Red Sox legend Allen Webster is still at it
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Did you ever think you'd hear the name Allen Webster ever again? No? OK, well you just did.
Allen Webster, for those at a loss of words here, was a quad-A starter for the Boston Red Sox in 2013 and 2014. He came over to the Red Sox in the huge Nick Punto deal alongside Ruby De La Rosa, Jerry Sands and Ivan De Jesus Jr. and looked to be a highly-touted prospect.
There was just one problem: he couldn't throw strikes. He walked 18 batters in 30.1 innings in 2013 and in 2014, he was much improved, pitching in the Red Sox rotation at the end of the 2014 season after the team dealt John Lackey, Jon Lester and Jake Peavy. In 11 starts, he posted a 5.03 ERA--and was subsequently traded alongside De La Rosa to the Arizona Diamondbacks for Wade Miley.
Once again, command was an issue for him, so he pitched in Korea in 2016 and in the Texas Rangers farm system in 2017. Finally, the Chicago Cubs thought to try him out as a reliever in the minors in 2018 and after posting a 2.65 ERA in 17 outings across three levels, he was a September call-up (and made three appearances).
About one week into this season, the Cubs called up Webster to replace a struggling Carl Edwards Jr. on the roster, and he has held onto a role in the back end of the team's bullpen ever since. The righty has a 3.86 ERA in 11 relief outings this season spanning 9.2 innings.
According to TSN.ca (Canadian ESPN), he has a good sinking fastball which can induce some groundouts--and he primarily faces right-handed batters.
So yeah, it looks like his career is having a renaissance in Chicago. Good for him. He's a Red Sox legend, that's for sure.