Red Sox: Which ace pitcher should start on Opening Day?

The Boston Red Sox are faced with a problem every team in baseball would gladly accept; who among their trio of aces should start on Opening Day?

Generally speaking, the starter slated to pitch on Opening Day is the best pitcher on a team’s roster. It’s a purely symbolic role, assuming the ace’s position for a team’s rotation, but important nonetheless.

The Red Sox are faced with a number of roster questions heading into the 2017 season, all of which are of great importance: Will Pablo Sandoval be able to compete at a major league level again? Is the bench deep enough to provide support in the case of injuries? Can the lineup do enough to cover the loss of production following David Ortiz‘s retirement? With just two spots left in the rotation, where will one of Drew Pomeranz, Eduardo Rodriguez and Steven Wright fit into the team’s plans?

While the answer to each of those questions will have a significant impact on the results of the team come April, deciding who their Opening Day starter is will not. There truly isn’t a wrong answer to the problem as any of them could be the team’s ace and all three qualify when it comes down to the numbers. But there is a right answer.

This isn’t the first time that this issue has come up. After the team acquired Chris Sale from the White Sox in December, one of the immediate topics that surfaced had to do with ranking the team’s trio of elite pitchers. Most recently, the question arose over the weekend at the team’s annual Winter Weekend when both David Price and Sale were asked who their pick would be.

Price and Sale are absolutely right. Rick Porcello, the man that notched 20 Ws and won the American League Cy Young Award in 2016 should be the Red Sox’ Opening Day starter when they host the Pittsburgh Pirates on April 3rd. I should preface my case for Porcello by stating that this doesn’t make him the unquestionable best pitcher on the team. In fact, he might not even be second best. It’s hard to argue against the body of work that Sale and Price have put together over their careers. While Porcello was

I should preface my case for Porcello by stating that this doesn’t make him the unquestionable best pitcher on the team. In fact, he might not even be second best. It’s hard to argue against the body of work that Sale and Price have put together over their careers. While Porcello was great in 2016, Sale and Price have been beyond great for upwards of seven years.

The reason for starting Porcello is that the game really doesn’t have an impact on the overall outcome of the season. A win or a loss on Opening Day is worth the same as one in mid-July. It’s one game that happens to be important because of the symbolism attached to it, not its relevance to the Red Sox’ playoff chances.

Detractors could point out that bumping back Sale and Price will cost them a start down the line, which could end up being of importance if the Red Sox desperately need an extra win come late September. This could wind up being true, assuming that each starter in the rotation pitches exactly on schedule for the duration of the season. In a far more realistic world, there will be numerous re-shufflings, injuries, rainouts, spot-starts and rest days for Farrell to best optimize the use of his starting pitchers.

More so, Porcello just deserves it. I’m hard-pressed to think of a similar instance when a pitcher won the Cy Young and was a questionable choice to start on Opening Day. Rick’s first year in Boston was far from stellar, but after posting a 3.15 ERA and career-high 189 strikeouts in 223 innings pitched, he’s been worth more than double the yearly value of his contract.

Next: Red Sox Winter Weekend recap

When it comes down to it, the Red Sox are blessed to be choosing between three of the best pitchers in the American League to take the ball on Opening Day in 2017. They shouldn’t stress over the choice, but it’s abundantly clear that Rick Porcello deserves the honor. Just ask David Price and Chris Sale.