I didn’t plan on making this such a long two-part analysis of the Red Sox roster, but a historic collapse can certainly give a writer plenty of material. In Part I, I looked at the Red Sox position players, in Part II we’ll take a look at the pitchers, the group most responsible for the Red Sox collapse,
Pitchers
- Alfredo Aceves: Gave the team more than they could ask for. Let’s hope his arm doesn’t fall off from all the innings he threw out of the pen. Assuming it doesn’t he figures to be a valuable member of the 2012 staff.
- Matt Albers: He also gave the club more than they could have hoped for. He did struggle when trusted in higher pressure situations, but if he is the 9th-10th man in your bullpen he is an asset.
- Scott Atchison: He probably spent too much time in Pawtucket in 2011, especially in September. As the rotation imploded they could have used the veteran who can provide length and throws strikes.
- Daniel Bard: He needs to be in the 2012 rotation. There has been discussion, “Is Bard ready to close” or “When will Bard be ready to close?” If the club thought he could close he would have done it already. Jonathan Papelbon started closing in 2006 after half a season in the majors. Craig Kimbrell was the best closer in the National League as a rookie. If Bard can’t do the job, and Papelbon is resigned to a multi-year deal the club will not be able to afford to have an arm like Bard pitch the 7th-8th innings. Assuming they unload John Lackey and Tim Wakefield and Erik Bedard do not return that leaves two open spots in the rotation. The free agent market isn’t great for pitchers and the club doesn’t have trade chits in the minors. Bard started in college and was only moved to the bullpen after he came down with Steve Blass disease. With the control issues in the past he still has the weapons to start.
- Josh Beckett: Beckett has emerged as the poster child of a clubhouse out of control and a team that is out of shape. I still don’t think you can trade him. Pitching depth is a huge weakness and the club can’t afford to just give Beckett away. Hopefully this season was a wake-up call for Beckett and the new manager can get through to him. The Red Sox need him and that makes me sick.
- Erik Bedard: He wasn’t great, but anybody expecting Bedard to not miss a turn or work into the 7th consistently is delusional. Given the pitching depth issues bringing Bedard back on short money may not be a terrible idea.
- Michael Bowden: It feels like he has been around forever. He is the Lars Anderson of the pitching prospects. He has been moved to the bullpen but still hasn’t gotten a long look with the big club. If he is going to have a big league career of any significance he needs to go to the National League.
- Clay Buchholz: His injury, along with Youkilis killed this team. He had taken a bit of a step back from 2010 before going down with his back injury, but the men tasked with filling in were so awful it killed the Red Sox season.
- Felix Dubront: If he had just shown up to spring training last year in shape he would have minimally been the main lefty in the bullpen and more than likely would have been starting ahead of Kyle Weiland, Andrew Miller, and possibly Tim Wakefield. Next season is a make or break year for Dubront. There is a chance that there will be a rotation spot up for grabs in the spring. If there isn’t he figures to be the 6th-7th starter in Pawtucket. It would be a shame if Dubront ate his career.
- Rich Hill: He was LOOGY-riffic before his elbow went snap.
- Bobby Jenks: He was fat and awful. I don’t know if he was fatter than usual but he was more awful than he has ever been. On the books for $6m in 2012, the velocity still appeared to be there.
- John Lackey: He just needs to go. He cannot ever wear a Red Sox uniform again, he just can’t.
- Jon Lester: His performance down the stretch was a major disappointment. He can be maddening to watch as he’ll nibble with cutter after cutter. Does he realize that his 4-seam fastball is 94-96? For the love of God just pump the strike zone with gas. When you’re 35 with a sore elbow then start pitching like Andy Pettitte did at the end of his career.
- Daisuke Matsuzaka: When he went down I doubt anybody thought he would be missed. Down the stretch a healthy Dice-K would have been preferable to Andrew Miller, Kyle Weiland, Tim Wakefield, or John Lackey. When he had the Tommy John surgery most assumed that was the end of his Red Sox career. Looking at this pitching staff they could very well use him in the second half of the 2012 season given the dearth of options on hand.
- Andrew Miller: Not a bad gamble by the Red Sox in trying to revive the career of a former 1st round pick. The gamble just didn’t work as Miller’s control and velocity were wildly inconsistent. Miller will be lucky to have Jeremy Affeldt’s career.
- Trever Miller: I had no idea he spent most of 2001 in the Pawtucket rotation. What are the odds of not getting a call-up from the 2001 Red Sox and still having a meaningful major league career? It is ironic he was involved with the two most wretched and infuriating Red Sox teams of my lifetime. I doubt he ever pitches for the Red Sox again.
- Franklin Morales: Inconsistent, but not horrible. If Morales was capable of consistency then he would’ve been the plus started he was supposed to be when he came up with the Rockies.
- Jonathan Papelbon: A year ago I was ready to give up on Papelbon. Now resigning the closer has to be the number two priority of the off-season after unloading John Lackey.
- Stolmy Pimentel: If his season in the minors wasn’t such a complete disaster he would have been starting in the big leagues in September. The 2012 season is make or break for Pimentel, he has to conquer AA.
- Junichi Tazawa: He was rushed to the big leagues in 2009. He was signed out of Japan at 21, the age of most American draft picks. He was given a bonus commiserate with a first round pick, but was sent straight to AA, whereas an American college player would have been fortunate to be sent to High A. That he struggled in his first exposure in the majors in 2009 is understandable. Coming off Tommy John Tazawa should start the year in AAA and take a regular turn in the rotation.
- Tim Wakefield: He has nothing left. I’m amazed he made it through the season pitching as many innings as he did, but they were not quality innings. See Varitek comments in Part I.
- Kyle Weiland: He was asked to do far more than he is capable of. In the major leagues he would be a #4 in a National League rotation or the 11th-12th man in the Red Sox bullpen. I don’t think his stuff is even as good as Michael Bowden’s.
- Dan Wheeler: The wheels (pun intended) fell off for the otherwise consistent Wheeler. He went on the DL for the first time in his career and his stuff looked flat for most of the year. When he pitched well enough to be trusted in higher pressure situations he was hit hard. If the Rhode Island native is willing to take another 1yr deal for short money to pitch close to home the Red Sox don’t have much to lose but the club isn’t foolish enough to actually count on Wheeler again.
After almost 2000 words of suck that surmises where the Boston Red Sox stand right now. There is plenty of talent on the roster, but it is uneven and several moved have to be made this off-season to turn this collection of individuals into a team
Discussion
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