Starting Pitcher Report Card – Josh Beckett – A-
Let’s take a look at the Red Sox starting rotation – despite injuries and some poor performances (Tim Wakefield, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Brad Penny and John Smoltz), the top 3 Red Sox starting pitchers were excellent – Josh Beckett, Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz. The Penny and Smoltz experiments can be deemed failures, but Beckett, Lester, Buchholz and Wakefield (when healthy) rallied to help the Red Sox win the wild card playoff position during the 2009 MLB schedule.
Josh Beckett – 2009 Report Card Grade – A-.
Josh Beckett and Jon Lester were the Red Sox most consistent pitchers during the 2009 MLB schedule. The Red Sox organization will heavily rely upon Beckett and Lester to pitch just as well, if not better, in 2010 if they expect to make some noise in the playoff race in October and November next season.
2009 stats – 212 1/3 innings in 32 starts; 17-6 record with a 3.86 ERA and 1.19 WHIP; 199 K’s; 55 walks; .244 opponents’ batting average.
2008 stats – 174 1/3 innings in 27 starts; 12-10 record with a 4.03 ERA and 1.19 WHIP; 172 K’s; 34 walks; .256 opponents’ batting average.
Beckett was a stud in 2009. After being plagued by a side muscle injury during the 2008 MLB season, Beckett rebounded in 2009 to make 32 starts and pitch effectively all season long. His 199 K’s were a career-high and his 17 wins were the 2nd most in his career. He had a solid 1.19 WHIP for the 2nd year in a row, walking just 55 batters in over 212 innings. Pretty damn impressive. While Hanley Ramirez is putting up amazing numbers in Florida, Beckett’s numbers (65 wins in 122 starts in 4 years with the Red Sox since the trade) justify the move, especially since Beckett helped lead to their 2nd World Series title in 4 years with their march through the playoffs in 2007.
The 2010 MLB schedule is the final year of Lilly’s 3-year, $30 million deal that Beckett signed in 2007. Although the Red Sox and GM Theo Epstein have indicated that they would love to have Beckett back for several more years at Fenway Park in Boston, the 2 sides have not indicated whether or not a deal is imminent. Beckett has shown a resiliency of late, and appears to have his health in check. I have to think that the Red Sox will try to sign Beckett to another long-term deal, locking up their triumvirate of Beckett, Lester and Buchholz for the foreseeable future. If the Red Sox can right the ship with Daisuke Matsuzaka, the Red Sox would have 4 legitimate excellent starters for many years to come.
Beckett has been a class act with the Red Sox. He has made Boston his home and given back so much to the community, as evidenced by his winning an award for community service issued by Boston’s Children’s Hospital. If 2010 ends up being Beckett’s last season in a Red Sox uniform, it will be a sad day for Red Sox fans all across the country.
Beckett is a fan favorite at the Fenway Park in Boston – - let’s hope that Beckett has another solid season during the 2010 MLB schedule…
