Boston Red Sox Rotation May Remain Intact for 2017
The 2016 season may have recently ended, but barring any injuries, trades or free agent plays, the Boston Red Sox rotation will look familiar in 2017.
The very same unit that contributed mightily to the Boston Red Sox “fast as lightning” playoff exit could be the same group that are headlining next season’s rotation.
Believe it or not, that’s a step in the right direction.
Aside from short outings in the playoffs, the starters for Boston put together a solid last couple of months. Mixed in with solid, season-long performance from Rick Porcello and Steven Wright–before his unfortunate injury–and the Boston Red Sox have a nice foundation in place for 2017.
David Price and Porcello, a surprise Cy Young candidate, will provide the Red Sox with a solid 1-2 punch.
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Price struggled at times in his first season in Boston. He picked up seven quick wins, but his ERA hovered around five for most of the first two months. Price went on to win 17 games and strike out 228, going 8-3 after the All-Star break with a 3.58 ERA.
Porcello dazzled in his second year in Boston, going 22-4 with a 3.15 ERA. He was 13-1 at Fenway Park.
Both struggled with the long ball, combining to give up 53 home runs . While a concern, giving up home runs were a league-wide problem in 2016.
Steven Wright appeared to have mastered the knuckleball this season. Before an injury shelved him, Wright was 13-6 with a 3.33 ERA. Despite the unpredictability of the knuckleball–ask R.A. Dickey–Wright should be a solid number three starter in 2017.
Looking at it now, the fourth and fifth starters should be Eduardo Rodriguez and Drew Pomeranz. Rodriguez, inconsistent in his first few season, seemed to finally settle in after the all-star break. He only went 2-4 but had an ERA of 3.24 and held opponents to a .210 batting average.
Pomeranz struggled in his first few months with Boston, but gave glimpses of why the Red Sox acquired him. He is arbitration eligible, but should be in a Boston uniform next spring.
Weak Free Agent Class, Minor League
A year after pitchers dominated the free agent market, the class is considerably weaker this time around for starting pitchers.
Hitters dominate most lists, with the top pitchers being of the relief variety (something the Red Sox will need to look into). Instead of settling on a Rich Hill or Ivan Nova, money might be better spent by Dave Dombrowski on fortifying the bullpen.
Boston’s minor league affiliates aren’t much better, as far as major-league ready pitchers are concerned. Henry Owens may have run out of opportunities and no one really dominated at the Triple-A or Double-A levels.
A man that might be on the outside looking in is Clay Buchholz. The veteran Boston pitcher pitched well out of the bullpen and in spot starts over the past two months. But a team option is owned on him and I’m not sure the Boston Red Sox will pony up 13 million to keep him.
If they do, it would possibly give the Boston Red Sox six options for the starting rotation. With a young offense intact, the core group of starters returning should give fans high hopes for next season.
Next: Porcello Could Win AL CY Young
Of course, a lot can happen over the next four months. As we’ve seen before, Dombrowski is not afraid to make changes. In this case, he should let the group stay together, letting Price lead the way to make good on his promise to fans.