Bartolo Colon was signed to a minor league deal by the Red Sox back in February.
At the time, this signing looked like a depth signing more than anything. Now with injuries to several members of the starting rotation already, more and more attention is being paid to this “No risk-High Reward” signing.
My question is this: Just how important is Colon to the Red Sox chances of repeating as world champs?
I's argue that he just might be the lynchpin.
Reports out of Spring Training are raving about how he is finally healthy. A report in the Boston Globe two days ago stated that he was again throwing around 95 mph. His health is the main concern. He has had elbow and shoulder problems the last two years that have reduced him to only 29 games in the last two years.
Health is also the main concern of the starting rotation as a whole. Josh Beckett is having back troubles, and did not make the trip to Japan. You also have to keep in mind the blisters that have plagues Beckett in the past. Jon Lester had forearm problems last year along with everything else that has happened. Lester is also very young and unproven, even though he pitched a remarkable Game four in the World Series.
Tim Wakefield is 41 years old and had shoulder issues that forced him off of the World Series roster last year. Curt Schilling is more than likely done for the whole year (and perhaps his career) with the biceps injury. Daisuke Matsuzaka is the only member of the projected starting five with no health concerns.
There are other internal options for the Sox, but they also have their own set of concerns. I will examine these one by one...
Clay Buchholz
Had shoulder problems at the end of last year that forced him off the playoff roster. Also, Buchholz has only pitched 22 innings in the major leagues. He is likely the fifth starter—for now.
- B/R Ticket Guide
Kyle Snyder
A former first-round pick that has had many elbow problems in the past. He has been a long reliever for the Sox for the last couple of years. If thrust into the rotation, there are serious concerns that his health will not hold up. At best, a serviceable fifth starter.
Julian Tavarez
He is rubber armed, but loses effectiveness after the second time through the lineup. Having him in the rotation would tax the bullpen early and often. At best, a serviceable fifth starter.
David Pauley
A Triple-A pitcher who tends to fade in the second half of the season. The club has been reluctant to use him in anything other than spot starts at the big league level. At best, a serviceable fifth starter.
Devern Hansack
There must be a reason that the team is not willing to give him a shot after throwing the five-inning no hitter on the last day of the season in 2006. Should not be counted on to shoulder a major load. At best, a serviceable fifth starter.
Justin Masterson
Masterson is an unproven kid who may start the year off in double-A. It is not unheard of to jump from AA to the majors and dominate, but putting the fate of a team on one kid’s back can prove to be disastrous.
Michael Bowden
Same goes for him as Masterson.
This brings me back to my main point: We have four fifth starters waiting in the wings and three unproven kids to count on.
If there is either more than one injury to the staff or if one of the aces goes down for an extended period of time, the Red Sox could look at having more than one average or below average pitcher in the rotation at the same time.
Colon—the 2005 Cy Young Award winner—was, at one time, the ace of the Angels staff. He is battle tested and a proven winner. He has the type of talent and experience that can be counted on to carry a staff for a period of time. Yes, he has the same injury concerns as everyone else, but if he is as healthy as advertised, then the Sox could look to him to shoulder a major burden for the team in a time of need.
This was the main problem with the team in 2006. When injuries decimated the staff, there was no one to turn to who could be counted on to consistently win ballgames every five days. Without a stabilizing force in the rotation, the team wilted and finished in third place in the AL East.
With the American League having so many talented teams this year, the Red Sox cannot afford to fall behind or they will be left out of the playoffs. Bartolo Colon just might be the key to the Red Sox repeating as World Champs in 2008.
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8 months ago
i think colon is basicaly going to team with schilling to what the sox hope can be a decent #4 starter. between the two of those guys, hopefully, we get 30 starts with around a 4.00 ERA. neither guy will be effective for a full season IMHO, but between the two of them, hopefully, the make one good starter.
from 8 months ago
I think that we have seen the last of Schilling. His injuries have finally caught up with him. I am hoping that Colon can step in when either Beckett or Wakefield gets hurt. I am also afraid that Buchholz is not ready for prime time either. There have been some unsettling reports coming out about him recently.
8 months ago
In regards to Buchholz: He did not have shoulder problems at the end of last season. He had a tired arm because of the workload he had -- between AA, AAA and Boston -- and was at his innings limit the organization set for him for 2007. He didn't have surgery, he didn't see a specialist. He worked out, got in even better shape and is ready for 2008. He will be in the rotation for this season. He is the future, and is probably the second or third best pitcher on the staff behind Beckett and Dice-K.
Please understand the topic before commenting on it. Plus, Colon may never be able to contribute consistently for the Red Sox this season. Don't expect much from an aging, overweight pitcher whose fastball (his best pitch in 2004-05) is barely hitting 90. It was a low-risk signing, and there was a reason he was on the market for as long as he was. Buchholz is more of a key to the success this season of the Red Sox than Colon could ever dream of being.
from 8 months ago
Did Buchholz pitch in the playoffs, no. They would have pitched him in the playoffs if he had not had some kind of problem with his shoulder. Yes, he was at his innings limit, but it had been repeatedly stated in the Boston media that they would have used him in the playoffs had he been healthy. Also, can you really pin the hopes of a season on a kid who has pitched only 22 innings in the majors? He has phenomial stuff, but he is not the ace of the staff yet.
On the Colon topic, maybe you should read the papers more often. The Boston Globe has him hitting 94 consistantly in spring training. Yes, it is a long shot, but who is going to pitch if one of the starting 5 gets hurt? That is why I wrote the article.
8 months ago
OK, I forgot I was talking to an insider here. My mistake.
* Colon consistently hitting 94? OK, say I agree with you on this, that was for how long in his last outing vs. the Yankees? You can throw 98 consitently, with no movement on the pitch, it is going to get whacked all over the park. Colon has gotten whacked all over the park. Who is going to be the #5 if somone gets hurt? Maybe Colon. Maybe David Pauley. Maybe Tavarez. Who knows. Because you don't need your #5 to be a stud; he needs to get you 5 innings and keep the game relatively close. I don't see that from Colon. Yet.
* In regards to Buchholz. I have been following him since he got drafted by the Sox in 2005. He is legit. He is the real deal. His stuff is nasty. I never called him the ace of the staff. That honor goes to Beckett. Buchholz will be a very good #4/5 starter for this team. He is better, right now, than Colon or any other option. And he was not HURT last year. Please, go back and read the papers you supposedly read. He had a TIRED ARM. He threw a LOT OF INNINGS last year. He reached his innings quota in September. He did not pitch again. He is 23. They did not want to risk him in the playoffs and possibly get him hurt because of the TIRED ARM and risk losing him for this season. He went to a specialist to do some better exercises to build arm strength. He was not expected in Boston last year. He came up out of nescessity. Why do you think he came out of the bullpen in the game at Baltimore? BECAUSE OF HIS INNINGS LIMIT. This is something the Red Sox do with all their young pitchers. Right now, Masterson, Bowden, et al, have been told what is expected of them as far as innings. They are monitored all year. This practice has been in place since Theo came to town.
So, again, please do not use the word HURT when the correct term is TIRED ARM. Their is a big difference. One could require surgery or some serious physical therapy. The other required a different approach to exercising the arm. BIG DIFFERENCE.
from 8 months ago
What makes you the supreme authority on the Boston Red Sox? I apologize Mr. Insider and knower of all things Red Sox for throwing out a proposition for the upcoming season and for showing some concern about the future of our starting rotation. I never said that we could not win the World Series again without Colon. My main point for writing the article was to show just how important the "low-risk, high-reward" signing is. We need Colon to help stave off a repeat of 2006 again. We can expect more injuries to the rotation a year after the starters had to go an extra 20-30 innings in the playoffs.
Now on to Buchholz. We are in complete agreement that Buchholz has great stuff. I have nothing against him. I think he is great and has Hall of Fame calibler stuff. My main concern with Buchholz is that I have been reading reports in the papers about him carousing down the stretch last season when he should have been focusing on the playoffs. I also read that the reason for his tired arm is that he did not follow the strengthening program given to him by the Sox. In my honest opinion, this shows a lack of emotional maturity. That is why I am concerned at this point.
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