Boston Red Sox 2009 Preview: Pitching

The Red Sox look to have one of the best all-around pitching staffs in baseball for the upcoming season. With an ace like Josh Beckett, and emerging stars in Matsuzaka and Lester, and a such a vastly improved bullpen, Boston is looking good-to-go for the upcoming season.

Starting Rotation

Josh Beckett

A year removed from a 20-win season, Beckett dealt with an arm injury for most of the year, resulting in a regression from his stellar 2007 numbers. He struck out nearly 20 batters less, he went 12-10, and his ERA sat over 4.00. For 2009, Beckett should pitch more like he did in 2007 if his arm issues straighten out.

Daisuke Matsuzaka

With the arm fatigue which troubled him down the stretch in 2007 now a non-issue, Daisuke is pitching like he did in Japan. Matsuzaka, who missed the month of May, could have been one of the many 20-game winners this year. He finished the year 18-3, with a 2.90 ERA, 154 strikeouts and 94 walks.

Jon Lester

Possibly the best third starter in the league. There are countless teams around the league where Lester would be the ace pitcher or the number two pitcher. Last year, Lester won 16 games, and even threw a no-hitter. Also boasting a 3.21 ERA and only six losses, Lester looks like a trio of Boston hurlers at the top of the rotation who can win 18 games in a season.

Tim Wakefield

Ol' reliable, Wakefield is still at the back end of the rotation putting up solid numbers. In 181 innings, Wakefield posted a 4.13 ERA and won ten games. There is no pressure for Wakefield to do any better than that, so expect another solid season for knucks.

Clay Buchholz

Buchholz currently projects as the seventh starter on the depth chart, but I'm giving him the bump because John Smoltz and Brad Penny are both currently injured. Since Boston was adamant about holding on to Buchholz instead of trading him for a shiny new catcher, this is the time for Buchholz to step up and pitch like he is supposed to. He got totally knocked around at the Majors in '08. However, he still has a shred of hope left, because he did own hitters at the AAA level.

The Injured Starters

John Smoltz

After coming back from injury, Smoltz will probably be replacing Wakefield or Buchholz in the rotation, providing another great pitcher for Boston's rotation. Before injuring himself in 2008, Smoltz pitched in 28 innings, striking out 36, and walking eight, while posting a 2.57 ERA and a 3-2 record.

Brad Penny

Penny was injured for most of the 2008 season, like Smoltz. Also like Smoltz, his injuries were the main reason why Boston got him at such a bargain. When healthy, Penny has been a premiere pitcher in the league. In 2007, Penny won 16 games, and started the All-Star Game for the National League. However, in 2008, Penny had an ERA hovering at 6.27, with far too many walks.

Bullpen

Jonathan Papelbon

Papelbon, since emerging as an electric closer in 2006, is coming in to his fourth season. In three full seasons, Papelbon has 113 saves, a 1.84 ERA, and three All-Star selections.

Justin Masterson

Masterson was projected to be in the starting rotation, but due to starting depth and the need for bullpen strength, Masterson will now become Papelbon's set-up guy. Masterson pitched 88 innings for the Red Sox last year, mostly as a spot-starter, and posted a 3.16 ERA and 68 strikeouts.

Ramon Ramirez

Ramirez, acquired via trade with Kansas City, is an excellent late-inning option for Boston. Ramirez, 27, posted a 2.64 ERA in 71 innings pitched in 2008. He emerged as this pitcher in Kansas City. Ramirez also played in Colorado before KC, where he was brutally knocked around by opposing hitters.

Manny Delcarmen

Delcarmen, a former second round draft pick by the Red Sox in 2000, has emerged as a great, hard throwing reliever down in the bullpen. In 2007, Delcarmen put together a fantastic season, striking out 41 hitters in 44 innings with a 2.05 ERA. After a rough first half in 2008, Delcarmen had a good second half, finishing with a 3.27 ERA and 72 strike outs in 74 innings.

Hideki Okajima

Okajima has been one of the most valuable pitchers in the Boston bullpen since his 2007 arrival. He is a phenomenal mop-up man, and his composure never falters. He gets out of all kinds of sticky situations. In 2008, Okajima posted a 2.61 ERA.

Javier Lopez

Lopez, resident lefty specialist in the Red Sox bullpen, has been a very solid pitcher for Boston. In three seasons, Lopez has put up a 2.74 ERA with the Red Sox. No reason to believe he won't continue the success in 2009, after he put up his career-best Boston ERA last year, where it sat at 2.43.

Takashi Saito

Saito, former closer for the Los Angeles Dodgers, will spend 2009 in Boston's 'pen. Saito, in his three-year MLB career, has struck out 60 batters and walked 16, posting a 1.95 ERA, and 81 saves. In a limited middle relief role, Saito should be phenomenal.

The Red Sox are trying their best not to spend too much money while still providing dramatic improvements, which they have done a good job of. These acquisitions include John Smoltz, Brad Penny, Ramon Ramirez, and Takashi Saito. All of these guys, when healthy, are elite pitchers. However, injury plagued 2008 seasons and a very deep free agent market caused these players to be bargains for the Red Sox.

In 2007, the bullpen was a key part in the Red Sox's success, and in 2008 the bullpen was part of the reason the Red Sox didn't make it back to the World Series. Now that the Red Sox have a lot of depth and talent down there, the Red Sox are legitimate contenders for the World Series once again.