The Boston Red Sox entered the season with a rotation set in stone. There were the obvious questions about how consistent Daisuke Matsuzaka would be, but if the biggest concerns with a rotation have to do with a fifth starter, the rotation is in good shape.
Andrew Miller To Join Red Sox Rotation
But don’t forget that ancient proverb:
If you have five starting pitchers, three of them will do about as well as you expect, but two of them will really screw with you.
It was either Aristotle or Kevin Kennedy who wrote that, and it fits the Red Sox perfectly. Lester, Beckett, and Buchholz have done about as well as expected, while Dice-K broke and Lackey has been miserable. The team has been getting yeoman’s work from Tim Wakefield, but it’s not a bad idea for the Red Sox to look for an upgrade.
Enter Andrew Miller. From Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe:
A Major League source told the Globe tonight that the Red Sox are working on a plan to add Class AAA Pawtucket lefthander Andrew Miller to the rotation.
If last season was the "Year of the Pitcher," this season is the "Year of the Reclamation Pitcher." Ryan Vogelsong is making a run at the All-Star Game. Kevin Correia is atop the National League leaderboard in wins. Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia have held the Yankees afloat even though they both retired sixteen years ago. The Red Sox are going to try for their own success story with Miller.
Miller was a first-round pick in 2006, but that’s selling him short. He was the consensus top pitching talent, and he was expected to go to the Royals with the #1 overall pick before there were rumors he was looking for a bajillion dollars. He slipped to the Tigers at #6, where they didn’t have to bother with those Clayton Kershaw or Tim Linecum characters, and Miller was in the majors after three starts in the minors.
He split his time between the majors (where he struggled) and minors (where he thrived) in 2007. He was still a talented enigma when he was one of the centerpieces in the Miguel Cabrera deal before 2008. The Marlins were right to take a chance on him, but he had knee problems, oblique problems, and ankle strains. Also, he walked about five hitters per nine innings pitched when he was in the majors. The little things got him.
But he was a hotly contested free agent this offseason, with the Red Sox winning out over a few different teams. Lefties with 91-mph fastballs and 6’6” frames don’t have to study for the CPA exam until they’re 45. In order to get him, though, the Red Sox had to include an out clause in the contract, which would allow Miller to be a free agent again if he weren’t in the majors by Wednesday.
He was doing well in triple-A -- keeping the ball in the park, preventing runs, but still walking the hot-dog vendors -- and the Red Sox had to make a choice. He’ll start against the Padres next week, according to Abraham.
And if Colon can get shot with stem cells and feel like a dozen new men, and if Vogelsong can magically find his control somewhere between triple-A in the majors, why can’t there be success for Miller? Well, his shoddy command, for one. Still, it’s not a bad idea for the Red Sox to take the gamble. The latent talent is still there, and I’m sure Boston fans will be patient with him if he struggles.
Or not. This is going to be interesting no matter what he does. Should be fun.
See More:
