Red Sox Prospect Hunter Dobbins Has Added a Splinker and Upped His Velo

WooSox Photo/Ashley Green-USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Hunter Dobbins has emerged as one of the top pitching prospects in the Red Sox system. Selected in the eighth round of the 2021 draft out of Texas Tech University, the 25-year-old right-hander is coming off of a 2024 season in which he logged a 3.08 ERA and a 3.04 FIP over 125 2/3 innings between Double-A Portland and Triple-A Worcester. Assigned a 40+ FV grade by Eric Longenhagen after being added to Boston’s 40-man roster in November, Dobbins was called “a near-ready fifth starter prospect” by our lead prospect analyst back in July.

Dobbins discussed his repertoire and approach when the Red Sox held their annual Rookie Development Camp at Fenway Park earlier this month.

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David Laurila: What have you most learned about pitching since getting to pro ball?

Hunter Dobbins: “I would say how to attack hitters. Every single year I’m learning how to follow our plan and execute that plan. I think I’ve taken a big step forward in that aspect. The pitch shapes are also getting a lot more consistent. Last year, a couple of my pitches would have almost two different movements. This year, I’m looking at having consistent movement so that I can go right at hitters. But overall, it’s more of the strategy side of things where I’ve learned the most.”

Laurila: How do you balance attacking weaknesses versus throwing your pitches where they tend to play best?

Dobbins: “I side more on sticking to my strengths. That said, I have five pitches. I have pitches that move in all different directions, so I’m going to take into account if a guy struggles on this half of the plate with pitches that move in this direction; I’m going to have a strength in that realm. But I’m also not going to shy away from something I know I can land, even if that is considered one of his strengths. I’m going to take my best ball versus his best swing and see what happens.”

Laurila: How many pitches did you have when you signed?

Dobbins: “Four, but I only throw two of those pitches now. I came to pro ball with a four-seam and a curveball, both of which I still throw, and I also had a sinker and a circle change. Now I’m four-seam, curveball, sweeper, gyro slider, and splinker.”

Laurila: How do you define splinker?

Dobbins: “It has similar movement to how my circle change used to be. The numbers are zero and up to about 10, but instead of it being 84 [mph] it’s about 89 to 92. Paul Skenes throws one, although we have two totally different grips. I found mine in a pregame warmup bullpen. Kyle Teel was catching me, and he said, ‘Hey, we need to throw that.’

“I’d told my coach that I wanted to throw a sinker that day. I threw one in the pen, and it wasn’t good. He was like, ‘Alright, let’s try this.’ It was the splinker grip that I have now, and Teel just about jumped up and down when I threw it the first time. He was like, ‘We’re throwing that in the game today.’ I did, and I think I got four or five punchouts with it. We’ve run with it since.”

Laurila: Was that this past season?

Dobbins: “Yes, toward the end of the season. I’ve only thrown the splinker for about a month and a half.”

Laurila: Who was the pitching coach?

Dobbins:Sean Isaac, up in Portland. He introduced it to me, and I’ve since been working with [pitching coordinator] Justin Willard and [major league pitching coach] Andrew Bailey on trying to clean it up a little bit for this year.”

Laurila: How does the grip differ from the one Skenes throws?

Dobbins: “It’s a different seam orientation. He grabs his in a more traditional splitter way, and uses the seams to kind of get the movement. I curl a finger and hook a different seam to get the same spin. Our arms work in two different ways, but we end up getting the same result with different grips.”

Laurila: I assume the index finger is the one you’re curling?

Dobbins: “Yes. I’m a middle-finger-dominant pitcher — that’s why I throw things really well that move to my glove side — but curling my index finger allows me to get that movement to my arm side.”

Laurila: How would you rank your pitches?

Dobbins: “That’s a good question. If I’m going for a strikeout, it’s definitely the splinker at the top. The sweeper is probably next, followed by the gyro, the curveball, and then the fastball. I’ve used my fastball mostly as a setup, although I have been starting to throw it harder. I want to be sitting around 97 this year, and a fastball at that [velocity] will maybe become more of a strikeout pitch for me.”

Laurila: Velocity aside, how would you describe your four-seamer?

Dobbins: “I have kind of a riding-cut shape to it. I’ll occasionally throw one that is a similar shape to Kenley Jansen’s cutter. I’m trying to find a happy medium where I’m not quite cutting it that much.”

Laurila: You mentioned a few pitches having had “almost two different movements” last season. Was that one of them?

Dobbins: “No, it was the sweeper and the splinker. The gyro, curveball, and fastball were all pretty consistent. With the sweeper, we tried a bunch of different grips, trying to find which one works best. The splinker I was just getting used to throwing it, finding how it feels off the finger.”

Laurila: Is your sweeper better when it’s getting more side-to-side, or when it’s a little shorter and maybe not as easy for a hitter to pick up?

Dobbins: “When it’s something that’s not as obvious, I throw from a very high arm slot, so it’s a little bit harder to get those big sweepers. We finally found one where I can leverage my fingers on some seams to get the right spin, so that air grabs those seams and takes it. I’m excited, because we’ve made a couple changes this offseason to make it a lot better. I think it’s going to be a huge impact pitch this year.”

Laurila: Do you consider yourself a power pitcher?

Dobbins: “I don’t like to call myself a power pitcher, because I like to focus on hitting my spots. I’m more of the old-school art-of-pitching [type]: go in and out, plus and minus the fastball. That’s why you’ll sometimes see me throw a fastball at 94 to set a guy up, then follow it up with one at 97. I’ve kind of learned the Greg Maddux ways. But with the velo I’ve been gaining, I guess I could start falling under that power-pitcher label.

“I want my K/9 to be closer to 10, maybe 10-plus, this year. Last season, I wasn’t as focused on getting strikeouts; it was more chasing shapes — until I got to Triple-A. At Double-A, they tell us, ‘Hey, we’re trying to chase development. We’re trying to get as good as we can, so that when we get to Triple-A we can just go.’ This year, I’m going to be hitting the ground running, trying to not just win ballgames, but also strike hitters out. I think the numbers will reflect that.”





David Laurila grew up in Michigan's Upper Peninsula and now writes about baseball from his home in Cambridge, Mass. He authored the Prospectus Q&A series at Baseball Prospectus from December 2006-May 2011 before being claimed off waivers by FanGraphs. He can be followed on Twitter @DavidLaurilaQA.

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JuuuustAnotherBaseballFanMember since 2018
13 days ago

Hunter Dobbins has emerged as one of the top pitching prospects in the Red Sox system.”

Tragically, he’s rated only as a 40+ on Fangraphs. Woe be the Red Sox…

JuuuustAnotherBaseballFanMember since 2018
12 days ago

Haha, well, maybe the 40+ guys turns into an ace. Odds aren’t great though from an 8th rounder. If one is a Red Sox fan and a guy is labeled as an emerging top prospect, they’re definitely hoping for better given how subpar the pitching system has been over recent years.

Maybe a better opening sentence would have been “Hunter Dobbins is an emerging pitching prospect…” to temper everyone’s hopes a bit.

Last edited 12 days ago by JuuuustAnotherBaseballFan