Tag Archives: Chris Sale

The Top Starting Pitchers in Baseball

There have been some top 10’s circulating lately, with MLB Network posting their top 10 for 2018 at each position. Buster Olney also did a top 10 at each position, but his lists showed an immense New York bias and Red Sox hatred from the former Yankees reporter. Seeing his lists made me want to rectify them. Now, here’s where my list is different from MLB Network’s lists; I am not doing for just this season as they have been. Personally, I care more about who I would want on my favorite team rather than who will put up good numbers for just one season. With my lists, I will be taking age into consideration when determining the 10 best players at each position. So, whereas Justin Verlander might crack the top five best pitchers for 2018, he’s a fringe candidate for my top 10 list.

1. Clayton Kershaw

Clayton Kershaw, pretty clearly to me, is the best pitcher in baseball. What he has accomplished these past five to seven years is historic, and at just 29 years old he is already a top 10 left-handed pitcher of all-time in my book. From 2013-2016, Kershaw had an ERA below 2.00 in three of those four seasons. His WHIP has been under 1.00 in each of the past five seasons.

In these past seven years, Kershaw has a 118-41 win-loss record to go with a 2.10 ERA and 0.91 WHIP. During this remarkable run, he has never finished lower than 5th in the Cy Young vote; that fifth place finish was thanks to an injury. If Kershaw had not missed time that year he likely would have won his 4th Cy Young. As it stands, he has three of them along with two 2nd place finishes and an MVP Award.

If there is one thing that can keep Clayton Kershaw from being number one, it is injuries. Kershaw has missed some time the past couple seasons due to injury. The injuries haven’t been to his arm, but each of the last two years it has been a back injury that has forced him out. The fact that he has now had recurring issues with his back is of some concern. However, with how dominant he is, and just turning 30 this March, Kershaw still ranks number one in my book.

2. Max Scherzer

At 33, Scherzer is the old man of the lists, which makes me feel old. It doesn’t seem like that long ago I took him as a dark horse to win the AL Cy Young and he did. Since, Scherzer has developed into one of the very best in the game. Over the past five seasons, Scherzer has won 3 Cy Young Awards and placed in the top five in the other two. During that stretch, he is 89-33 with a 2.87 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 10.9 strike outs per nine innings. Scherzer has also thrown two no-hitters and tied a Major League mark by striking out 20 batters in one game. He seems like he will contend for Cy Young Awards for a few more seasons, and that is good enough for me.

Mark Goldman/Icon Sportswire

3. Corey Kluber

I don’t think you can go wrong in an order for these top three pitchers. What Kluber has done while pitching in the American League could certainly warrant consideration for the top spot. Surprising to me, Kluber will be 32 this April, two years older than Kershaw despite beginning his career later. Kluber has really taken off the past four seasons, winning two Cy Young Awards and placing third in another year. He has led the league in wins twice, ERA once and WHIP once during that span. He has also struck out more batters than innings pitched in each of those seasons. Kluber rode a fantastic second half last season to his second Cy Young Award. With 1006 strike outs, a 2.83 ERA and 1.02 WHIP over the past four seasons, it’s hard to argue with Kluber in any one of these top three spots.

4. Chris Sale

Sale is the first one who won’t be 30 by season’s end. However, as great as Sale is, he seems to be a notch behind the three above him. Nonetheless, what Sale has achieved is pretty amazing. Sale began his professional career as a relief pitcher, making just 11 appearances in the minors before a call up the same year he was drafted. He then made 79 relief appearances over his first two seasons. In his six seasons since as a starter, Sale has made six all-star teams and has never finished lower than sixth place in a Cy Young vote. He has a 3.01 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 10.5 strike outs per nine innings during that time period.

After being acquired by the Red Sox last offseason, Sale struck out a career high 308 batters and led the league. This was the second time in his career that Sale had led the league in strike outs. The total helped Sale to a second place Cy Young finish behind Corey Kluber, the closest he has come to winning the award. One thing that could help Sale invade the ranks of the guys above him is finishing years stronger. Sale has a tendency to fade late in the year, with September being by far the worst month of his career historically.

Red Sox starting pitcher Chris Sale delivers a pitch against the Tampa Bay Rays during the first inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

5. Madison Bumgarner

Bumgarner seems like he has been around for a while and thrown a ton of innings, but he is still only 28 years old. One of the best pitchers in baseball this decade, Bumgarner has a 3.01 career ERA. Before last season’s injury plagued year, he had posted an ERA under 3.00 in four consecutive seasons. His strike out rate had also been climbing during that stretch, peaking at 10 strike outs per nine in 2016.

Where Bumgarner really separates himself is in the postseason. Over 14 starts and 16 appearances during postseason play, Bumgarner is 8-3 with a 2.11 ERA. He elevates his game even further for the World Series, going 4-0 with a save in his five appearances. During those games, Bumgarner has allowed one run, just one, over 36 innings pitched. He has allowed an absurd 14 base hits during those 36 innings. He is the pitcher you want on the mound come playoffs.

Charlie Neibergall/AP Photo

6. Noah Syndergaard

“Thor”, as he has been called, has only pitched in parts of three seasons at the big league level. Last season was mostly a wasted season for him, only making seven starts due to injury. The fact he still comes in at six speaks volumes to the talent he has shown. Syndergaard’s average fastball this past season was 98.6 miles per hour! That’s just his average, not his top speed. His devastating slider sits in the low to mid-90’s, which is nearly unheard of for a breaking pitch. In 2016, his one full season to this point, Syndergaard had a 2.60 ERA and struck out 218 batters against just 43 walks. I don’t think we’ve seen the best of him yet.

7. Stephen Strasburg

Strasburg is the second Nationals player to make this list. One of the most hyped pitchers I have witnessed coming out of college, Strasburg has always been good, but never quite living up to expectations. Last season, seven years after his debut, Strasburg posted the best season of his career. He was 15-4 with a career low 2.52 ERA and 1.015 WHIP. Maybe he is learning what it takes to fully tap into all that potential. His biggest pitfall has been injuries. Strasburg blew out his arm in just his second professional season and hasn’t made 30 starts in any of the last three seasons.

8. Dallas Keuchel

Keuchel doesn’t get enough recognition from the media and public because he isn’t a flashy strike out pitcher. However, all he does is get outs, and a lot of them come on the ground. Since Keuchel broke out four years ago, he has struck out 7.6 batters per nine innings. That total was pretty decent in the nineties, but nowadays it barely registers on the radar. It doesn’t matter though, Keuchel has posted an ERA below 3.00 in three of the last four seasons. In 2015 he won the Cy Young Award after going 20-8 with a 2.48 ERA. Last year he may have contended for the award again had it not been for injury. On June 2nd, when he went down with the injury, Keuchel was 9-0 with a 1.67 ERA. He missed nearly two months and had a few rocky outings after returning.

9. Luis Severino

At 23 years old, Severino is the youngest one on my list. He will be 24 by month’s end, and his inclusion here is a nod to his age and the promise he has shown. Before the 2015 seasons, Baseball America rated Severino as the 35th best prospect in baseball. After dominating AAA he showed promise in 11 starts at the big league level. To the delight of Red Sox fans, he was a mess the following season, going 3-8 with a very high ERA and WHIP. However, Severino fixed whatever was wrong and came back stronger than ever last season. While pitching in one of the most hitter friendly stadiums, Severino went 14-6 with a 2.98 ERA and struck out 10.7 batters per nine innings.

10. Carlos Carrasco

Carrasco, although highly thought of, also seems to fly just a little under the radar. After being a good prospect as far back as a decade ago, Carrasco took some time to find his footing. Since his breakout in 2014 though, he has been one of the best pitchers in the American League. I gave him the nod at the tenth spot over a couple National Leaguers because his numbers are similar while pitching in a tougher league. Turning 31 just before the start of this coming season, Carrasco should have plenty of years left in his arm. Over the past four seasons he has a 3.24 ERA and a stellar 1.08 WHIP. Carrasco has also struck out nearly 10 batters per nine innings and is coming off a career high 226 strike outs this past season.

Honorable Mentions:

Jacob DeGrom, Kyle Hendricks, Justin Verlander, Robbie Ray, Zack Greinke

Featured picture taken from SI.com

Red Sox Pitching Staff Preview

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Red Sox Offseason so Far

So far this offseason the Red Sox have focused on improving their offense. Last year they hit 168 home runs, a huge drop-off from the year before. It was their first year without David Ortiz and players they expected to step up did not, causing the offense to struggle. This has shown that the strength of this team could be their pitching. The Red Sox pitching staff has the talent to be one of the best. They just have to be consistent.

Photo Credit: Michael Dwyer AP/ Photo

The Pitching Staff

The Red Sox have two Cy Young award winners in their rotation. Rick Porcello won the award two years ago and David Price won it in 2012. Chris Sale, arguably the best Red Sox starter, almost won the award last year. Last season these three weren’t as dominant as people expected them to be. Price dealt with injuries that derailed his season and Rick Porcello struggled all year. Sale was the only one of three who pitched to expectations. The Sox did receive a breakout year from Drew Pomeranz, who won sixteen games. Their number five starter Eduardo Rodriguez battled injuries, but when healthy showed why he was once a top prospect.

Photo Credit: Jim Mclsaac/ Getty Images

Outlook for the Starters

Next year the Red Sox starting pitchers should be better as a group. That hinges on them being healthier and for some such as Porcello and Rodriguez returning to form. Sale will put up Cy Young numbers while Price will win close to twenty games. Pomeranz should build on his breakout campaign and again win 15 or 16 games. The two wildcards are Porcello and Rodriguez. Porcello isn’t as bad as he was last year when he was one of the worst pitchers in baseball. Porcello pitches best behind a good offense, which was the main concern this offseason. The last one of the group, Eduardo Rodriguez, is extremely talented but has struggled to stay healthy. If he continues to struggle with his health his time with the Red Sox could be over.

Photo Credit: John Raoux

Bullpen

The Sox will be returning next season as a very talented group. They have Craig Kimbrel, who is one of the best, if not the best, closer in baseball. After struggling as a starter Joe Kelly showed last year that he could be a very effective reliever. Two pitchers to watch closely in this group are Carson Smith and Tyler Thornburg as they are both returning from significant injuries. Both these relievers were among the best in the game before their injuries caused them to miss whole seasons. Smith missed all of 2016 before returning at the end of last season and Thornburg missed all of 2017.

Photo Credit: Chris Chavez

Final Thoughts

The Red Sox have the potential to have one of the best pitching staffs in baseball. It all hinges on health and some of these players returning to form. If that happens then the Red Sox pitching could carry them which will be crucial come playoff time.

Jason Groome: The Next All Star Pitcher

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The 2016 12th overall pick out of New Jersey throws a lot of heat, but working with Chris Sale makes him that much deadlier.

In 2016, Jason Groome heard his name called as the 12th person in the MLB Amateur 2016 draft. After being given a $3.65 million contract with the Red Sox, the 6’6 southpaw out of Barngat, NJ came into 2017 as MLB.com’s #43 prospect. Last season, he sported a 3-9 record with a ghastly 5.69 ERA through 55.1 innings of work throughout low a and single a baseball.

He has a wide arsenal of pitches that he uses to work his counts. He has a fastball velocity range from low to mid 90s, as well as a nice power curve that glides with great movement. His tall frame works to his advantage as well. It helps give him good downhill action on his pitches, which will make the timing harder to follow. His change-up is a work in progress, as command issues have plagued that pitch in 2017.

Once he fully develops throughout the minor league system, he could be a dual threat pitcher. What could make him more valuable? Enter Chris Sale. The ace of the Red Sox has been training throughout the offseason in Florida with the young lefty. He could learn a lot from a pitcher like Sale. Sale came in second place in the Cy young voting just two months ago. He is coming off a season in which he struck out over 300 batters. If you pay close attention to both pitchers, the similarities are striking.

Both pitchers have a long, lengthy left-handed body. Even though Sale has a wider delivery than Groome, they both throw with their arms a bit to the side. This helps give them a better angle on their pitches. In Chris Sale’s case, the awkward delivery helps make the timing of the hitter off kilter at first sight. Not many pitchers have his size and delivery, while being able to whip a fastball over 95 mph.

Jason Groome will adapt after his first full season in the minors. Seeing what the pace is will help him make the right adjustments while being able to do it comfortably in the offseason. While recent pitchers such as Jordan Cote, Jacob Smith, and Josciel Verjas were released and never signed up to this point. Coming straight out of high school has its disadvantages, but they can be easy to overcome.

How far he progresses this year is up to Dave Dombrowski and company, but one things for certain. As the days, months, and years go by, expect to hear about Jason Groome. This kid is only getting better. With some hard work, could be a multiple Cy Young award winner at some point throughout his career.

Photo Cred: Baseball Hot Corner

What a Hanley Ramirez Trade Could Look Like

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Photo by Getty Images

Trading Hanley Ramirez Could Help or Ruin This Season

In what seems to be a lackluster off-season for the Boston Red Sox, teams like the New York Yankees got seemingly stronger. So far, in response they have resigned Mitch Moreland to a team-friendly 2 year contract. In addition to making Samuel Adams the official beer of the team. The clear-cut move: Trade Hanley Ramirez.

With a hefty $22 million dollar vesting option for 2019, the trade will be tough. He only needs 497 plate appearances this year. The President of Baseball Operations is no stranger from making trades. The key to pull this off is simple: leave the farm system alone!!!!

Dave Dombrowski has a reputation of making trades for win now mode. Examples of this are going for Chris Sale and Craig Kimbrel. With that being said, if you move the DH to a National League team, you could potentially receive a couple of prospects in order to make room for JD Martinez. There might even be flexible room enough to grab a bench bat to even out the salaries. One way to boost the intrigue is to eat some of his $22 million dollar contract.

It helps to have the history that Dave and Martinez have throughout the years. When he held the same position in Detroit, he traded for Martinez. After that, his stats went up. It helped to be around hitters like Miguel Cabrera, who is a lock for the Hall of Fame. In Boston, David Ortiz will be back around the clubhouse, as he has a verbal agreement with his team.

With a little over 100 days until the regular season is under way, there is plenty of time to make a contender out of a very good ball club. With players such as Benintendi, Devers, and Betts driving the young core, this team’s future looks bright.

Credit to NESN for the featured picture.

2017 Red Sox Report Card

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We shouldn’t be upset that the 2017 Red Sox season is over. Certainly it would have been nice to get past Houston and into the ALCS. We might even hope to hit a little lightning in a bottle, beat the Tribe and make it to the World Series.

As any smart baseball observer knew long ago, this wasn’t a great Boston team (see here). It was constructed poorly, managed poorly, and it performed poorly against baseballs best teams. Frankly, if you look at it through the commonly accepted five-tools of baseball, the 2017 Sox actually over achieved.

Tool 1: Hitting For Average (C)

After posting a league-leading team batting average of .282 last year, the Sox dropped to the middle of the pack this year at .258. Losing Ortiz (.315 in 2016) hurt. What hurt more was the precipitous drop from Betts, Bogaerts and Bradley, and Ramirez – each batted at least 21 points below their 2016 average. Most troubling, as something we pointed out here, was Mookie’s fall from .318 last season to .264 this year.

Tool 2: Hitting For Power (F)

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This year’s squad had all the pop of a softball team after finishing off the keg. In 2016 the Sox lead all 30 MLB teams in Slugging Percentage at .461. This year they finished 26^th with a team slugging percentage of .407. For perspective, the Phillies slugged .409. They won 66 games.

The Sox hit only 168 home runs, good for 27^th in the league. Papi’s absence again loomed large – 38 HRs and 127 RBIs in 2016. Again, more important was the decline in everyone else’s performance. Hanley hit seven fewer bombs and 49 fewer RBIs. Forty-nine.

Tool 3: Base Running (D)

Do we really even need to discuss this? The Sox were horrible on the base paths this year. Every night there was a new train wreck at home plate as the slowest players on the team were gunned down by five steps. Or, someone made a mistake and was doubled-up on what should have only been a routine fielder’s choice.

The only reason Base Running isn’t an “F” for the year is that with their team speed, the Sox managed 106 stolen bases (6^th in MLB) and were caught only 31 times (13^th). That’s what is so frustrating about this squad. With their speed, they should have been great running the bases.

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Skipper John Farrell dismissed the Sox ineptitude on the bases, insisting the obscene number of outs was the result of an aggressive philosophy. That might be partly true, but the decision to send someone like Sandy Leon or Mitch Moreland home on a shallow fly isn’t being “aggressive” it’s being stupid. They were stupid a lot this year.

Tool 4: Throwing/Pitching (B+)

For all the Pedro-like excitement for Chris Sale’s starts this season, he really was pretty awful when we needed him most. As discussed previously (here), in the second half of the year he dominated the worst teams and was dominated by the best. He finished with career highs in both innings (214.1) and K’s (308) – and that might have been part of the problem. He looked tired down the stretch and gave up a ton of home runs.

As good as Sale was at times, Porcello was equally bad. Leading the league in losses (17), runs (125), and home runs allowed (38), Pretty Ricky was ugly in 2017. But, besides Sale and Porcello, team pitching was essentially the same this year as last year. This year’s staff managed a nearly identical WHIP and BAA (Batting Average Against) as last year in 43 more innings pitched. Given how poorly the team hit this year, the pitching deserves the bulk of the credit for winning the division.

Tool 5: Fielding (D)

Can we get a list of volunteers to hit grounders to the infield this off season? After committing only 75 errors in 2016 (3^rd best in baseball), this year’s squad committed 107 (7^th worst).

Devers adjustment at third base was certainly a factor. He committed 14 errors in 58 games. He’s young, he’ll improve. Bogaerts led the team with 17 errors in 2017, five more than in 2016 (in 10 fewer chances). Just like at the plate, he’s regressing in the field.

Final Grade (C)

My kids like to tell me that a “C” on their report card is “average”… as if that’s acceptable. It is not. Certainly not for a team with a $200M payroll. It is revealing that a team as demonstrably average as the 2017 Red Sox can, not only make the playoffs, but win the division. It should make everyone understand how important pitching is to success.

Where to Go From Here

We’ve said for months that the 2017 Red Sox were a deeply flawed team. They have talent, but not enough. They lack power and they commit too many unforced errors in the field and on the bases. That’s a coaching issue.

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Chili Davis is simply not getting it done as a hitting coach. It’s easy to look good with David Ortiz compensating for team power numbers, but the regression of the core members of this franchise’s future can’t continue.

Base coaches Butterfield (3B) and Amaro (1B) need to be held responsible for the ridiculous performance on the base paths. No team with as much speed and experience as the Sox should look so clueless every night.

It is hard to justify firing a manager who just won consecutive division titles and won a World Series only four years ago, but changes must be made in the coaching staff.

Red Sox Backing Into The Playoffs

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Red Sox Backing Into The Playoffs

With the regular season coming to a close and the playoffs starting, it seems the Boston Red Sox are backing into the postseason just like last year. Last season the Red Sox won the division with a loss to the Yankees but still wearing goggles and drinking champagne in the clubhouse. The Red Sox play the Astros today and tomorrow to close out the regular season. They have lost four of their last five games and lead the division by two games. With a Red Sox win or a Yankees loss they would clinch the AL East.

This would be the first time in the team’s history they would clinch the AL East in back-to back seasons. Clinching the division means nothing if you back yourself into the playoffs and get swept in the first round. If the Red Sox don’t win the division today do you pitch Chris Sale tomorrow? In Sale’ s last eight starts he’s 4-4 with 48 hits and 23 runs, 11 home runs and 67 strikeouts. I say keep him rested, clinch today so you don’t have to pitch him tomorrow. The only reason Sale pitches tomorrow is if they haven’t clinched yet or to get to 313 strikeouts.

Will David Price Start A Playoff Game?

I still would have David Price pitch a playoff game like I’ve said before. He’s making way too much money to be coming out of the bullpen. The bats have been quiet too as of late. Losing 12-2 Thursday night and 3-2 last night they just can’t seem to get the hit they need to win.

Pedroia On Last Night’s Loss

Baseball: World Series: Boston Red Sox Dustin Pedroia (15) in action, making throw vs St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. Game 5.
St. Louis, MO 10/28/2013
CREDIT: Al Tielemans (Photo by Al Tielemans /Sports Illustrated/Getty Images)
(Set Number: X157127 TK3 R1 F82 )I

Pedroia said after last night’s game “it’s just one of those games, we couldn’t find a way to get the big hit and do something offensively. We just came out a couple of runs short we’ll get after it Saturday.” Now if both the Yankees and Red Sox are tied for the division they would play a one game playoff Monday at Yankee Stadium.

The Road to the World Series Not Paved with Gold

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The Red Sox are in the playoffs with a magic number of one to secure the AL East title. The journey to the World Series starts now.

‘Stros and the Tribe Up Next

There is a good chance that will happen, but then the fun begins. With the Astros and the Indians still competing for home field advantage, the Red Sox have a mountain to climb. Both possible opponents have been among the best and most consistent teams of 2017. The Indians have won 100 games, the Astros 99. The Astros lead the MLB in batting average, RBI, OBP, SLG, OPS, runs, hits and doubles. Offensively, they are a machine with a line up deeper than the Atlantic. While their pitching is not as strong, the team ERA is 4.13, they strike out a lot of batters and are above average in just about every way. The also have former CY Young winners in Keuchal and Verlander who have sampled the play offs before.

The Indians also play on the back of that record-breaking winning streak with high confidence. Offensively not as strong as the Astros, but The Indians remain in the top five in most categories. Their pitching is their strong card. They have the best team ERA, most strikeouts, most complete games, a second best WHIP of 1.17 and they have Terry Francona, a manager who has won and lost in the World Series and understands how to manage his pitching staff in the post season cauldron.

The Up and Down Sox

At the moment, the Red Sox are frustratingly inconsistent. They have the talent but can’t seem to put it all together over a sustained period. There is no doubt the Red Sox are down on power at the plate. They rank just 27th in home runs with just a mere 167 this season. The team slugging percentage is just .408, down in 25th spot with an OPS of just .738.

It is brighter on the defensive side. The Red Sox have the fourth-best ERA of 3.71, the third most strikeouts a WHIP of 1.25 and Chris Sale, who on his day is one of the top-three pitchers in the whole MLB. The problem is that the Red Sox have pitched the most innings of any team, mainly because run support had often been non-existent. Chris Sale has pitched more innings than anyone and it’s beginning to show. That said, there has been a recent and alarming tendency by the pitching staff to give up runs in the first inning. With the current, offensive state of play its game over.

We know the Indians will have a game plan for the playoffs. We saw it last year and no doubt it will happen again. The Astros will let their bats do the talking and will just try and outscore everyone. Any off day from a Red Sox pitcher will be punished.

If the Red Sox are to make it to the World Series, it is likely they will have to beat both the Indians and the Astros. To do that they are going to have to shut down the Astros’ offense and overcome Kluber, Miller and co.

That’s a tough ask.

Red Sox Playoff Pitching Rotation

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With The Regular Season Ending, The Red Sox Get Their Rotation Ready

The Major League Baseball season is almost over, believe it or not which means teams will be getting ready for the playoffs. While others will be making plans for their off season. The Red Sox have 11 regular season games left before the playoffs get underway. The starting rotation all year has been in question. With David Price now coming out of the bullpen, Chris Sale having a few rocky starts lately, the true ace on the team right now is Drew Pomeranz. Pomeranz is 16-5 with a 3.28 ERA for this season.

Chris Sale Gets The Ball For Game One Of ALDS

there is know doubt Chris Sale will get the start in game one of the ALDS. Chris Sale has never pitched in the playoffs, so this will be the true test to see how he does in a bigger stage. Sale is 16-7 with a 2.86 ERA so far this season. LDavid Price who’s making $31M should be a playoff starter. I know his two wins in the playoffs have come while pitching out of the bullpen. But he could prove everyone wrong and earn his contract by pitching well in the playoffs.

Drew Pomeranz, Doug Fister, Rick Porcello: Are The Bottom Three Of The Rotation

Drew Pomeranz would likely be third on the playoff rotation. He’s had a pretty good season, but in the ALDS last season against Cleveland he only pitched 3.2 innings, gave up two runs, and two hits.

CLEVELAND, OH – AUGUST 22: Starting pitcher Doug Fister #38 of the Boston Red Sox pitches during the first inning against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field on August 22, 2017 in Cleveland, Ohio

My fourth starter would be Doug Fister who’s 4-2 in the postseason, with a 2.60 ERA according to Baseball Reference.

BOSTON, MA – AUGUST 15: Rick Porcello #22 of the Boston Red Sox celebrates after a triple play during the fourth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Fenway Park on August 15, 2017 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

My fifth starter would have to be Rick Porcello Even though he has 17 losses this season I’d rather have him pitch in a playoff game because I trust him more in the playoffs and who has the experience too. Eduardo Rodriguez is an average pitcher but I don’t think is ready to start a playoff game.

Chris Sale
David Price
Drew Pomeranz
Doug Fister
Rick Porcello

Where are the Red Sox Now?

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There are of course over 20 games to go in the regular season, the Red Sox lead the AL East by 4.5 games.

They have been inconsistent to say the least but are finally showing signs of stringing victories together. The current streak stands at 8-2 and with a lot of home games left for them to make the playoffs.

Offensively, the team’s performance lands them in the top 10 of most categories apart from power. They rank 5th best BA (.263), 10th in RBI (537), 8th in runs (573), 6th in OPB (.334) and 9th in doubles (216). In these categories they compare favorably with all the pace setters such as the Nationals, the Dodgers and the Astros.

Some listless veteran bats

The Red Sox power rating has dropped horribly from last year. Currently they have just 124 HRs, SLG of .411 and just 13 triples. Mookie Betts and Hanley Ramirez lead the way with 18.

Xander Bogaerts’ production badly disappoints compared to last year. His current six home runs compare badly with the 21 he hit in 2016. Mookie Betts is not having the MVP-style-year he had last year, down across all batting stats. Jackie Bradley Jr. also lags in performance at the plate, despite being the best center fielder around.

Big bats emerge

New recruit Mitch Moreland may have had a sticky patch but has earned the nickname Mitchy Two Bags for good reason with 26 doubles this year so far.

Eduardo Nunez and Rafael Devers have made the most significant impact on the offense. Both have nearly carried the Red Sox since they appeared. Nunez is batting .384 and Devers is .348.

They have already contributed 10 HRs between them and injected a certain’ je ne sais quoi’ into the team. Something that was much needed.

Both catchers have been outstanding with Vazquez surprising many with his production at the plate.

Dustin Pedroia’s knee remains a considerable concern The veteran is currently batting .303 and remains the leader in the clubhouse. With Holt healthy and the emergence of Nunez, the Red Sox have the flexibility to make up for Pedroia’s absence on the field.

The key question focuses on whether someone will fill the leadership gap.

Powerful pitching

In pitching, the team closes in on the top of the tree only behind the Dodgers, the Indians and the Diamondbacks in team ERA (3.65).

The star of the show has been Chris Sale, the leading candidate for the AL Cy Young Award. He leads the ways in strikeouts with 241. Max Scherzer is next with 220. That shows Sale’s dominance.

Although David Price divides opinion among the faithfull, he is an important cog in the rotation, performing as he did last year despite periods on the DL. He will be needed when and if the post season beckons.

Last year’s CY Young winner, Rick Porcello, has been a little disappointing but has suffered more than most from a lack of run support.

E-Rod remains an enigma but Drew Pomeranz has been outstanding. With a 12-4 record and a 3.39 ERA, he will need to keep that form together and stay healthy.

The fifth starter remains a problem for the Red Sox and Doug Fister is not the solution.

The bullpen is pretty solid and is having a good year with Kimbrel doing what it says on the tin with 28 saves, 94 strikeouts and an ERA of 1.41.

Although Joe Kelly has pitched well, there is a concern about the relievers as a group. All are prone to giving up crucial runs at the wrong time. The strategy also seems unclear about their use.

Are you ready for some playoffs?

Play off baseball is different and the pitching staff will need to be on their mettle. Terry Francona showed what could be done. Let’s hope Farrell has the same command of his pitchers.

If the Red Sox don’t make the playoff its will be a disaster. They have the talent and the resources.

Betts, Bogaerts and Ramirez need to get their bats going on a consistent basis and the bullpen needs to get some consistency. They cannot afford to waste the efforts of the starters and lose tight games.