Let's talk about Rubby De La Rosa.

[Palodios]

Let's talk about Rubby. I keep looking at his stats, and I can't believe how well he has done.

 

2.64 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, .225 BAA, ERA+ 151. Strikeouts have been low so far at 7.1 K/9 but its still early.

 

7 IP, 1 ER, 5 H

5 IP, 3 ER, 6 H

7 IP, 1 ER, 4 H,

7 IP, 0 ER, 1 H

5.2 IP, 4 ER, 7 H

5.2 IP, 4 ER, 9H

7IP, 0 ER, 4 H

 

Those are very good numbers. Break it down even further, and I realized how the runs were created. Abreu home run. Chris Davis home run. Ian Kinsler and Torii Hunter home runs. So far, the only guys who have beaten him have been some of the best players on the best offenses in the league.

 

This is a guy who not only earned the earned the respect of Pedro Martinez, but also has some of the same blood in him. He seemingly has come out of nowhere. I would certainly prefer him over former top pitching prospect Casey Kelly who they traded for Agon in the first place.

[SoxFanForsyth]

Let's talk about Rubby. I keep looking at his stats, and I can't believe how well he has done.

 

2.64 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, .225 BAA, ERA+ 151. Strikeouts have been low so far at 7.1 K/9 but its still early.

 

7 IP, 1 ER, 5 H

5 IP, 3 ER, 6 H

7 IP, 1 ER, 4 H,

7 IP, 0 ER, 1 H

5.2 IP, 4 ER, 7 H

5.2 IP, 4 ER, 9H

7IP, 0 ER, 4 H

 

Those are very good numbers. Break it down even further, and I realized how the runs were created. Abreu home run. Chris Davis home run. Ian Kinsler and Torii Hunter home runs. So far, the only guys who have beaten him have been some of the best players on the best offenses in the league.

 

This is a guy who not only earned the earned the respect of Pedro Martinez, but also has some of the same blood in him. He seemingly has come out of nowhere. I would certainly prefer him over former top pitching prospect Casey Kelly who they traded for Agon in the first place.

 

This is the guy who Keith Law said was the absolute centerpiece of the Punto trade, and that he has potential to be an ace. Also, beginning with his outing before last night (7 IP, 1 ER), he was strung all kinds of around.

 

He pitched on 6/21 (this was his 7, 1 ER start), then all that crap with Buch coming back and Peavy still in the rotation, and he didn't get sent down to AAA for another start until basically 7/1, so that's 10 days off between starts. Threw on 7/1, then made his next start on 7/6 and pitched 1 inning. Then threw on essentially 2 days rest on 7/9, then went into the ASB and threw again last night (7/19), another 10 days of rest. So he hasn't had a chance to get settled in at all. Not sure it's affected his K/9, but prior to his

 

And yet he still has a 2.64 ERA.

 

He should go into next season as the #3 man in the rotation behind only Lester and Lackey (assuming we resign Lester), and he'll be a damn good #3. The thing that has stuck out to me so much is his command this year has been elite.

 

Also, before he got strung around like that, he had an 8.35 K/9, so maybe once he gets settled in and starts throwing on a regular basis, his stuff will be a bit sharper.

[jd98]

I'd say he's at a minimum a solid back of the rotation guy, with the potential to be great. He didn't look particularly sharp yesterday to me, but he kept the ball in the park and runs off the board. It's a good sign to only give up 1 run when you don't have your best stuff.

[sk7326]

K rate is not where you'd like it - but he has been very effective, and the Ks have flowed in some starts. Clearly he is the most gifted of the Sox starters in the high minors (over Webster, Barnes, Ranaudo etc) - question has been ability to harness it, and whether he could turn a lineup over 3 times. The indications are strong that he is for real as some sort of starter.

[jacksonianmarch]

He's a kid. Give him some time before seeing who he is. I guarantee we're gonna hear whining when he has a rough 3-4 game stretch. He's got ace stuff, although he pitches to a lot of contact. He has the tools to be an ace, let's see where he settles out before he's anointed

[sk7326]

He's a kid. Give him some time before seeing who he is. I guarantee we're gonna hear whining when he has a rough 3-4 game stretch. He's got ace stuff, although he pitches to a lot of contact. He has the tools to be an ace, let's see where he settles out before he's anointed

 

We like the pitching to contact part - you'd like a few more swings and misses of course, but the approach is right. A lot of where these kids can go is about patience and recognizing progress. I am not predicting any sort of comeback for the Sox - but they have the ability with Victorino's return to really take off on the run prevention side - perhaps enough to be able to surge without a huge offensive upswing.

[Palodios]

He's a kid. Give him some time before seeing who he is. I guarantee we're gonna hear whining when he has a rough 3-4 game stretch. He's got ace stuff, although he pitches to a lot of contact. He has the tools to be an ace, let's see where he settles out before he's anointed

 

There is a perfectly good "Small sample size, no opinion yet" option in the poll

[a700hitter]

There should be spike in this poll after this performance.

[d-money]

There should be spike in this poll after this performance.

 

He stunk!! Dont matter if u throw 97.If its not in the right place then u will get battered.

[Station 13]

Too much of the middle of the plate yesterday. And only throw fastball and changeups. Very predictable for batters. If he wants to throw his fastballs, throw at it the letters, cuz few hitters are able to catch a ball at that speed up there, ask Napoli!

[vjcsmoke]

I like him. Cheap talent in a down year for the Sox. Feed him some more experience and let him ride in a top 5 rotation role. I would sell high on Peavy and maybe one of our top 2 closers to either restock the farm or get a much needed veteran OF bat.

[Behindenemylines]

Like a young pitcher he has been up and down. His stuff is great, but he has to be more consistent. He has the ability to be a solid middle of the rotation pitcher.