Tanner Houck, White Castle Special. 🤮🍔🍔🍔 pic.twitter.com/ltpTlDuy8s
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 25, 2024
It's finally all coming together for Boston Red Sox pitcher Tanner Houck.
At the season's halfway point, the Collinsville native is one of the best starting pitchers in baseball.
A first-round draft pick out of Mizzou in 2017, Houck has been up and down, showing flashes of his potential while struggling with injuries and bouts of ineffectiveness.
The right-hander who turns 28 years old Saturday is likely to make his first All-Star Game, and he's a strong candidate to start for the American League.
Not bad for a guy who had to earn a rotation spot in spring training.
But while others may be looking forward to the All-Star Game, Houck is thinking of breakfast.
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"That would definitely be a cool thing," Houck said to Baseball Isn't Boring about a potential All-Star spot. "But going back to what I said earlier, one day at a time, … one goal at a time, each day. I always used to joke with Charlie Madden, our bullpen coach, who I play catch with every day, I would say, 'We're stacking days like pancakes.' How many can you put on your plate for 162 games?
"I like food. I like to eat."
Houck is taking what was once a short stack and building toward a full stack.
He's 7-5 with a 2.18 ERA, but that's just scratching the surface of the American League ERA leader's domination.
- His 3.6 wins above replacement value, per Fangraphs, is far and away the best among big-league pitchers.
- He's allowed just two home runs while facing 416 batters and throwing 1,540 pitches.
- He leads baseball in opponent's OPS (.528).
- He's struck out more than five times as many batters as he's walked.
- He's tied for the MLB lead with 13 quality starts.
And he's done by keeping his focus on pancakes and details.
“It’s the stuff fans don’t get to see, the stuff leading up to starts,” Houck said, according to masslive.com. “It’s showing up each and every day and doing the little things that matter. I’ve been preaching it the whole year. It’s not the funnest, it’s not the most glamorous but at the same time, it’s what gets results. It’s about going out there and pushing yourself each day to try to get better with everything that you’re working on. It’s really about going out each day and bettering yourself."
In 2022, back surgery ended his season early. Last season, as Houck was settling into the Red Sox starting rotation, his momentum was again derailed when he was struck in the face with a line drive that kept him out two months.
“Last year, I think he was about to take off halfway through the season and he got hit. He was throwing the ball well. Really well,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said, according to masslive.com. “He finished strong. The offseason was a regular one. I do believe people forgot he had back surgery the year before. He’s strong. The way he moves and the athlete that he is, I’m not worried about the workload because I think he can handle it. And we’re very proud of him.”
His slider ranks as baseball's best, and he throws it 42% of the time. He has also increased the usage of his split-finger fastball. Batters are hitting below .200 against both of those pitches.
He credits pitching coach Andrew Bailey with helping him change the grip on the split-finger, leading to a big jump in effectiveness.
"I think my splitter is better than it's ever been, so I feel more comfortable throwing it any count, where in the past maybe I'd throw a fastball," Houck said to ESPN.
Houck starts Saturday afternoon, on his birthday, as the Red Sox host San Diego.
Will the Cardinals' troubles beating bad teams discourage the front office from adding help sooner rather than later? Sports columnists Ben Frederickson and Jeff Gordon discuss.