Red Sox: Upcoming season is an integral one for pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez
Boston’s 25-year-old lefty has had his fair share of injuries. Hopefully the Venezuelan can stay healthy in a season which will prove vital for him.
Within Red Sox Nation, there are no doubts over Eduardo Rodriguez‘s production. The 2019 World Champion’s usage of his four-seamer and change-up have found him plenty of success over his tenure in the majors, thus far. He’s proved to be an important piece to this Red Sox jigsaw puzzle since coming up in 2015, and nothing will change this year. After cementing himself in Boston’s rotation in the illustrious season that we just witnessed, E-Rod will remain necessary in this ball clubs plans going forward.
Right now, it seems as though Rodriguez will serve as the fifth man in Boston’s title-defending rotation behind Chris Sale, David Price, Rick Porcello, and Nathan Eovaldi. The 25-year-old makes up one of the elite rotations in all of baseball and as long as they stay healthy, this group will certainly do some damage to opposing line ups in 2019. E-Rod’s versatility with his pitches will provide the Sox with an effective bottom rotation weapon, as the lefty can mix in a cutter, slider, and sinker.
In Rodriguez’s four years with the Fenway side, he’s shown his worth and what he’s capable of. 2018 stands out as his most effective year of the four. He improved his ERA to an impressive 3.82 on his way to a 13-5 record as he served as an important weapon at the bottom of the Sox’s rotation.
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The young pitcher’s work has been sufficient, what’s held him back is injuries. Suffering numerous physical setbacks over his tenure with the Red Sox, June of last year saw him suffer a right ankle sprain. This left him out of the majors until September 1, as he returned from a rehab assignment in Portland. This was a disappointing hold-up for Rodriguez; however, what it didn’t do was spoil his productive year. Perhaps post-injury Rodriguez wasn’t as good as he was earlier in the season but he remained a reliable pitcher for the remainder of the regular season.
Rodriguez went into the postseason as a key pitcher for the team. However, this time he was to be relied on out of the bullpen as the Sox moved numerous starters to reliever roles for the stretch. In Game 2 of the ALCS against New York, he pitched in the sixth and seventh inning, allowing 3 runs to score. This blip didn’t seem to affect him or the team too much. The lefty went on to come out of the pen in five more games and didn’t even allow a hit. E-Rod started a pivotal Game 4 of the World Series, allowing four runs and recording six strikeouts, as the Sox went on to win the game and the championship.
Next. Five bold predictions for the 2019 season. dark
A healthy upcoming year would really be what the lefty needs at this point in his major league career. He’s currently signed through the year and will enter arbitration in 2020. This year will give him an opportunity to prove how much money he’s worth, especially to this Sox team. He now has his World Series ring after being a key pitcher for Boston last year and he has a chance to do the same in 2019 as he makes up a fantastic Red Sox rotation and roster.