Stat projections for the new-look Red Sox starting rotation
For the third part of my four-part prediction series, we’ll take a look at some stat projections for the Boston Red Sox starting rotation.
This is a group that has undergone a lot of turnover in the past year, as Rich Hill, Michael Wacha and James Paxton were brought in to replace the departed Eduardo Rodriguez, Martin Perez and Garrett Richards. There’s a lot of uncertainty surrounding this collection of arms with Chris Sale and Paxton both being out until mid-season and the three spots behind Nathan Eovaldi and Nick Pivetta largely up in the air.
Because of these question marks, I have to make assumptions with my predictions. First off, I assumed that Tanner Houck, Hill and Wacha would win the three final rotation spots, and each would pitch a full season as a starter. This is pretty unlikely to happen, but it makes projection their stats a lot easier. I also projected that Sale would make around 18 starts and throw around 100 innings, even though the actual number is anyone’s guess.
Finally, I figured it would be silly to try and predict Paxton’s stats considering there is just so much unknown about when he will return and what kind of pitcher he will be when he does. So with all that being said, let’s take a look at stat predictions for the 2022 Red Sox rotation.