|
Tim Wakefield made some waves this week telling the media that he has feels he has earned the right to start in 2010.
Brian from One If By Land feels that Wake's recent struggles, especially in the second half of the past five seasons, makes him unreliable at this point in his career and the Red Sox should not make him a starter simply out of respect for past services.
Evan from Fire Brand of the AL doesn't see how Wakefield doesn't end up in the bullpen come April, and there is some good discussion going on in the comments sections...
Personally, I'm wondering why the Red Sox don't try a 6-man rotation...
The number one reason for trying this is health. Having an extra day's rest would be beneficial to all six pitchers and keep all of our arms fresh during the long 162-game season. In the past, the Red Sox have created extra days of rest for Josh Beckett in the second half, in an effort to keep him fresh. In 2007, Beckett got five or more days of rest between starts in 8 of his last 12 starts... That didn't seem to slow him down on his way to 20 wins and postseason domination.
Even Jon Lester nabbed 5+ days off between start in his last 9 games of 2009, leading him to a 7-2, 2.82 ERA second half.
John Lackey was clockwork with regular rest in 2009 while with the Angels, but last year was his second season with less than 30 starts due to injury. He may be the most likely to bark at a change in his routine, but if the Red Sox want to have that three-headed monster we're all excited about on the mound in October, it might not be a bad idea to rest that aging arm as much as possible.
All that said, these guys have all spent their careers working on four days rest, and posted very good result along the way. It's tough to predict how a change in that routine would effect them, especially Jon Lester, who is still developing as a player. Most of the time the old saying "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" proves to be correct and if the Sox want to compete in a very tough AL East, they might not want to mess with success.
So what will the Red Sox do with Daisuke Matsuzaka, Clay Buchholz and Tim Wakefield?
Matsuzaka is probably the last guy you want coming out of the bullpen. Wake's knuckleball makes him unpredictable, but Dice-K will predictably nibble at the corners, and that's not what you want from a reliever. Dice-K is a starter, period, and a unique one at that. He dominated opponents for eight years in Japan while pitching in a six-man rotation. If anyone would welcome this change in the routine, it's Matsuzaka. And if he truly has felt uncomfortable with his routine since signing with Boston, making him feel more at home make make him a 20-game winner...
That leaves Buchholz and Wake. The kid versus the pro. Buchholz had a solid second half in 2009, but has yet to prove that he can compete at that level through 30 starts. Conversely, Wake has eleven 10-win seasons under his belt, but as Brian pointed out, he's been very unreliable in the second half since 2004.
A six-man rotation would help keep Wake healthy and he's no stranger to mixing up his routine, having been a starter, reliever and mop-up man throughout his career. But like Lester, the Red Sox need to be cautious when messing with Buchholz's development. He's already had a rocky road to the bigs, and for that reason, I think he should NOT be sent back to Pawtucket after finally starting click late last season. But an extra day of rest might do just as much damage... it's tough to say.
The last piece of the puzzle here are the stats. I don't have the particulars, but I'm sure all of these pitchers have goals and incentives built into their contracts. Beckett is in a contract year and may not be too keen on only starting 30 games, instead of 33, especially if he gets close to another 20-win season. Tim Wakefield is eleven wins away from 200 wins and just three wins away from tying Clemens and Cy Young for the team record of 192... he's also 21 K's away from 2,000 strikeouts. He won't need 30 starts to hit the K mark, but he may need 20+ to reach the 200 win mark.
Bottom Line: The Red Sox could test this new routine in April and May while the games are "less important." but with 6 games against the Yankees and seven against the Rays in the first two months of the season, the Sox may not want to take chances.
If everybody pitches well through Spring Training, Wake will likely be asked to suck it up and start the season in the bullpen. That would likely benefit him and the team in the long run. Flip side, if he starts the season in the rotation, he's almost guaranteed to breakdown in the second half and if any other starter gets hurt, the Sox will be forced to out their hopes in Boof Bonser, Michael Bowden and/or Junichi Tazawa when the game matter most...
What do you guys think the Sox should do?
|
Bloguin is the revolutionary blog network specifically focused on helping bloggers get the most out of their websites. We're currently working on building a large network of online communities and hope to expand our blogging coverage to include a wide range of topics. 
The Bloguin Network allows advertisers to promote their products and services to our ever-growing number of visitors. We offer both site-specific ad placements as well as the ability to run a network-wide campaign. If you're interested in working with Bloguin to meet your advertising needs, please contact us.
The Bloguin Network is always looking to expand. We're specifically looking for blogs in the sports, entertainment, and video games field, but are open to adding any type of quality site. If you're a blogger and interested in joining our network, please fill out our application form.
The Bloguin Login gives you full access to everything our network has to offer. Your name and password will work for each and every one of our sites. Signing up is simple, and will allow you to post in all our forums, create member blogs, and access other cool features! What are you waiting for? Create an Account! 