Boston Red Sox: Why Daniel Bard Should Stay in the Bullpen

The Boston Red Sox need Daniel Bard to stay in the bullpen for the rest of his career because when he has started he has struggled to control all of his pitches and has been hit hard.

For instance, take a look at his numbers for his starts so far in spring training. He has started four of five games and has a 7.23 ERA in almost 19 innings of work. That is not going to get it done as the fifth starter in this Red Sox rotation.

Bard has always struggled as a starter in the minor leagues. There are even times he has struggled coming out of the bullpen. He got knocked around last September with an ERA over 10. Do Red Sox fans really want that as their No. 5 starter all year long in 2012?

The Sox have other options to choose from as their fifth starter. For now, until Daisuke Matsuzaka returns on June 1, the Sox could rely on Aaron Cook as their last starter. In a little over nine innings pitched, Cook has an ERA of 1.93 and has a WHIP of 0.86.

These numbers would be great to have as a No. 1 starter, but Cook isn't even close to ready to start the fifth game of the regular season just yet. If he gets one or two more starts this spring, then expect to see Cook as the fifth starter for the time being.

The Red Sox bullpen would drastically improve if Bard was the setup man. Mark Melancon and Alfredo Aceves would split time for the sixth and seventh innings when the starters can't get the job done and the Sox would have one if the best bullpens in the entire MLB if Bard stayed as the setup man.

Bard's changeup has slowly developed this offseason and he needs that third pitch in order to dominate hitters as a starter. In the bullpen, he just needs his 99 mph fastball and a decent slider to get the job done. If he is not in the bullpen, then he will struggle from his very first start.

Plus, Bard starting is another victory for general manger Ben Cherington over manger Bobby Valentine. Cherington already won the shortstop battle by picking Mike Aviles over Jose Iglesias for the starting job. Another win for Cherington would hurt Valentine's ability to manage the club properly based on the fact that Valentine would need an ego boost from being able to make a decision for this ballclub.

Valentine should not be worried about such roster moves, but should manage what Cherington places in front of him. Valentine is a great manger for the time being, but he should leave the plans for different players up to Cherington. He may have some voice, but Cherington will have the final say.