Too Much Depth

Daisuke Matsuzaka (0-3, 8.82 ERA)—we know he has good stuff, his command is great, and his fastball gets up around 95. What gets him in trouble is nibbling too much at the strikezone, afraid to go at hitters. This means he throws too many pitches per at-bat, forcing him to leave games rather early. Around the 5th or 6th inning, he’s up around 105-110 pitches. He did go 18-3 last year, with a petite 2.90 ERA. So he can pitch well. An early shoulder injury kept Matsuzaka on the DL early this year, and so far he’s managed to surrender 16 runs in just over 16 innings, with a record of 0-3.

Josh Beckett (5-2, 4.60 ERA)—Beckett’s been with the Sox since 2006, and he’s compiled a record of 48-28, not to mention consistent lights-out performances in the postseason. He struggled a bit early in the season, but he has too much talent to throw much worse than his career ERA of 3.82. His playoff pitching alone is enough for me to keep Beckett in the rotation.

Tim Wakefield (6-3, 4.55 ERA)—A pitcher with the Sox since 1995, we know what we’re going to get out of Wakefield. He’ll go a few games over .500, with an ERA over 4.00. Rarely does Wake veer off from this paradigm of work. Every blue moon he’ll throw in a 17-game season, but then again a season 5 games under .500 season would not be a shocker either. Is that good enough to keep him in the rotation? Maybe not, but you have to have some loyalty to the guy, after all that he’s done for the franchise. Plus, seeing A-Rod whiff by 2 feet on a knuckler is probably my favorite thing in sports.

Brad Penny (5-1, 5.63 ERA)—The Sox signed Penny for a one-year deal worth $5 million this offseason. That’s a bargain, considering just two years ago he finished 3rd in the Cy Young voting, with 3.03 ERA and 16-4 record. It’s tough to cut this veteran from the rotation. He’s amassed over 1000 strikeouts over his 10-year career, and is one game shy of the 100 win mark. Hopefully, like Mike Lowell (with whom he won the 2003 World Series with the Marlins), he’ll jumpstart his career with the Sox. But should we give him that chance, with an ERA way above 5.00?

Jon Lester (4-5, 4.09 ERA)—Up until today, the 2006-2008 Jon Lester hasn’t shown himself. In those three seasons, Lester went 31-8. This season, batters have just been able to put the bat on the ball. His velocity has been good, up around 95, but batters have liked what they’ve seen from Lester, batting .295 against him. Today, however, he pitched 6 innings, giving up only 3 infield hits and one run. Will this be the Lester we see for the remainder of the year? Let’s hope so, and I think he’s worthy of that chance; he’s only one year removed from becoming the 3rd Red Sox leftie ever to finish a season with 15 wins, 200 innings, 150 strikeouts, and a sub-3.50 ERA. He’s the only lefty in our rotation, and don’t forget about the no-no he threw last July!

Clay Buchholz (3-0, 1.47 ERA in Pawtucket)—he’s also got a no-hitter in his repertoire. He did that in his second Major League start in 2007. So we know he has potential. His curve is deadly, and his velocity is in the low to mid-90s. If he can develop his other off-speed pitches, Buchholz will be unstoppable. Tito ought to ask Schilling if he could teach him his signature splitter that Curt helped Papelbon develop when he was a rookie. With time, I’m confident Buchholz will be one of the premier starters in the AL. I say we bring him up from triple-A and get him some more Big League experience and so pitching coach John Farell can work with him on his tertiary pitches.

John Smoltz (injured)—Smoltz has been with the Atlanta braves since 1988, twenty-one years, where he pitched as both a starter (210-147 record) and closer (154 saves). He won the Cy Young in 1996, he’s a 7-time All-Star, the only pitcher to have 200 wins and 150 saves, and a future Hall of Famer for sure. Obviously, this 41-year old is on the back end of his career. But after shoulder surgery in the offseason, Smoltz hopes to come back to Boston as strong as ever. The Sox signed this free agent for a one-year, $5.5 million contract this off-season, knowing he wouldn’t be ready at the start of the season. Last week, Smoltz pitched three shutout innings in a Class A rehab start, hitting 92 on the radar gun with his usual pinpoint control. It’s only a matter of time before we see Smoltz in a Sox uniform.

Okay, so that’s 7 starters, all good ones. That kind of depth is unprecedented in the MLB. It’s great we have all this pitching, but what should we do with it? Here are some options:
1.Trade some pitching for a much-needed shortstop
2.Put Buchholz and Smoltz in the bullpen, keep the rotation the way it is
3.Move to a 6-man, or even 7-man rotation
4.Bring all the veterans into the rotation, and put Buchholz and Lester in the bullpen/minors