Sunday night gave the David Price doubters all the fuel they needed to spit off every reason why he is not worth the big investment. I wonder how many times that has been used in Price articles? I’ve found myself as Price’s last line of defense when it comes to most conversations about the lefty. It does seem that when it comes to the big stage, Price does get a bit rattled. Here, we will make the case of both sides and evaluate where we stand.
Why to Panic
Let’s start off by pushing away the blow-hard Boston media perception of Price that has festered since his arrival. The theory is that he is not a good clubhouse leader and has a bad attitude or anything involving Fortnite. A lot of the young guys in the clubhouse look up to Price, even players who are no longer on their team.
Fingers should be pointed at factual, unfortunate statistics for Price. After this career-high eight spot put up by the Yankees, Price’s totals against the Bombers went to a 2-6 with an 8.43 ERA. Price gave the Yankees and Aaron Hicks (3 HRs) possibly the best night of their July on the first night.
Now Price has jacked up his ERA to a 4.28. Less than desired from the $217M dollar man. And in the days after this Yankees start, it is hard to forget the fact that Price has yet to claim that post-season win. If we are truly bringing his attitude into play as well, David Price does not seem like the happy man who will keep committed to this contract when faced with an opt out. It has never seemed like Price’s statistical timeline has matched up with the rest of the team, so maybe sound the alarm.
Why Not to Panic
I vaguely remember a pitcher for the Red Sox who mightily struggled against the Yankees on the road. Years ago, a small Dominican man with a red glove was put into a mental pretzel in the Bronx. It’s very easy to get lost in the mayhem of New York baseball, especially when you are seen as the prey. IN NO WAY AM I CLAIMING DAVID PRICE IS EQUAL TO THE QUALITY OF PEDRO MARTINEZ. But if we are analyzing Boston greats, even the cream of the crop struggled with the New York Yankees, and even in the postseason at times. He won’t call them his daddy, but Price is certainly aware of the situation at hand.
“I’ve faced these guys a lot of times,” said Price. “Been in this division for a long period of time. I’ve faced the Yankees many times. It’s time for me to kind of go back to that drawing board and kind of reinvent myself against these guys.” -MLB.com
It’s clear that as the games go on, the pressure for Price to outshine the Yankees will be there. There are several check marks Boston fans have placed on Price in order for his lucrative contract to benefit them. One of which being consistent quality performances against New York. What I’m concerned with is the quality of David Price that was there before this New York start. Since May 17(disregarding Sunday’s start) Price was premium quality compared to the rest of the roster. Price had a 2.65 ERA, a 6-1 win-loss record, and a 3.27 FIP. This David Price would be nice to get back post this July 1st massacre.
My Conclusion
Personally, I have never had permanent doubt when it comes to David Price. Whether or not we should be paying him for this kind of quality is not in the fans’ control. Personally, I was swayed by postseason Price last year. The fire that was in that version of this pitcher is something that will come out in a divisional series against the Yankees. Rather than a no as meaningful series in the month of July.
I believe either side has a valid argument. But when it comes down to it Price has produced quality statistics this season. For some people, the Price will never be right. What do you think?
