Red Sox veteran knuckleball pitcher Tim Wakefield (“Wake”) created a little stir a few days ago when he said he expected to be in the team’s starting rotation for 2010.
Perhaps in another year, Wakefield’s remarks would be less jarring, but, in 2010? The Red Sox will have one of the best five-man starting rotations (without Wakefield) in all of baseball.
“….It seems every year, and I don’t know why, my name gets brought up like this when I don’t feel I need to prove myself every day,” Wakefield told the Boston Herald earlier this week. “…Hopefully, they respect me enough to give me the ball when we get to spring training as a member of this rotation,” he continued.
I respect Wakefield, but, there is no way he should be included in the rotation this year. He can be the first “back-up starter,” and, he’s likely to start many games in that “reserve” role. I think Wakefield will accept that. I doubt this is a big deal; in fact, if Sox manager Terry Francona is smart, he’d talk to Wakefield now to settle things.
Wakefield is now 43 years old. He has suffered injuries during the second half of each of the past three seasons, causing him to miss long stretches of time. It’s true that when he’s pitched, he’s remained fairly effective. Last year, he got off to a terrific start and was named to his first All-Star team for the American League, but, Wakefield – like most knuckleballers – usually brings more unpredictability in performance than other starters, and, he’s not as reliable as other Sox pitchers.
Consider the expected rotation Wakefield wants to break into: Jon Lester, Josh Beckett, John Lackey, Clay Buchholz and Daisuke Matsuzaka.
When the Red Sox acquired Lackey in the off-season, most observers speculated that Wakefield, who was in the rotation in recent years, would have to be pushed back into the role of a reserve starter. That he’d move to the bullpen and be a spot starter or perhaps pitch in long relief. Yet, given the way pitchers usually get injured and miss starts, the odds for Wakefield to start many games are still high.
In the past few years, it made some sense for Wakefield to be a 5th starter on the Red Sox. Often, he could still “eat innings” and keep the team in the game. Other times, he was not as consistent and assorted injuries and ailments cropped up more frequently for him. It seemed age was finally catching up to him.
Wakefield has been a reliable, major contributer to the Red Sox for a long, long time. Right now, he’s fortunate to be in a position to still pitch and make a contribution. Hopefully, he’ll focus on that perspective.
Nevertheless, Wakefield is not as good as the five pitchers slated for the rotation, and, I hope he does not make any fuss about being the 6th pitcher in line. At this point in his career, Wake has nothing to complain about.
Wakefield, meanwhile, is one of the classiest individuals to play on the Red Sox in my lifetime. He has consistently donated much of his time to a number of charitable causes, and, when he does, he represents the organization superlatively.
I hope Wakefield can have one more good year – as the team’s 6th starter.
