#3: Eduardo Rodriguez becomes “The Man”
The Boston Red Sox have the highest payroll in the business and one of the most talented starting rotations in the game. But with Chris Sale and David Price both having down years, Rick Porcello being his rollercoaster self, and Nathan Eovaldi missing much of the year to injury, it was up to Eduardo Rodriguez to carry the torch.
And boy did E-Rod ever carry hat damn torch, right to the promised land. Rodriguez is a baaaad man when he’s on the hill and in the zone. Just ask the Phillies what it’s like when “Eddie Aces” is feeling it and can hit his spots on command. Unfortunately for him, his last two starts got credited to other pitchers despite his strong performances.
Rodriguez has been the ONLY positive about this Red Sox starting rotation in 2019 and he’s also been the only constant. Even with Sale, Porcello, and Price have glimpses of greatness they’ve all been relatively mediocre for most of the season. Not E-Rod though, even with his minor hiccups he has been the rock that Alex Cora has needed every fifth day.
His 17-6 record has him hovering around the top of the league for wins and his 3.64 ERA is the best on the team for any of the starters with significant innings pitched. He also leads the team at 185.1IP and has an 8.7 BB% with a 24,1 K%. It’s been an electric year for the southpaw, that’s for sure.
Eduardo has become the top dog in this rotation while the others all recuperate. It’ll be an awesome sight to see if he can continue these types of performances next season when everyone is back and healthy. If he ever needed a confidence booster, this sure as hell had to have been a good one.