Predicting Boston Red Sox 2021 Opening Day starting rotation
Lock: Garrett Richards
The “King of Spin Rate” is here ladies and gentlemen. Garrett Richards is officially a Boston Red Sox pitcher after agreeing to a contract on Saturday.
The one-year, $10 million contract sets him up to immediately enter the rotation and could be one of the real steals of the offseason if all goes well.
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Richards has had real trouble staying healthy since 2015, including in 2018 where he underwent Tommy John surgery. In his odd 10 year career, he has an ERA of 3.62.
A healthy Garrett Richards a great addition to the Red Sox starting rotation
The best idea of what you are getting could be what he showed in the 2020 season where he was completely healthy. He pitched in 14 games during the regular season, 10 of which were starts. his 4.03 ERA sets him up to be a reasonably good middle of the rotation starter and if he can put it back altogether, he may be even better.
Richards’ slider is his best weapon when he is on top of it and it has the best spin rate in all of baseball. According to Red Sox Stats on Twitter, batters have hit a brutal .153 on the pitch, and batters whiff on 42 percent of the time. Much like Eovaldi, figuring out the right mix could make him more than serviceable this season.
The 32-year-old can win fans over as his contract isn’t one to force fans to lose it and can lead to fans being please with his output. The signs are there for Richards to be a Chaim Bloom signature signing and he will have his chance to prove it this season in the starting rotation.