As the young lefty enters his fifth season with the Red Sox, there are several good reasons to believe this will be the year Eduardo Rodriguez finally takes that next step we’ve all been expecting for a so long. For one thing, he’s finally healthy; the knee injuries that have plagued him in previous seasons finally seem behind him, and the ankle injury he suffered last season spurred him to return better than ever and close out the year with a career-low 3.82 ERA.
This spring, Rodriguez arrived in camp in the best shape of his life and has added a third pitch to his arsenal. His primary issues have always been durability and predictability, and he seems to have worked hard to address both this offseason. His progress with the slider, his new weapon, warrants a close eye or two; he’s been mentored in its development by Chris Sale and Pedro Martinez and it would be hard to find two more qualified teachers. He’s drawn nothing but rave reviews from his fellow pitchers thus far. All we can do now is watch and see if the good vibes keep going.
Right now, E-Rod will likely be the fifth starter, behind Sale, David Price, Rick Porcello, and Nathan Eovaldi. If he can be as good as everyone thinks he’s going to be, then the Red Sox could have the league’s best rotation from top to bottom. A rotation like that would be hard to beat in the playoffs.