PawSox open Thursday with a blend of veterans and young talent

The Pawtucket Red Sox hosted their Media Day on Tuesday before their season kicks off Thursday night at Syracuse.

Josh Ockimey had an excellent spring, by his measure, and the best part of it was standing in the batter's box against Max Scherzer. Many people might not relish the chance to swing a bat against arguably the most dominant major league pitcher of the decade, but the 23-year old Pawtucket Red Sox first baseman wanted to test himself against the best of the best.

A big part of the charm of minor league baseball, and especially its Opening Days, is that kind of hope, eagerness and ambition among the players. Ockimey didn't get a hit against Scherzer, but he still came away with his confidence boosted and his hunger sharpened. Ockimey got a lot of time with the big leaguers this spring, and while he admits he's got a long way to go before hopefully reaching that level, the games he played made it all seem possible.

“Spring training was a great experience for me,” said Ockimey Tuesday, as the Pawtucket Red Sox hosted their Media Day before their season kicks off Thursday night at Syracuse. (Pawtucket's home opener is April 11, when Syracuse is the opponent for the 6:05 p.m. game)

“The best part was that game against Max Scherzer–I loved it,” Ockimey said with a big grin. “It was a good chance to test myself against the best, which I always want to do. You always want to see what it's like, how you'll do, against the top guys. And after all, there's only one Max Scherzer. ”

Ockimey was a late promotion to Pawtucket last season, after tearing it up at double-A Portland, but he feels like he got his feet wet at triple-A and is ready to keep pushing forward. The 6-1, 228-pound slugger, who grew up in Philadelphia, played 90 games at Portland, and then 27 more at Pawtucket, and ended up slugging a total of 20 home runs, with 71 runs batted in. Perhaps more notable, he also walked 70 times, and was thought to have the best strike-zone discipline in the Red Sox minor league system. But he knows where he needs to work on his game.

“I worked hard on my defense during this off-season,” said Ockimey. “Every day I took anywhere from 500-1200 ground balls. I know I have to develop that part of my game. For hitting, I need to be more consistent, get my swing down, and take the same approach every at-bat. I don't want to give away any at-bats. It can be especially tough to start off a year in a new place, but I've got some familiarity with Pawtucket. I didn't get up here until August 4 last season, but I do feel as I know the field, know the stadium, and I'll be able to play more relaxed.”

Ockimey bashed five homers in just 93 AAA at-bats last summer, but he only batted .215. The transition to AAA ball is still underway, but he feels like he knows what to expect now.

“I did notice a big difference in pitchers between double-A and triple-A,” Ockimey noted. “In double-A, there are a lot of power arms, a lot of guys who just try to blow you away. Up here, they still have those power arms, but everybody is also all finesse. They can throw you anything on any count–a 3-0 curveball, 3-0 changeup? You have to be ready for anything, no matter what the count is.”

Last year's Boston team used 44 different players, so there was a busy shuttle between McCoy Stadium and Fenway Park all summer long. Ockimey would love to get some big lague time this year, but he's not getting ahead of himself.

“I'm just focusing on what I can do here, to help this team win,” said Ockimey. “I can't worry about things I can't control, but if I do a good job here, things will take of themselves.”

VETS AND YOUTH:  This year's edition of the PawSox will feature some veterans with solid triple-A experience, a few players with sizable major league backgrounds–like catcher Sandy Leon, the most popular guy at yesterday's press scrum–and lots of young talent like Ockimey and starting pitcher Mike Shawaryn. There's also a new manager in Billy McMillon, once one of the fastest outfielders in the International League, who'd been working for the Red Sox as a minor league outfield and baserunning coordinator.

“I think this club is a good mix,” said McMillon. “Most obvious to me is that we have a lot of veteran arms in our bullpen, and a lot of guys there with major league experience. (Those relievers with big league resumes include Red Sox products Bobby Poyner and Marcus Walden, former Tampa Bay righty Ryan Weber, former Met Jennry Mejia, former Giant lefty Dan Runzler, and former Cincinnati righthander Josh Smith) I am hoping that all those experienced bullpen guys can kind of lead the way for us early in the season, and help us compete. You can't predict how things will go of course, but these guys have the kind of backgrounds that indicate they can be very effective. And I know they'd all like to get back to the big leagues.”

Shawaryn, the 24-year old righthander, should lead the Pawtucket rotation, with triple-A veteran righty Chandler Shepherd also a probable workhorse.   And the secret weapon for that pitching staff just might be Leon, whose ability to call games wins plaudits everywhere.

“I think having Sandy Leon down here is going to help anchor this staff,” said McMillon, whose other catcher is Juan Centeno, who spent most of last year with the Texas Rangers. “Sandy is a real pro, and we expect to see him back in Fenway Park at some point, but while he's here he can be a huge help to these younger kids.”

Shawaryn, the 6'2, 256-pounder who posted a 3.28 earned run average at Portland last year to earn a promotion, and then put up a 3.93 ERA in an impressive six starts for Pawtucket, is eager to work with Leon and Centeno.

“Throwing to Sandy Leon will be a treat, absolutely a treat,” said Shawaryn. “Looking to him, with his great experience, I expect I'm going to be learning a lot from him. His rapport with his pitchers speaks for itself. Between him and Juan Centeno, we're going to get spoiled.”

Shawaryn is another prospect who saw a lot of action in major league cap this spring, and he also feels like his month or so at triple-A last summer can only help this year.

“Just that experience of spending spring training among the big leaguers was incredible,” said Shawaryn. “To see guys like Chris Sale, David Price, Rick Porcello, and see how they go about their routines, was so valuable. I felt very fortunate to be there among those guys, and I took a lot out of that experience. ”

“I definitely think the comfort factor will be better this season, here at Pawtucket,” Shawaryn added. “The stadium is familiar, and a lot of the guys, and the coaches are familiar, so it'll just be more comfortable all around. Even the new manager–I knew billy from his days as a coordinator, and he's a great guy. Triple-A is definitely a step up, but there again my time here last year will help with that adjustment, and I know my stuff plays up here. Now I know I just have to execute my pitches to be successful, and hopefully succeed at this next level.”

BRENTZ IS BACK:  One of the veterans filling a role in the middle of the PawSox lineup will be outfielder Bryce Brentz, re-signed as a minor league free agent after spending last summer in the Mets organization. Brentz, 30, had been in 34 big league games with the Red Sox, and batted a respectable .287. But with the Red Sox outfield full of young stars, he'd opted to sign with the Mets last year, only to spend all season at their Pacific Coast League (AAA) affiliate in Las Vegas, where he batted .264 with 15 homers, in a season shortened to 55 games by a fractured foot. Ironically, in his final PawSox season in 2017, Brentz had really found his power stroke, and had smashed 31 home runs, good for 85 rbis, while batting .271.

“A guy in my position just really wants to play ball, first and foremost,” Brentz said Tuesday. “We're familiar with the Red Sox and Pawtucket and that was really part of it. Billy McMillon was actually my second manager in pro ball, so I know him well. He wants you to be on time and play hard and be professional, so we get along great. Last year was just one of those things. I got to meet a lot of guys I had played against over the years, so it wasn't quite like just starting out all over and not knowing anybody. It was also nice to meet some new faces too.”

“But this Red Sox organization has been a blessing to me, since I was drafted,” Brentz explained. “There are a lot of good relationships here, and when the chance came to play for them again, I was happy to agree. I'm eager to help this team win, or hopefully help Boston win.”

And even for vets like Brentz, who has played parts of six seasons at Pawtucket already, Opening Days are special.

“Opening Day brings you that feeling, kind of like jitters,” said Brentz. “It's that feeling that anything can happen this year, and right now is your chance to go out and do something about it. You have goals that are not unreachable, and you're trying to build up your baseball resume' , and you also know it's a long season you have to settle into. But you've got that feeling that you can't wait to get started.”