R.J. Alvarez, Robinson Leyer, and Domingo Tapia; catcher Jett Bandy; outfielder John Andreoli; and first baseman/outfielder Nick Longhi.
Witte was selected by the Red Sox in the 24th round back in 2013 and is in his first spring training for the Sox. He’s spent his entire career in the Red Sox minor-league system and recently hit .271 between Double A and Triple A last season with 22 doubles and nine homers.
Kickham’s minor-league ERA is 4.06 and he has logged 835 ⅓innings dating back to 2010. He attended spring training for the Miami Marlins as a non-roster invitee in 2019, but didn’t make the squad and was sent to Triple A New Orleans. Kickham has some major league experience, appearing in 14 games and starting three. He was originally drafted in the sixth round by the San Francisco Giants in 2010.
Alvarez appeared in 31 games in the majors as a member of the Padres and A’s. Like Kickham, Alvarez spent 2019 with the Marlins at their Triple A affiliate and posted a 4.70 ERA in 53 ⅔ innings. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Angels in the third round in 2012.
Leyer was acquired by the Red Sox in June of last year and after a slow start, he tallied a 2.66 ERA in 23 ⅔ innings in Portland. He was signed by the White Sox as a minor league free agent in 2012.
Tapia started his career with the Mets after he was signed as an international free agent in 2009. He has a career minor league ERA of 4.14 in 685 innings of work and spent all of last year at Triple A Pawtucket.
The Red Sox are looking for a backup catcher, and though it would be a longshot for Bandy to make the roster, he has experience at the major league level. He’s appeared in 156 MLB games between the Angels and Brewers, where he hit .218 in 444 at-bats. He played all of last season in Triple A Nashville, a Rangers affiliate, and hit .231.
Andreoli split his time in the Twins and Mariners Triple A affiliates and batted .255. Andreoli’s connection to the New England area runs deep. He’s a Worcester native and graduated from Saint John’s High in Shrewsbury before attending UConn. His father, John, played for the New England Patriots and he’s the cousin of former Sox pitcher Daniel Bard.
This isn’t Longhi’s first introduction to the Sox. He was selected by the club in the 30th round in 2013, but was traded to the Reds in 2017. He’s batted .275 with 31 home runs in 555 games in the minors. In Triple A Louisville, Longhi hit .283 with 12 homers and dominated lefthanded pitching, batting .339 with a 1.060 against southpaws. Longhi is a native of Springfield.
The Red Sox pitchers will report to spring training Feb. 11 and their first workout will be Feb. 12. Position players will report shortly after on Feb. 16 and the first full team workout will be the following day.
More depth
Just after announcing their non-roster invitees for spring training, the Sox claimed righthander Chris Mazza off waivers from the New York Mets.
Mazza started his career with the Minnesota Twins in 2011 and didn’t make his debut until last season. He pitched 16 ⅓ innings out the bullpen last year for the Mets and compiled a 5.51 ERA. Opponents hit .328 against him.
Mazza saw more success with the Mets’ Double A and Triple A affiliates, carrying a 3.61 ERA in 99 ⅔ innings mainly as a starter. He was solid against both righties and lefties last year in the minors. They hit just .222 and .254 against him respectively.
The Sox’ roster is now at 40.
Hill honored
Former Red Sox pitcher Rich Hill will receive the 2019 Tony Conigliaro Award at the annual Boston Baseball Writers Dinner Jan. 16 at the Seaport Hotel in Boston. The award, chosen by a commitee led by Red Sox historian Gordon Edes, is given to a “major leaguer who has overcome adversity through the attributes of spirit, determination, and courage that were trademarks of Tony C.’’
Hill, from Milton, Mass., began the 2019 season on the injured list with a knee injury and spent a sizeable portion of the season on the injury list before returning to action in time for the playoffs.
“I’m really humbled and honored by this award and honestly a little thrown by it,’’ Hill said. “Having grown up here, I am very familiar with Tony C.’s story, so this means a lot to me and my family.’’
Conigliaro was a Red Sox outfielder whose career was cut short by a beanball in 1967. He died in 1990 at age 45.
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