Home... Transactions... Depth Chart... 40-Man Roster... 2024 Projected Rosters... Podcast
News.... Lineups.... Stats.... Draft History.... International Signings.... Scouting Log.... Forum

SoxProspects News

March 2, 2012 at 7:08 PM

Red Sox sign RHPs Billy Buckner, Garrett Mock to minor league deals


According to WEEI.com's Alex Speier, the Red Sox have signed right-handed pitchers Billy Buckner and Garrett Mock to minor-league deals and will report to minor-league camp.

Buckner, 28 and no relation to former Sox first baseman Bill Buckner, has been with several clubs since being signed as a second-round pick by the Royals in 2004. Buckner's last Major League appearance was in 2010 with the Diamondbacks, and he has spent part of four seasons in the Majors. In his 36 big league appearances, 21 starts, he is 6-11 with a 6.25 ERA and 6.7 strikeouts and 3.5 walks per nine innings. Likely competing for a spot in Pawtucket, Buckner will compete for a starting rotation slot, per Speier's report.

Buckner spent last season in Triple-A in the Rockies' system, going 4-8 with a 6.03 ERA with 80 strikeouts and 52 walks in 109 innings over 23 appearances, 21 of them starts. He is the fifth member of the 2011 Colorado Springs team to be acquired by the Red Sox this offseason, joining Brad Emaus, Clayton Mortensen, John Maine, and Sean White.

Mock, also 28, has spent parts of three big league seasons with the Nationals, going 4-13 with a 5.17 ERA, walking 4.8 batters per nine innings, but striking out 121 batters in his 135.2 innings of work. Most of his MLB experience coming in 2008 and 2009 before a neck injury in his first start of the 2010 season led to surgery.

Although he struggled with ineffectiveness as a starter after the injury, at the end of 2010 and beginning of 2011, Mock started to find a groove as a reliever at the end of the season, allowing no runs in 9 of his 12 appearances out of Triple-A Syracuse's bullpen, striking out 22 batters and walking 7 in 17.1 innings, with three of those walks coming in one appearance. Mock signed a minor league deal with the Blue Jays this winter, but was cut in February. Speier reports that Mock will pitch out of the bullpen.