What you should know about Craig Breslow, the new head of the Boston Red Sox baseball operations department
BOSTON -- Following a lengthy search for a new leader of their baseball ops. department, the Red Sox landed on a familiar face and a bright mind in Craig Breslow.
Red Sox fans know a good amount about Breslow from his playing days in Boston, where he won a pair of World Series rings over two stints. He was an integral part of the Boston bullpen on the 2013 championship team, but there is a lot more to Craig Breslow than just his playing career.
Here's what you should know about the new guy in charge of Boston's baseball ops. department.
He's a local guy
Breslow is a native New Englander, growing up in Connecticut. He was born in New Haven and grew up in Trumbull, where he was a star athlete in both baseball and soccer at Trumbull High School. He didn't go far for college, graduating from Yale in 2002.
Breslow led the Ivy League with a 2.56 ERA during his senior year. When he reached the majors in 2005, he was the first Yale alumnus to do so since Ron Darling broke into the big leagues in 1983.
The best years of his MLB career came in Boston
Breslow was drafted by the Brewers in the 26th round in 2002, and the lefty reliever went on to have a 17-year career, including 12 seasons in the majors. He played parts of five seasons with the Red Sox, initially signing a minor league contract in 2006.
He was an International League All-Star for the PawSox in 2006, and pitched in 12 games out of the Boston bullpen. He was an All-Star again for Pawtucket in 2007 and was called up to Boston on Sept. 1, but he wasn't needed that evening as rookie starter Clay Buchholz tossed a no-hitter at Fenway Park. Breslow was sent back down the following day and never played in the big leagues that season. But he was added to Boston's postseason roster and ended up getting a ring when the Red Sox won the World Series, despite throwing zero pitches in the majors that year.
Breslow was claimed off waivers by Cleveland after the 2007 season, and pitched for the Indians (2008), Minnesota Twins (2008-09), Oakland A's (2009-11) and Arizona Diamondbacks (2012) before returning to the Red Sox in 2012 at the trade deadline.
The southpaw had his best season in 2013, posting a 1.81 ERA and 17 holds over 61 appearances. He was lights-out in the ALDS and ALCS -- tossing 7 scoreless innings against the Rays and the Tigers, respectively -- but was tagged for three runs over two appearances, lasting just a third of an inning, against the Cardinals in the World Series. Boston won the series in six games though, earning Breslow his second ring.
In his five seasons with the Red Sox, Breslow posted a 2.80 ERA over 211 appearances.
He's WICKED Smaht
He was touted as the "smartest man in baseball" throughout his career after Breslow majored in molecular biophysics and biochemistry at Yale. He was admitted into the NYU School of Medicine after graduating, but he deferred to pursue baseball. He had deferred his admission four times as of 2017 because of his love for baseball.
He put his big brain to use on the diamond and in the dugout, too, helping Red Sox teammate Josh Beckett win a bet with catcher Doug Mirabelli in 2006 when he was able to determine how many times a baseball spins when a pitcher throws a 90 mph fastball.
He's got an eye for pitching
This will be Breslow's first run at leading a baseball ops. department, but he was a fast-riser in the Chicago Cubs organization and destined to get a gig like this somewhere.
After retiring from his playing career, Breslow joined Theo Epstein's front office in Chicago, hired as the Cubs "Director of Strategic Initiatives for Baseball Operations." He was promoted to the club's Director of Pitching in 2019, where he helped the Cubs develop their minor league strategies for homegrown pitchers. Breslow completely revamped the pitching pipeline in Chicago, and the Cubs minor league system is ranked one of the best in baseball.
What does the former reliever focus on with his young hurlers? According to The Athletic, Breslow "sees three primary pillars of pitching development: velocity, pitching movement/shape and command."
He's Jewish
Breslow fasted on Yom Kippur during his career, and pitched for Israel in the 2017 World Baseball Classic qualifying round, credited with the win in the opening game. He was on the Israel roster for the main tournament, but withdrew after receiving a training camp invite from the Twins.
His foundation funds pediatric cancer research
Breslow's older sister was diagnosed with pediatric thyroid cancer and underwent surgery in 1992. He started his Strike 3 Foundation in 2008, a non-profit that funds pediatric cancer research. The foundation has made several gifts to children's hospitals around Connecticut.
The foundation hosts an annual WIFFLE Ball tournament to raise money, which has been held at "Little Fenway" in Essex, Vermont, which is a quarter of the size of Boston's Fenway Park.