2017 Rotation Discussion

[a700hitter]

He has not been good since the allstar game. Has really been struggling.

He pitched a complete game shutout the night before Farrell pinch ran him and ruined his career.

[Fisk]

He pitched a complete game shutout the night before Farrell pinch ran him and ruined his career.

 

Look at his game log from July and August last year, besides 2 games it was not pretty.

[a700hitter]

Look at his game log from July and August last year, besides 2 games it was not pretty.

He had 1 very ugly game and one semi-ugly game in July. His nly start in August before the Farrell induced injury was the complete game shutout against the Dodgers.

[moonslav59]

He has not been good since the allstar game. Has really been struggling.

 

He got hurt.

 

I guess we should just give up on anyone who gets hurt or anyone that gets hurt and happen to rely on a pitch you hate.

[Fisk]

He had 1 very ugly game and one semi-ugly game in July. His nly start in August before the Farrell induced injury was the complete game shutout against the Dodgers.

 

June 25th July 1st, July 6, July 26 and July 31 all were not good, and 3 were really bad.

[Fisk]

He got hurt.

 

I guess we should just give up on anyone who gets hurt or anyone that gets hurt and happen to rely on a pitch you hate.

 

If you want to keep watching all the homeruns he has been giving up, I don't. If he's hurt or not he has been extremely ineffective.

[moonslav59]

If you want to keep watching all the homeruns he has been giving up, I don't. If he's hurt or not he has been extremely ineffective.

 

Of course I hated watching Wright's recent starts, but I'm not one to think a pitcher's future is best projected by just looking at his most recent 4, 5 or 10 starts, especially if an injury (or recent recovery) has been a factor in those starts.

 

The fact is Wright has a much longer history of doing well, especially when healthy, than doing poorly.

 

I guess I just don't give up on players as quickly as some do. Heck, I thought JBJ's first 750 PAs was not a large enough sample size. I'm glad the Sox felt the same way.

 

Wright is a damn good pitcher. The knuckleball really messes up opponents timing. It can easily assist the pitcher who follows Wright the next day.

 

Bad recent starts or not, I had more faith in Wright turning things around than Kendrick or Johnson or Owens shining.

[a700hitter]

Of course I hated watching Wright's recent starts, but I'm not one to think a pitcher's future is best projected by just looking at his most recent 4, 5 or 10 starts, especially if an injury (or recent recovery) has been a factor in those starts.

 

The fact is Wright has a much longer history of doing well, especially when healthy, than doing poorly.

 

I guess I just don't give up on players as quickly as some do. Heck, I thought JBJ's first 750 PAs was not a large enough sample size. I'm glad the Sox felt the same way.

 

Wright is a damn good pitcher. The knuckleball really messes up opponents timing. It can easily assist the pitcher who follows Wright the next day.

 

Bad recent starts or not, I had more faith in Wright turning things around than Kendrick or Johnson or Owens shining.

Thank you Farrell!!

[Fisk]

Of course I hated watching Wright's recent starts, but I'm not one to think a pitcher's future is best projected by just looking at his most recent 4, 5 or 10 starts, especially if an injury (or recent recovery) has been a factor in those starts.

 

The fact is Wright has a much longer history of doing well, especially when healthy, than doing poorly.

 

I guess I just don't give up on players as quickly as some do. Heck, I thought JBJ's first 750 PAs was not a large enough sample size. I'm glad the Sox felt the same way.

 

Wright is a damn good pitcher. The knuckleball really messes up opponents timing. It can easily assist the pitcher who follows Wright the next day.

 

Bad recent starts or not, I had more faith in Wright turning things around than Kendrick or Johnson or Owens shining.

 

I will definitely have to disagree with you.

[moonslav59]

June 25th July 1st, July 6, July 26 and July 31 all were not good, and 3 were really bad.

 

Well, I can go back to May 18th and say that 12 of his last 17 starts of 2018 saw him let up 3 or less ERs.

 

18 of 24 starts were with 3 or less ERs allowed.

 

13 of 24 were 2 or less ERS allowed.

 

Yes, 5 of his last 14 starts saw him let up 5 or more ERs and 9 of 14 saw 4+ ERs, but again, injury and recovery was involved. It wasn't the reason he struggled, but it should be a consideration.

 

Of course, I'd have benched Wright, if he continued like he was going in 5 starts this year (a small sample size).

[a700hitter]

June 25th July 1st, July 6, July 26 and July 31 all were not good, and 3 were really bad.

He had some problem with humidity and wet weather. Every pitcher hits a bad patch. He was at the top of his mastery when he shutout the playoff bound Dodgers on the road on 3 hits the night before Farrell ruined his career.

[Fisk]

No matter how you are spinning it I see the game logs starting June 25th he has been ineffective since then, injured or not.

[a700hitter]

No matter how you are spinning it I see the game logs starting June 25th he has been ineffective since then, injured or not.

A complete game 3 hit shutout with 9k's on the road against the division winning Dodgers the night before his injury is not spin. It is a fact.

[Fisk]

He had some problem with humidity and wet weather. Every pitcher hits a bad patch. He was at the top of his mastery when he shutout the playoff bound Dodgers on the road on 3 hit the night before Farrell ruined his career.

 

Why I struggle watching knuckleball pitchers so many things can affect the pitch. Basically he has had 1 great stretch from April to the end of June last year. He had a few good outings in 2015 before he got a concussion.

[Fisk]

A complete game 3 hit shutout with 9k's on the road against the division winning Dodgers the night before his injury is not spin. It is a fact.

 

The other 5 games in June and July are a spin.

[a700hitter]

Why I struggle watching knuckleball pitchers so many things can affect the pitch. Basically he has had 1 great stretch from April to the end of June last year. He had a few good outings in 2015 before he got a concussion.

And despite having his season ended by Farrell's brain fart, he led the team with 4 complete games also.

[a700hitter]

No matter how you are spinning it I see the game logs starting June 25th he has been ineffective since then, injured or not.

The guy had a good season going. His overall numbers were excellent and he had just pitched a complete game shutout. Yes, you are spinning.

[Fisk]

The guy had a good season going. His overall numbers were excellent and he had just pitched a complete game shutout. Yes, you are spinning.

 

How am I spinning anything he had 1 excellent game in 5 weeks before his injury, 5 really bad ones and a couple ok ones. He has been an ineffective pitcher since last July except for 1 start. He has been terrible this year, I understand the knee injury and agree if he's healthy he will get the opportunity to be in the rotation next year, but we can do better then an 8 era in the fifth spot.

[a700hitter]

How am I spinning anything he had 1 excellent game in 5 weeks before his injury, 5 really bad ones and a couple ok ones. He has been an ineffective pitcher since last July except for 1 start. He has been terrible this year, I understand the knee injury and agree if he's healthy he will get the opportunity to be in the rotation next year, but we can do better then an 8 era in the fifth spot.

You are right that he has been terrible since the injury. That is true. Prior to his injury, his numbers were pretty good for a back of the rotation guy. Thanks Farrell. Edited May 4, 2017 by a700hitter

[cp176]

probably somewhat of an unpopular opinion but Wright's overall fitness level looks pathetic for a professional athlete. it might not relate directly to a pitcher's arm strength and his ability to do his job all things being equal but when you are talking things like knees, hips, backs and such it doesn't look to me as though wright has done much to help himself. Using him as a pinch runner under any circumstances was ridiculous but that aside it doesn't look to me as though he has done much to help himself either.

[jacksonianmarch]

Wright is a AAAA player who had a hot first half of a season. He's not very good. He's now injured. The sox are now in need of another starter as their development of starting pitching has been terrible since ERod came up a few years ago. Price would certainly be that which ails you, but who knows if he comes back.

[moonslav59]

Wright is a AAAA player who had a hot first half of a season. He's not very good. He's now injured. The sox are now in need of another starter as their development of starting pitching has been terrible since ERod came up a few years ago. Price would certainly be that which ails you, but who knows if he comes back.

 

Wright was very good before his "hot first half".

 

Leaping to definitive judgments over a 4 to 10 game recent sample size while ignoring his longer previous number even before 2016 is not being just.

 

Yes, he had some tough stretches before 2017, but many many more good ones.

 

I remember hearing the same after Wake's hot start with the Sox.

[Maxbialystock]

Right now I'm anti-Wright like a lot of others are. But I think moonslav's cautionary note is valid. It is indeed possible that the good Wright--the right Wright--could return. What would bug me is if the Sox let him go for a song and somebody else's pitching coach straightens him out or he does it himself.

[S5Dewey]

I don't have any issues with Wright. IMO many of the issues others have with him is in their expectations. We all, myself included, want a pitcher who can go out there day after day and we know what we're getting. OTOH Wright is a knuckleballer, and with that comes swings in results. We never know what we're going to get from day to day or even batter to batter and it's frustrating.

 

Wright is no different from Wake or most other knuckleballers in that his ceiling is way up there and his floor is way down there. I see him as normally being a #4-5 pitcher who could throw a no-no on any day - which is better than most #4-5's, or he could get shelled on any day - which is consistent with most #4-5's. I'm good with that as a BOR pitcher.

 

There's been talk about the effect a knuckleballer has on the opposing team the next day. Has anyone done any research on the effect of hitting against a more traditional pitcher who's relieving a knuckleballer?

[jacksonianmarch]

Slav, Wake was a really good pitcher with Pittsburgh before he came to Boston. Wright, not so much

[jacksonianmarch]

If Price comes back as Price, then you don't care. If Price isn't able to make it back, then you'll need a fifth starter. With the Yankees and O's starting well, the sox are going to need to beef up on their pitching since the offense has taken a considerable dip in production

[Nick]

Both Pomeranz and E Rod needs to be more efficient with pitches. They will wear out the bullpen going only 5-6 innings each outing.

 

Look at Sale. He simply does not waste a pitch to waste one. Throwing a high pitch on 0-2 count does not mean throwing 2 feet over the strike zone.

 

The goal has to be 7 innings.

[devildavid]

Both Pomeranz and E Rod needs to be more efficient with pitches. They will wear out the bullpen going only 5-6 innings each outing.

 

Look at Sale. He simply does not waste a pitch to waste one. Throwing a high pitch on 0-2 count does not mean throwing 2 feet over the strike zone.

 

The goal has to be 7 innings.

 

6 innings is pretty good for a starter. Right now the AL league avg is 5.7 per start. Only the top pitchers will give you 7 or more. Even Porcello is only averaging 6.1 innings per start so far this season. That is why you need a lot of good arms in the bullpen.

[mvp 78]

Pomeranz could go longer if the defense behind him wasn't s***.

[jacksonianmarch]

Pomeranz could go deeper, but he wont. He was a 5+IP per start guy last yr. He will be the same going forward. He has enough command of his stuff to get strikeouts, but he doesn't have enough command to get out of innings efficiently. His AB's last far too long. For a guy with a good 3.0BB/9IP total and a solid BAA of .234, he shouldn't be averaging over 18 pitches per inning. Last yr in his "breakout" season, he averaged 16.7 pitches per inning, also far too high