Red Sox: 5 things we learned in the first half
By Noah Small
Pitching Problems
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The Red Sox have pitching problems. It’s difficult to point out one specific area for this cause, as these pitching woes are present all the way down the organization. From Greenville through Portland and Pawtucket to Fenway; it exists at all levels. Is It the coaching? The drafting? All we know is what we see, and we have seen numerous talented pitchers signed that stumble under these coaches, as well as the pipeline of pitching prospects dry up.
David Price, Eduardo Rodriguez, Clay Buchholz, Craig Kimbrel, Junichi Tazawa, and Koji Uehara have all struggled this season. Some of these pitchers are veterans who have been very successful for a long while, yet have had difficulty to find their way in a Boston uniform. And what might be worse is someone like Rodriguez or Buchholz, who have loads of talent but struggle with consistency or even to not tip pitches, while finding no help in the Red Sox coaching staff.
To add insult to injury, Dave Dombrowski traded Aaron Wilkerson, Boston’s best pitching prospect in AAA, for Aaron Hill to further deplete their farm system. It’s unlikely the Red Sox pitchers will falter so mightily in the second half of the season, but the first half of 2016 is cause for concern.
Next: Jackie Bradley Jr.