Rick Porcello won 76 games over six seasons with the Detroit Tigers, pitching over 200 innings in 2014 for the first time in his career, proving to be a workhorse in a Tigers rotation that included Factory alumnus, Justin Verlander.

The Tigers shipped Porcello to the Boston Red Sox this offseason in exchange for slugger Yoenis Cespedes to join a pitching staff that underwent transformation after finishing near the bottom in starters ERA last season.

At 26 years-old, Porcello, a Baseball Factory alumnus himself, will team with Clay Buchholz as a 1-2 punch in 2015 and could be the ace of the staff for the first time in his career.

In his initial outing, Porcello looked sharp against Northeastern University, utilizing all his pitches and getting ground ball outs, a good sign with his plus two-seam fastball.

He talked to the Boston Herald after his spring debut telling them he’s not taking anything for granted in getting ready for the season. “Baseball is baseball and you can go out there on any given day and get your butt whipped. So first things first, go get the ball down and throw strikes. For the most part, I felt pretty good about that today. Just a couple things mechanically I need to continue to iron out and just keep refining everything.”

It will be a two-man race between Porcello and Buchholz for the Opening Day starting nod. Last season, Buchholz struggled pitching to an ERA of 5.34 in 170 1/3 innings pitched.

If you’re a fan of the Boston Red Sox and in the Hightstown, New Jersey area, Baseball Factory’s National Tryout Tour is coming to you this Sunday March 8th! Visit our tryout page to register and receive more information.