Boston Red Sox: Grading the team after their fast 2021 start
By Rick McNair
The Red Sox rotation may get an ace by All-Star time
What a difference a year makes. Nick Pivetta is apparently the real deal and Eduardo Rodríguez is back. Two solid starts and a nice 10-1 record. Going by WAR, righty Nathan Eovaldi with a 1.6 fWAR. Eovaldi is a real cheapskate to hitters giving up no dingers in 45 innings. Eovaldi has also made all eight assigned starts.
Martín Pérez is the pitcher I love to hate on, but Pérez is a gamer. He is what he is and has been his entire career. A Pérez start and win is like finding a $20 bill in your pockets you didn’t think you had.
Garrett Richards has turned it around after a pair of crash and burn starts in 2021. Richards still tops the rotation in Hard-Hit with a 46.6%. Richards also tops the rotation in a negative way with a 4.54 ERA and 4.54 xERA – a nice match.
Pivetta will have the one attribute I give him a huge plus for – quickness. Pivetta gets the ball and is ready to pitch and so far in 2021, it has been quite impressive. He also is just behind Eovaldi (no surprise) in the velocity category. Pivetta is on the negative leaderboard with a 4.98 SIERA and 14.7 BB%.
Rodríguez is not an ACE. That is a healthy Chris Sale. What E-Rod happens to be is a solid number two starter. I love the 4.4 BB%. Throw strikes! Let your defense do the work. Rodríguez is a delight to watch with changing speed. Even Pérez has more velocity.
GRADE B+