In this post, we’ll continue our Red Sox Report Card with Part II of our analysis. If you missed the first part of the Report Card which included all of the position players, the link is below.
https://www.firstscoreboston.com/red-sox-report-card/
The Red Sox finished their season today with a loss. Their final record was 78-84. They actually had a good opportunity to finish .500 and in third place. However, they lost their last four games of the season.
Let’s take a look at the pitchers, managers, and front office grades for 2015.
Starting Pitchers
Wade Miley – C+ : Miley finished the season at 11-11 with a 4.46 ERA. These certainly aren’t great numbers. However, on the plus side, he was very durable. Outside of a weak start, he was a very reliable pitcher who would give you six or seven innings and keep the team in the game more often than not.
Rick Porcello – D- : Porcello was a major disappointment this year. Many Red Sox fans found it very odd that he was extended with a long term contract considering he had not even pitched a game for the Red Sox and his career numbers were far from outstanding. Porcello finished 9-15 with a 4.92 ERA. The realistic expectation here would have been to flip flop the wins and losses and lower the ERA by about a run. Not good.
Joe Kelly – C+ : Remember when Kelly predicted he would win the Cy Young Award this year? In this first half of the year, this comment was mocked as Kelly couldn’t even stay on the big league roster. When he returned, he was unbeatable for about a six week stretch. Kelly has all of the tools, but he has yet to put it all together. It’s getting to a point where it’s getting more unlikely that he ever will.
Eduardo Rodriguez – B : This was a very solid rookie season for Rodriguez. He finished 10-6 with a 3.85 ERA. The Red Sox really could not have asked for more from a 22 year old pitcher. Rodriguez has shown he has ace like stuff and that he could quickly become a dominant pitcher. Like Kelly, it’s a matter of whether or not he can put it all together. Given his progress, it seems more likely than not that he will.
Clay Buchholz – C : Many fans would like a lower grade here. However, this grade is exactly what Clay Buchholz is, a C. He should be an A, but the reality is that he never will be. He is what he is. He’ll give the team 2 months of quality pitching and then he’ll be shut down for the year. Expect it again next year.
Justin Masterson – D- : It was interesting that on Dave Dombrowski’s first day on the job, he cut ties with Masterson. It was refreshing to see an adjustment made. It was needed on this one.
Henry Owens: B- : 4-4 with a 4.57 ERA for a rookie pitcher is not bad at all. We can only hope that this was a great experience for Owens and that he builds on this next year.
Relief Pitchers
Alexi Ogando – B- : Ogando finished with a 3.99 ERA in 65.1 innings. He was very reliable for the most part. He’s always had a high ceiling, but frequently fell below expectations. He certainly at least met them this year.
Craig Breslow – C : Many of us are still trying to figure out why Breslow started two games to end the year. There was really no one else in the organization that could have been given a chance to start these games?! Anyways, it was a very average year for Breslow. You did not get a warm and fuzzy feeling when he entered games.
Robbie Ross – C+ : Ross had a 3.86 ERA in 60.2 innings. The numbers look better than his impact. It felt scary when he took the mound.
Junichi Tazawa – C : This was really on off year for Tazawa. He did not pitch well. This sounds like a common theme in this section.
Koji Uehara – A- : Uehara quietly had an outstanding season before his injury shut him down for the season. He had a 2.23 ERA and 25 saves in 27 opportunities. At age 40, the question is going to be can he stay on the field heading into next year. When he’s on it, he’s still one of the best closers in the game.
Tommy Layne: C
Matt Barnes: D
Managers/General Manager
John Farrell – D : Here’s hoping the best for John Farrell in his recovery. Everyone in Red Sox Nation is pulling for him. He’s a great guy. Like many others in this post, Farrell did not have a great year in terms of his on field performance. There were times that he failed to make adjustments. Will he keep his job next year? It looks that way. Time will tell. His health it the top priority right now. All the best to John and his family.
Torey Lovullo – B : Lovullo did a solid job filling in for Farrell. The team had a record of 25-20 under his leadership which is pretty impressive considering where they were when he took over the team. The young players like Betts, Swihart, and Bradley thrived under Lovullo. Was it coincidence or did have an impact on them? He certainly deserves some credit.
Ben Cherington – D- : It was a very poor year for Cherington which resulted in his departure. His top three moves were Hanley Ramirez, Pablo Sandoval, and Rick Porcello. These three moves were all major failures. Having said that, Cherington deserves a lot of credit for putting together a championship team in 2013. He pushed all of the right buttons that year and all of the wrong ones in the past two.
Dave Dombrowski: There’s no grade here yet. It’s too early to tell. Expect big things!
TEAM MVP: David Ortiz. This was a tough decision between Bogaerts and Ortiz. Ortiz get the edge simply because of his overall impact on the game. He can carry the team for months with his bat and he did it once again. His numbers stand out.
The 2016 season is over. It was not one to remember. However, there were a lot of positives in the last two months and there’s a lot to look forward to in 2016. Until then, get ready to see more Bruins and Celtics post on First Score Boston!