Doesn't seem that long ago that we were in this spot arguing about Carlos Silva and Vicente Padilla. We were so young, so foolish. So off. On Sunday morning, Bobby Valentine announced his rotation for the Boston Red Sox, and the last two spots are going to Felix Doubront and Daniel Bard.
Boston Red Sox Choose Felix Doubront, Daniel Bard To Fill Out Rotation
Doubront is a 24-year-old lefty who pitched in 11 relief appearances for the Red Sox last year, and he won the job with a 2.70 ERA in three Grapefruit League starts. His minor-league numbers have been good-not-great, though he has missed some time in each of the last two years because of injury:
| Year | Age | Lev | GS | IP | H | HR | BB | SO | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 22 | AA-AAA | 2.81 | 16 | 80.0 | 75 | 1 | 33 | 72 |
| 2011 | 23 | AAA-AA-A- | 3.96 | 18 | 77.1 | 69 | 10 | 26 | 74 |
Bard is a converted reliever, and he’s been the Red Sox’s eighth-inning reliever for most of the last two seasons. And, heck, as long as we’re swapping minor-league stats, take a look at these beauties:
| Year | Age | Lev | GS | IP | H | BB | SO | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 22 | A-A+ | 7.08 | 22 | 75.0 | 76 | 78 | 47 |
That's what happened the last time Daniel Bard was a starter. No big deal.There probably isn't anything to worry about, really. That was way back in 2007 when Bard was 22. He's much different now. Check out his spring stats:
| GS | IP | BB | SO | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6.57 | 5 | 24.2 | 16 | 18 |
Totally different. His walks are under that one-per-inning mark and everything.
Of course, Bard is blessed with a fantastic fastball-and-slider combination, and he’s been rather successful with it over the last two years. That recent success is probably more relevant that what Bard did in A-ball a few years ago, or his spring stats.
Still, it'd be something of a surprise if both Doubront and Bard were both in the rotation in September. Not because they aren't capable pitchers, but just because that's how bottoms of rotations usually shake out. In June, we'll probably laugh about how worked up everyone was for this spring-training battle. Especially as we're all getting worked up about Pedro Martinez's first start back! Of all the dramatic things ...
See More:
