Drew Pomeranz, the man who was traded to Boston from the Padres, has been iffy at times. When he came up in his first year, he wasn’t that good. At least with the Red Sox, he wasn’t. After posting an All-Star first half that included a 2.47 ERA, he threw 68.2 innings with an ERA of 4.59 once joining the Red Sox. He was great in 2017, posting a 3.32 ERA in 173.2 innings. He was very consistent throughout the year and went into 2018 with high hopes. But as of June 2018, it’s time we may need to look at some other options for Pomeranz’s spot in the rotation.
Pomeranz, who is eligible for free agency for the first time in his life, is not doing himself any favors. So far, he’s riding a 6.81 ERA with a WHIP at around 1.8 in exactly 37 innings. It doesn’t take a baseball expert to see that he hasn’t been very good.
The problem with Pomeranz, which has been a problem of his for his whole career, is the pitch count. He very rarely is able to make it past the sixth inning, even on good nights. He throws too many pitches way too early into games. This year he’s getting knocked around too, which is something that won’t help get you the big bucks come the offseason. More importantly, it won’t help you win win games for the team you’re on right now. But there are a couple of guys on this squad who could win some games with this team and actually have a legitimate shot of taking his place in the rotation.
Wright and Vazquez- Potential Starters?
First one, Steven Wright. The knuckleballer who had to start the year suspended is back, and has been good since his return in May. He’s been working from the long relievers role so far and it’s worked very well. In 16 innings, he has a 2.25 ERA. He’s been solid enough to the point where it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to bring him back to his old starting role. Will he ever get back to his first half of 2016 form? Probably not. But anything close to that would be a great addition to this rotation and the team overall.
The second option would be none other than Hector Velazquez. Velazquez hasn’t been in the majors for long after coming over from the Mexican League just a little more than a year ago. But in his short tenure for Boston, he’s been pretty effective. In 54.1 innings, he’s put up a 2.48 ERA for his career so far. Most of those innings are from this year, where he’s tossed 29.2 innings while putting up a nice 2.12 ERA. The only unsettling thing about Hector this season has been his WHIP, which at 1.4, is a little too high to be comfortable with. But overall, he’s been another someone to trust more than Drew Pomeranz this year.
Should They Get a Shot?
Will Pomeranz get more chances? He likely will. He’s been working with the coaching staff to get his pitches going the way he wants them to. It’s not like I’m not rooting for the guy. It’d be great to see him get back to his good form. But there comes a time where you can only get so many chances before you have to start giving other people a shot. And if Drew Pomeranz keeps on struggling and failing to help the Red Sox win ballgames, Steven Wright and/or Hector Velazquez deserve their chance.