The Red Sox must define Garrett Whitlock and Tanner Houck’s roles
It’s a new month and the Red Sox need to wipe the slate clean as they look to rebound from a dismal April. As they continue to try and shake off the rust and work out the kinks, Alex Cora and his team need to put some focus on one specified area, the pitching. So far the starters and bullpen have both exceeded expectations but that won’t last, and messing with the equation now won’t do any good either.
When the Sox went to Toronto last week they had to shuffle some things due to the fact that Tanner Houck isn’t vaccinated and therefore couldn’t enter the country with the team. In his place, AC sent Garrett Whitlock to the mound. The dominant reliever shined in his starting debut which has some in Red Sox Nation clamoring for his full-time move to the rotation. But I can’t get behind that idea.
Houck is a tested and proven starter, while Boston has some restrictions on him he is a full-fledged starting pitcher. Whitlock came up as a starter in his career but after coming back from Tommy John, the Sox converted him to a reliever, sometimes getting stretched. He has been nothing short of lethal as a reliever for Cora’s side and changing that now would only hurt his development in my opinion.
As it stands now, Houck is being penned in to piggyback with Rich Hill on Thursday afternoon, a job he’s done before and was once scheduled for Whitlock. My concern is that Houck will now be moved to the bullpen to be the long relief guy and Whitlock to the rotation to take his spot.
My issue is that as a reliever Garrett has been as reliable as there has been since the beginning of last year and when the game is on the line, I trust him far more than anyone else in that bullpen.
I also prefer Houck in the rotation as he has given the Red Sox plenty to believe in as far as that job is concerned. I understand the concerns when it comes to seeing the lineup for the third time but how will he ever overcome that issue if he’s never given the chance? I understand Cora wanting to give his team the best chances to win every night, but that won’t last very long when he has to tax the bullpen for a majority of his rotation.
The Red Sox schedule is relatively friendly in May and Cora could possibly run just a four-man rotation with both Houck and Whitlock out of the rotation. Having each in the bullpen would easily boost what has already been a surprisingly quality crop of relievers. But on the other side of that argument, sending Houck to the bullpen makes me feel like they’re giving up on the idea of him being a starter. Now, that could just be an overreaction, and we’re all prone to them with this team, but it’s hard to deny.
Having Houck as the fourth starter in the rotation and Whitlock as the hired gun in the bullpen seemed like the perfect combination. They didn’t need to work off of each other but knowing that you had one young stud to start and another to close was some confidence-building stuff. I hope that the two are brought back to their original spots on the roster as it feels like that would best serve the Red Sox as the season progresses.
Tanner Houck and Garrett Whitlock are the future of the Red Sox pitching staff and while both can seemingly start or come on in relief, I think we already know where each so land in the staff. Swapping them now just feels like it’ll halt any progress either has or can make in their respective positions. For my money, I keep Tanner in the rotation and let Whitlock come out of the pen to slam the door shut. It’s a recipe that has worked before and messing with it now just feels like a mistake.