Daisuke Matsuzaka Likely Done in Boston
By Brian Phair
A few weeks ago, there was a rumor that Daisuke Matsuzaka may have to undergo Tommy John surgery. He had traveled back to Japan for a 2nd opinion, but the idea of Tommy John surgery was quickly shutdown and pushed aside. Yesterday, multiple outlets reported that Dice-K will indeed have to undergo the elbow re-constructive surgery that will end his season and likely end his tenure in Boston because he has a ‘significant tear’. The reaction in Boston will certainly be a mixed one, given Dice-K’s wildly inconsistent pitching and attitude while pitching for the Red Sox, but it does put the Red Sox in a position to find another starter to fill their rotation, whether that is the obvious Tim Wakefield or Alfredo Aceves or a lesser known minor-league pitcher.
Tim Wakefield will likely be the prohibitive favorite to take on the 5th starter role for unquestionable reasons. He has been there, done that, got the t-shirt, owned the t-shirt shop, and sold the t-shirts. At age 44, Wakefield has played in 19 major-league seasons and started 445 games (412 with the Red Sox). He has pitched in 3,114.2 innings and has won 195 games over his long and impressive career. Being a knuckleballer, he can eat up innings and seemingly pitch forever. As a fan favorite, he would certainly garner the support needed from Red Sox nation, but is it in the best interest of the club to have him in the rotation? I’m not sure.
The positives are listed above for Wake, but what about the negatives. He is 44 years old and likely only has a year or two left in him, so the Red Sox would not be thinking about the future if he were to slide into the rotation, but rather just putting in a temporary patch. There is a lot of pitching talent sitting in the minors waiting for their opportunity, so here is a chance to give some young guys extended time in the majors with a consistent slot in the rotation (assuming they pitch well-enough to remain in the majors). Pitchers like Felix Doubront, Andrew Miller, and Kyle Weiland are all options, and considering they have the option to be regular starters, their development can continue at the big league level.
The other obvious option is Alfredo Aceves. Although he looked strong in his 1st few outings after stepping into the starting role, he got shelled this week, allowing 6 earned runs in 5 innings against the White Sox. He would need to build up stamina to go deeper into games and seems to be better suited as a multiple-inning guy out of the bullpen. He is an excellent spot starter and has shown his ability to be effective in that role, but I’m unsure about his ability to be successful in a longer-term starter setting. The reasons pointing against Aceves are the same as Wakefield (chance to develop a younger pitcher of the future), but with the added layer of having Wake be the #1 option if the decision were between just them.
The Red Sox will likely stick with Aceves and Wake for now while John Lackey rehabs and Dice-K has surgery, but a long-term place-holder may not be good enough for this Red Sox team to make a run at the post-season and even on into 2012. Why not bring up a young, developing talent and allow him to get his feet wet in the majors? It may be in the best interest of the franchise in 2011 and long-term.
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