Nakamura6 Pitchers... 5 Spots for Boston's Rotation
There's the fireballer, Josh Beckett.
There's the cancer survivor, Jon Lester.
There's the newly acquired John Lackey.
Those 3 pitchers are locked in. They will be in the rotation, no matter what happens. All three would be considered the ace of their staff on any team except the Red Sox.
There's the young Clay Buchholz.
There's the Japanese legend, Daisuke Matsuzaka.
There's long time Red Sox, Tim Wakefield.
One of them have to go.
I'm not talking about a trade. Gosh no. Come opening day, all six will be on the active roster. But who's the odd one out? It depends.
Will Daisuke's health hold up? All signs are screaming yes. Daisuke is a workhorse. He is too proud to let a sore arm get in his way. He's too proud to let a 500 pitch bullpen session make him say "I'm tired". After last season, he has a lot to prove, and he is damn well sure he's going to pitch. You can pencil him into the rotation... for now.
Clay Buchholz is still young and has something to prove. He made Red Sox Nation proud when he threw his no-hitter and got a similar reaction in the 2nd half of last season. But let's not forget, Tim Wakefield was also an all star last year. Considering that Clay is the "future" of the Boston staff, he has the edge.
So is Wakefield going to the bullpen? Most likely. But with Theo Epstein running the front office, you can never be certain. Theo likes using the disabled list. It enables him to use the
depth of the club to his advantage while keeping his strongest players fresh down the stretch. So if Daisuke is slightly sore days before his first start, he may end up on the 15-day DL. If Clay seems a little shaky in his spring training starts, he will be fully evaluated by the medical staff. If there is even the slightest pain in his body, Wakefield will replace him.
The Red Sox had a similar plan last year. Except his name was John Smoltz. That... didn't quite work out. But Wakefield has been one of the most dependable starters for the Red Sox of all time. He has 189 wins in his career - 175 with the Red Sox. Over 15 seasons in a Boston uniform, he has averaged just below 12 wins per season. I don't think people understand how INCREDIBLE that is. To consistently have double digit figures in the wins column is outstanding. He's been one of the most consistent Boston has ever seen. Even though the words "consistent" and "knuckleballer" are supposed to be antonyms.
Give Wakefield credit. He's done so much for the Fenway Faithful. At age 43, you would assume his career is entering its last few years. Tim, I wish you the best. Though the odds are stacked against you this year, you will be remembered by Red Sox Nation forever. Your contributions will never be forgotten. I hope you can add ever more for us to remember and keep piling up more franchise records.
-Written by: Nakamura. This article is copyrighted © by Nakamura and may not be reproduced, recopied, or used in any form without permission from Nakamura
There's the cancer survivor, Jon Lester.
There's the newly acquired John Lackey.
Those 3 pitchers are locked in. They will be in the rotation, no matter what happens. All three would be considered the ace of their staff on any team except the Red Sox.
There's the young Clay Buchholz.
There's the Japanese legend, Daisuke Matsuzaka.
There's long time Red Sox, Tim Wakefield.
One of them have to go.
I'm not talking about a trade. Gosh no. Come opening day, all six will be on the active roster. But who's the odd one out? It depends.
Will Daisuke's health hold up? All signs are screaming yes. Daisuke is a workhorse. He is too proud to let a sore arm get in his way. He's too proud to let a 500 pitch bullpen session make him say "I'm tired". After last season, he has a lot to prove, and he is damn well sure he's going to pitch. You can pencil him into the rotation... for now.
Clay Buchholz is still young and has something to prove. He made Red Sox Nation proud when he threw his no-hitter and got a similar reaction in the 2nd half of last season. But let's not forget, Tim Wakefield was also an all star last year. Considering that Clay is the "future" of the Boston staff, he has the edge.
So is Wakefield going to the bullpen? Most likely. But with Theo Epstein running the front office, you can never be certain. Theo likes using the disabled list. It enables him to use the
Long Time Red Sox Tim Wakefield
The Red Sox had a similar plan last year. Except his name was John Smoltz. That... didn't quite work out. But Wakefield has been one of the most dependable starters for the Red Sox of all time. He has 189 wins in his career - 175 with the Red Sox. Over 15 seasons in a Boston uniform, he has averaged just below 12 wins per season. I don't think people understand how INCREDIBLE that is. To consistently have double digit figures in the wins column is outstanding. He's been one of the most consistent Boston has ever seen. Even though the words "consistent" and "knuckleballer" are supposed to be antonyms.
Give Wakefield credit. He's done so much for the Fenway Faithful. At age 43, you would assume his career is entering its last few years. Tim, I wish you the best. Though the odds are stacked against you this year, you will be remembered by Red Sox Nation forever. Your contributions will never be forgotten. I hope you can add ever more for us to remember and keep piling up more franchise records.
-Written by: Nakamura. This article is copyrighted © by Nakamura and may not be reproduced, recopied, or used in any form without permission from Nakamura
