Carl Edwards Jr. is #TheBIGSCertified. After each of his appearances for the rest of this season, I will give a review of his outing in progress report/report card form. We will start with last night's 18 inning game against the Yankees.
Carl Edwards Jr. v NY Yankees 5/7/17
(11th inning)
*Cris Carter (4 pitches- 3 strikes 1 ball) Got ahead in the count....struck him out swinging on a nice curveball.
Grade (A)
*Starlin Castro (6 pitches-4 strikes 2 balls) Got ahead in the count....had the curveball working. Struck him out swinging on a 97 mph fastball.
Grade (A)
*Rob Refsnyder (5 pitches-3 strikes 2 balls) Got behind in the count...challenged him and struck him out looking on a 95 mph fastball.
Grade (A)
Pitch Count - 15 pitches (10 strikes/5 balls)
Synopsis - CJ faced 3 batters and got 3 strikeouts. Getting that first pitch over for a strike is key for any pitcher and he did that against 2 of the 3 hitters. His mechanics looked much more crisp and he was hitting the catchers target. His setup curveball was working and the strikeout curveball was as well. He got behind on Refsnyder and challenged him on a 2-2 fastball to end the inning. Edwards Jr. has only allowed 1 run this season in 14 appearances. He has an ERA of 0.64 with 19 strikeouts and 4 walks.
With middle relief having problems early in the season, now is the time for CJ to claim his spot. He's been great over the first month of the season. I think he has the "stuff" to challenge hitters and not just rely on his mechanics and location as he continues to develop.
OVERALL GRADE - A