More SoxTalk

Nice NCAA final the other night.  Nice B’s win against a bad team the same night.  But time to get back to the Sox projections…before the season is over.

Like the 5-2 start, but not all-in yet.  Too early to get excited.  That’s the negativity in me.  But I will say that it was important that this team got off to a good start to keep people in the region interested.  The offseason moves did not come with a lot of fanfare.  I especially did not like most of them.  The Celtics and Bruins are heading to the playoffs…though how long the C’s stay in can be debated.  Even the NFL draft at the end of April will take some attention away.  So the Sox playing well out of the gate will help keep some eyes on them…and maybe keep that bogus sellout streak alive.

Anyway, onto the numbers,  Starting pitching for the year here:

Last	APP	W	L	SV	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	GS	CG	SHO	ERA	WHIP
Lester	33	16	10	0	213.3	220	90	85	66	188	22	33	2	1	3.59	1.341
Buchholz	28	15	7	0	182.3	171	68	64	54	149	17	28	1	1	3.16	1.234
Dempster	33	12	12	0	204.7	225	106	101	86	159	32	33	3	1	4.44	1.519
Doubront	24	7	10	0	136.3	152	78	74	59	139	23	24	0	0	4.89	1.548
Lackey	27	10	12	0	168	185	90	85	63	116	28	27	1	0	4.55	1.476
Aceves	58	7	5	2	95.7	80	44	42	31	81	18	8	0	0	3.95	1.160
Morales	52	4	5	0	73.3	55	34	32	33	80	7	4	0	0	3.93	1.201
Webster	3	1	1	0	15.7	18	8	7	3	16	3	3	0	0	4.01	1.338
Wright	2	0	1	0	10.3	13	7	7	4	8	2	2	0	0	6.12	1.650

Additional notes:

*Lester–Look for some improvement out of him from last year, but not sure as much as people think.  First two outings have been nice, but we know it is a long season.  Just hope that he doesn’t turn into a guy like Avery, Kazmir or the D-Train…pretty good lefties in their 20’s that are essentially done by age 30.

*Buchholz–Think he will put up the best numbers on the staff.  Problem is, he won’t make 200 innings again…kind of a drawback if you want to call yourself an ace.  If he ever can get there…

*Dempster–Not excited about bringing a long-time NL pitcher to the AL East (outside of a stint in Texas last year, which the record was good, peripherals were not).  Should be able to eat innings however, and with Buchholz and questions at #4 & #5, isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

*Doubront–Still like the potential of the kid.  But expect him to take a little bit of a step back in Year 2.  Partly because his inning total was a huge jump from previous years.  Partly the division.  Partly the question on whether he can stop being affected by close calls not going his way.

*Lackey–Everyone is on his bandwagon, I am not.  Full disclosure:  I was ok with his signing initially.  Yes, he got wildly overpaid.  But they were going to spend the money on someone.  The other option was Matt Holliday.  Not a bad player, but I preferred pitching.  What is done is done.  But everyone now is excited about his weight loss, his coming back from Tommy John surgery supposedly being stronger and his performance in his first start.  Well, outside of the fact he got hurt again, I am not sold…yet.  We’ll see…

*Aceves–Expect this lunatic to get most of the starts the previous 5 do not.  But also don’t be surprised if he gets traded when the first opportunity arises.  He’s got talent, but is also a major head case.  Not a problem a lot of times.  But with the Sox trying to rebuild their clubhouse, as well as their team, as well as having excess bullpen arms (when all are healthy…and if you can ever really have “an excess”), I think if he pitches well enough he will be gone sooner rather than later.

*Morales–Wild card here.  Can be another lefty in the bullpen.  Can take the 6th starter role if Aceves is dealt.  But can he remain healthy bouncing back between those roles?  May have been a little generous in his appearances.  But a nice piece of the staff when he is active.

*Webster–Would love to see a lot more of this kid.  But I don’t believe that the Sox will rely heavily on him at his age, regardless of the circumstances.  I see them giving him a few starts toward the end of the year to give him a taste and that is about it.  Future is supposedly bright, however.  So we have that to look forward to.

*Wright–Knuckleballer is on the 40-man roster.  So I would guess that he would get called up at some point, whether it be injuries or when rosters expand in September.  I would also say that if he is up, he will get a couple starts and not mess with the catchers if he comes out of the bullpen.  Not counting on much from him, obviously.