Red Sox: Predictions and Grades for the 2016 pitching staff
By Tyler Mason
The 2016 season is only a few months away, so it’s time to make some predictions for the upcoming pitching staff for the Boston Red Sox.
Grade: A
New President of Baseball Operations, Dave Dombrowski, flew to the rescue and fixed many problems the Red Sox had going into the offseason. As we all know, the Sox needed an ace, and boy, did we get one. With arguably the top free agent in this year’s offseason, Price signed a record breaking 7-year, $217 million contract. At first, people thought we paid him way too much money. But let’s be honest folks, do we really want to sit through another agonizing season where we have five 3’s, 4’s, and 5’s in our rotation? I certainly don’t.
Price was a much needed addition to say the least and I applaud Dombrowski for making the move, knowing the amount of money it took to bring him to Beantown. With his time in Tampa Bay, Detroit, and Toronto, he has a lot of experience against not just the American League, but the American League East to be specific.
Price has also never been injured before due to the fact that his main 2 pitches are fastballs and change up’s, which doesn’t cause a lot of wear and tear on his elbow, unlike a curveball or a slider. The Sox got a guy who can plug in 200-plus innings a season. He’s done it regularly throughout his career and I don’t see the trend ending anytime soon.
Playing at Fenway Park for any opposing pitcher can be a struggle. With Price having a career ERA of 1.95 at Fenway Park, just imagine his numbers when the crowd is with him rather than against him.
I believe that Price is going to have one of the best seasons in his career, I really do. With it being David Ortiz‘s last season as a pro, everyone wants this to be a season to remember. And why not have Price be the guy who will carry the rotation down the road and make it a memorable one?
Prediction: 19-6, 2.16 ERA, 219.1 innings pitched.
Next: Clay Buchholz