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Boston Red Sox: Drew Pomeranz does not deserve a spot in the rotation

By Ben Porter

NEW YORK, NY - MAY 08: Drew Pomeranz #31 of the Boston Red Sox bites on his nail during the second inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on May 8, 2018 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - MAY 08: Drew Pomeranz #31 of the Boston Red Sox bites on his nail during the second inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on May 8, 2018 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /
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Drew Pomeranz has struggled mightily for the Boston Red Sox in 2018, and he’s no longer deserving of a spot in the starting rotation.

When will the Drew Pomeranz experiment end? Every time he takes the mound for a start, I find myself wondering when the Boston Red Sox will remove him from the rotation. That day can’t come soon enough.

After a very impressive 2017 campaign, Pomeranz has regressed significantly. His 2018 ERA (6.75) is more than double that of last season (3.32), and he’s putting hitters on base at a much higher clip than last year (5.3 BB/9 vs. 3.6 BB/9).

So far this season, Pomeranz has posted an abysmal 1.875 WHIP. That’s unacceptable for a starting pitcher. In my opinion, Pomeranz deserves a trip to the Red Sox triple A affiliate, the PawSox. I even came up with a AAA name for him: Pawtucket Pomeranz.

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The biggest question I have, though, is why something hasn’t been done yet. Sure, Drew Pomeranz was wonderful last year. Unfortunately, last year’s performances don’t win baseball games this year.

Quite frankly, it doesn’t make sense to keep a struggling pitcher in the rotation when there are rostered arms who have had success in the same role.

Both Steven Wright and Hector Velazquez, who have at one point or another had success starting, are both pitching in relief. On a staff that’s particularly short on lefty relievers, wouldn’t it make sense to move Pomeranz to the bullpen?

The big lefty isn’t even giving the Sox many innings, having pitched just 32 innings in 7 starts. That’s a whopping 4.5 innings per start. I know starting pitchers are trending in the wrong direction in terms of longevity, but 4.5 is pathetic.

Drew Pomeranz and Gabe from The Office have more than just their looks in common. Another similarity is thatwhen I see them on my TV screen, I wish they weren’t there. It’s time to stop giving Pomeranz chances on the big stage and let him work things out in the pen or in Pawtucket.

As long as Pomeranz is in the rotation, the Red Sox are at a disadvantage. His starts lead to deficits that are difficult to overcome, and he forces us to use more bullpen arms than we’d like to. Simply put, he’s a detriment to the team. Enough is enough.

Next: Four big reasons the 2018 Boston Red Sox are a different team

Am I overreacting? I don’t think I am. If a guy is having the worst season of his career, it’s only logical to change things up, right? We’ll see if Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora has the same viewpoint as me.

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