Should Alfredo Aceves Have a Spot On the Red Sox Going Forward?
We have seen the rise and fall of Alfredo Aceves over the course of nearly two complete seasons. In 2011 the former Yankee was one of the most valuable pitchers the Red Sox had, proving his worth in multiple roles and being successful in all of them. This year he answered the bell when he was asked to close for his team when Andrew Bailey missed over half the year with injury and he did the job with a passing grade; at least until late July rolled around. That’s when Aceves started to swerve all over the road and now it seems that he has hit the ditch…..hard. Now the question is, does Aceves have a spot on the Red Sox as they move forward and get ready for next year?
Wednesday night Aceves again appeared in relief and again it was well before the final inning that he was so accustomed to for most of the year. This time it was the seventh inning in which Aceves appeared and with the game still well within reach for the Red Sox, he again crumbled on the mound, surrendering two runs on three hits, which included a Curtis Granderson, two-run shot, his second bomb of the game. Ineffective to say the least, further cementing his future as an uncertain reliever that the Sox should look at cutting ties with.
His performance with the baseball isn’t the whole story with Aceves and again that’s where the concern comes in. After manager Bobby Valentine came to the mound to make the pitching change, Aceves hung around for a few seconds before circling the opposite direction of Valentine and then bolted for the right side of the dugout.
It’s no secret that Aceves doesn’t care for Valentine, we saw that in Oakland when he tried to shoo Bobby away after what appeared to be a heated discussion between Aceves and Dustin Pedroia. But to stand on the mound and all but show up your manager is a clear sign of disrespect and it’s that type of attitude that should be banished from this club moving forward.
He’s already been suspended for three games after an altercation with Valentine in what was deemed behavior that was detrimental to the club. How many more chances will the Sox give this nutcase? He’s already costing them runs in tight games and while the Sox aren’t playing for anything other than respect, they still have the opportunity to play spoiler on the Yankees and that is something worth playing for.
The future of this ball club won’t be written this September, but we are seeing multiple players playing for their jobs next season. In this case, Alfredo Aceves is playing for his pink slip, something that should be given before the season ends.