Offseason changes 'opening new doors' for Matt McShane in year two with Red Sox

In pedantic terms, a "homegrown" player in baseball means someone who was originally signed by a team and rises through the ranks with them. But in any practical sense, Greenville right-hander Matt McShane is about as homegrown as it gets. 

"It definitely feels like the Red Sox are home," McShane said about the organization. "Even though I wasn’t drafted here, I have spent the majority of my pro career here. It is also great going into the year to know most of the guys down at spring training. Last year I was a new face and didn’t know most of the guys here. So now going into year two, having connections and friendships with a lot of the guys makes it a lot more enjoyable to go to the field with the talent we have. They are awesome guys to be around. I felt a little more comfortable. I felt like I could be myself a little bit more. But I also knew what to expect showing up in Fort Myers every day knowing what the work was that needed to be done and how to go about my day."

McShane was drafted in the 13th round of the 2024 MLB draft but never appeared in a professional game for the Pirates. He would end up being traded in January to Boston and was told right away that the organization was going to keep him in the bullpen, a place he was very familiar with from college.

"Going into college, I didn’t really know what to expect," McShane noted. "They told me my freshman year in college that I was going to be in the bullpen. I just really wanted to pitch and it didn’t matter if I was starting, relieving, or closing. I just want to go out there, have fun, and compete. At first, it was an adjustment. But it was good that I was able to do that in college because it made it easier to transition to the role I have now. Some people might say they like starting better, but I think relieving is fun. You get to go in there for one or two innings that usually are in the big moments. You just go out there and battle. I think knowing that you have the chance to go into a close game and close it out, that’s what we all want to do in the big leagues. My dream is to go in and close a game out for the Boston Red Sox in the ninth inning."

The St. Joseph’s product is now in year two in the organization and was able to really settle into a normal offseason with one big goal given to him.

"A big goal of the Red Sox and mine was velocity," McShane said. "The thing we always push is throwing harder. Being able to have a place that I can go in the offseason like I do at the Baseball Performance Center is awesome. Other Red Sox guys were there and being able to work with some of them makes it a lot easier and fun. I spent a lot of time with Alex Bouchard, Noah Dean, and a few other guys who were remote. Having a spot to go throw consistently with other major and minor leaguers makes you want to push a little harder. We worked on a couple of things in my delivery to allow that to happen. One was using my legs more, getting my pelvis under me to just be able to keep my direction longer and go to the plate."

It seems as though the offseason work at BPC produced some good changes, as the Red Sox pitching department noticed immediate changes once he arrived for camp in the spring.

"He’s a true professional of a worker," Red Sox Director of Pitching Ben Buck said. "He is always asking questions and striving for better versions of himself. Knowing at times that going through some pain points is part of the process. We definitely saw some improvements in his delivery over the offseason…and sometimes improvements opens the doors to other areas that he is working on currently."

With the new change in delivery, came a new career high on the radar gun.

"Hitting 96mph in a bullpen over the offseason was a PR for me," McShane added. "I am a guy that needs adrenaline to go hit high numbers. Coming in late in the games gives you that little extra boost to go out there and compete. It feels like my offseason work did pay off and the things we did helped take me into 2026 in a great way. Unfortunately, I got hurt once I got down here and had a little injury I was dealing with. I feel like I am starting to get back to where I was before the injury."

Now healthy and ramped up, McShane has surpassed the twenty-inning mark on the season. He has struck out 23 batters and walked 6 over that span. The biggest battle has been the long ball this season, as the right-hander has already given up 8 home runs this season. However, there might be a new pitch he is working on that has been the culprit.

"I have had some success this season so far," McShane noted. "Right now, I am working on the splitter. I think the next big goal for me is adding that pitch to help get me to the next level. Being able to have that third pitch is going to help me in the long run. I have also faced some struggles this year with that splitter. I have let up a couple homers throwing that pitch this year. I am hoping that I am failing now to have more success with that pitch in the long run. I know it has a ton of whiffs in it. The potential is there. I just have to execute it and throw it more. I started messing around with it when I was still with the Pirates. I thought it always had some depth to it. I am a guy who never has been able to throw a changeup. When I got to Boston, they thought it was a good pitch. 

"The pitching development group is all great here. The big thing for me coming from a small school is that I know I have a lot more to get better at. The Red Sox are a great place to develop those things. My coaches in Greenville are working hard with me to get my mechanics back to where they were in the offseason. We are always messing with my splitter. We are working on getting the access right in the spin direction. They help me take a win from each outing and turn that into confidence to go into the next outing. There is also realizing seeing where you failed and how you can improve it and take it into the next outing."

Even with a few struggles with the splitter, the Red Sox pitching group continue to have high hopes on the new pitch.

"There was a brief moment where he lost the feel at release," Buck added. "And with split fingers having such a wide variation of movement, it can become challenging to find that feel. He has since regained it and now is back to upping his usage on it."

Photo Credit: Matt McShane by Kelly O'Connor

 

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