On June 11th, 2016 at the MLB Amateur draft, Al Avilla and co. drafted a young right-hander out of the University of northern Ohio. His name was John Schreiber. Schreiber is unique because of his delivery. He throws sidearm as opposed to the normal upright like a lot of pitchers. Schreiber wasn’t great in his 2 seasons as a Detroit Tiger, but it’s what he’s done as a member of the Boston Red Sox that is extraordinary.

Rise through the MiLB

In 2016 Schreiber made his debut in A- ball with the West Michigan Whitecaps. Across 18 games with the Whitecaps he pitched to a 2.76 ERA, 24 strikeouts, and a 1.09 WHIP. The following season he got a promotion to A ball where he pitched to a 0.54 ERA, 70 Strikeouts, and a WHIP of 0.66 In 27 games for the Lakeland Flying Tigers. Then comes arguably the biggest jump for a minor leaguer on a path to the major leagues which is from A to AA. In 2 Seasons in AA Erie, he had 2.48 and a 2.57 ERA, a 1.00 and a 1.01 WHIP, and a combined 71 Strikeouts. After a AAA Season that saw Schreiber have a 2.28 ERA, and 70 strikeouts, Schreiber got the call every young player waits to receive. John Schreiber was going to the show.

First Year Struggles

Schreiber made his debut in 2019. Where he struggled with an ERA over 6 in 13 appearances. In 2019, He relied on his fastball a lot. With a 53.8% fastball usage. That Fastball had a 34% hard-hit rate and a .286 batting average against, a .486 SLG %, and a .368 wOBA. With 3 other secondary pitches, Schreiber mainly relied on his fastball for 2019. His slider was in development, and the sinker and changeup were there to throw off opponents.

From Comerica to Fenway

Following the 2020 covid shortened year, Schreiber was placed on waivers by the Tigers and picked up by Chaim Bloom and the Boston Red Sox. Fenway is certainly not a pitcher's park given the massive wall in left field known as the green monster. Schreiber wasn’t a home run pitcher in Comerica, only allowing 5 combined home runs in 2 years. So a change of scenery may be what Schreiber needed to take the next step. And what a big next step he took.

Schrieber’s breakout year

John Schreiber got the call to the MLB roster along with CF Jaren Duran when CF Kiké Hernandez and LHP Rich Hill went to the Injured List. Schreiber would go on to never relinquish his roster spot as of writing this (8/14/22). Schreiber had a stretch where he rattled off 10 straight scoreless appearances and a 14.2-inning scoreless stretch back in early June. The Key? His slider. He lowered the usage of his 4-seam from 42% last season to 29% this season and upped his slider usage from 30 to 37% from 2021 to 2022. Schreiber's slider has generated a near 50% whiff rate while opponents are slugging .296 with a .148 BA.

Conclusion

John Schreiber has cemented himself as the best reliever in the Red Sox bullpen and the go-to guy in high leverage situations while making a serious case for an All-Star bid this year. And with 5 extra years of control, Red Sox fans are going to have a lot to cheer about in the bullpen for years to come.