Inside the Red Sox’s Rollercoaster Ride with Roman Anthony: Genius or Gambit?

May’s arsenal is already fairly unique considering how sweeper-forward it is — there really aren’t many other starting pitchers who rely on a breaking ball as their most-used offering — but the evolution of the rest of his repertoire will likely play a much larger role in his ability to thrive for the Red Sox during this postseason run. The same goes for the long haul, with May scheduled to hit free agency this winter. Even if the sweeper remains May’s best and most used pitch, it’s clear he needs to figure out the best balance of his three fastball variants, none of which have been especially effective since he returned from elbow surgery — the velocity simply isn’t what it used to be, and that leaves May with less margin for error when attacking with his various fastballs. While the underlying metrics and movement characteristics don’t suggest that May’s cutter has long been some secret weapon waiting to be unleashed, it sure seems like Boston is intent on finding out if that pitch can help the rest of his pitches play up more in concert with each other. Through two starts, it’s been a mixed bag, but that cutter usage will be worth watching with each successive outing down the stretch.

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