Boston Red Sox: Three wishes for the holiday season

A healthy starting rotation

Eduardo Rodriguez, the team’s best hurler in 2019 made 34 starts, won 19 games, and posted a 3.81 ERA. These are the types of numbers you want to see in your rotation.

But if you’re wondering why the Red Sox couldn’t muster up more than 84 wins last year, chalk it up to injuries and ineffective performances from the rotation.

According to Baseball-Reference.com, the average, healthy starting pitcher’s “full season” is equivalent to 34 starts, so ERod more than held up his end of the bargain.

But here’s who didn’t: Chris Sale – 25 games started (9 missed starts), Nathan Eovaldi – 23 games started (11 missed starts), David Price – 22 games started (12 missed starts),

All three had ERAs over four (Eovaldi was pushing 6.00). To make matters worse here’s the wrecking crew who had to come in to replace your top three rotation pieces:

Hector Velazquez – 5.43 ERA, 1 win in 8 starts, Brian Johnson – 6.02 ERA, 1 win in 7 starts, Andrew Cashner – 6.20 ERA, 2 wins in 6 starts, Jhoulys Chacin – 7.36 ERA, 0 wins in 5 starts.

(Time to ask for a new keyboard for Christmas, as I just vomited all over this one)

I mean…you’re not going to win a pennant with those injuries and those performances. With the hefty checks John Henry is signing for Price, Sale, and Eovaldi, my biggest holiday wish is that they can get their butts on the mound to toe the rubber in 2019. Or else the Grinch will be delivering coal in the Red Sox’ stockings again next winter.