Monday, November 3, 2008

Red Sox want to relive the past

Just in case you guys missed it, the Sox are bringing back Tim Wakefield for another year. I will never understand their unquestioning devotion to Wake and/or Mike Timlin in these declining years. It also begs the question as to why they can so easily turn the screws on Varitek and not these guys.

2 comments:

Dan said...

I was surprised that they picked up his option again, myself. Last year I could understand, but not anymore. Pitching Wakefield has always been somewhat of a crap shoot. Lately his bad starts have been far outnumbering his good ones.

Dennis said...

Sorry gentlemen, I have to disagree. Wakefield went 10-11 with a 4.13 ERA this past season. He made 30 starts and pitched 181 innings, only allowing 154 hits. His WHIP was only 1.18, and opponents hit .228 against him, third best in the league. He was 24th in the AL in ERA, 26th in IP, and 5th in WHIP, just ahead of Beckett.

He was also 8th in the AL in OBA. That is probably why the Sox picked up his option. If on-base percentage is the most important hitting stat, then it stands to reason that on-base percentage against would be the most important pitching stat.

So, you really think you can get that kind of production for $4 million a year from anyone else?