Boston Red Sox: Don’t count out Jalen Beeks just yet
Jalen Beeks struggled in his major league debut, but here’s why we shouldn’t count out the Boston Red Sox young southpaw just yet.
There’s no question that Boston Red Sox prospect Jalen Beeks did not have the debut that he, the team, or our fans had hoped.
His final line last Thursday was seven hits, six earned runs, three walks and four strikeouts through four innings pitched. Not great, especially considering the Tigers lineup lacks one through nine prowess.
However, that being said, Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez didn’t just get off the turnip truck.
Unfortunately, Beeks will be judged too harshly by critics who only saw those four innings. Furthermore, he will be judged even more unfairly by those who turned off the television and left to get a beer after the first inning.
As the Red Sox Stats Twitter account points out below, Beeks only had a few bad pitches that led to poor results.
Going to be an unpopular opinion today.. but Beeks' results were much worse than what actually happened piece by piece. Popup double for Casellanos led to all the runs in the 1st. The homer was the same way. Only barrel was the Candelario double. Other hits 75, 87, 88, and 92 EV. pic.twitter.com/mtVpo53FhL
— Red Sox Stats (@redsoxstats) June 8, 2018
While this is the big leagues in Boston with little room for excuses, let’s not forget that another lefty farmhand also had a shaky debut, albeit twelve years ago. Almost to the date.
On June 10th, 2006, Jon Lester made his major league debut in a similar situation. Injuries and inconsistencies beyond their top starters forced Lester into the fold. His first line ended up being 5 hits, three earned runs, four walks and four strikeouts throughout 4.1 innings pitched.
Unlike Jalen Beeks, Lester didn’t have one bad inning but rather was forced out early due to a high pitch count. Never the less, it was forgettable and resulted in a Boston Red Sox loss.
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The Impact
So what does this all mean? Well, for starters, I think it comes down to two factors. The first is not to judge a book by its cover. Beeks is a guy who was averaging around 13 strikeouts per nine and about eight strikeouts per start in the minors this season. He’s clearly talented, it’s just a matter of timing. One start should not determine his fate.
The second is that he is still very inexperienced, despite his age. He has only been at the Triple-A Level for a little over a year. While that seems like a long time, left-handed starting pitchers sometimes need prolonged experience against better hitters before arriving at the Show and making an immediate impact.
Red Sox fans shouldn’t be so quick to judge a player they barely knew before this season. Remember when Eduardo Rodriguez struggled? Now he’s one of the strongest pitchers on the team this season.
Next: Boston Red Sox: Ten Greatest Starting Pitchers of All-Time
I hope Jalen Beeks gets another crack at the big club because I will never doubt his determination to succeed again. So don’t count Jalen Beeks out just yet.