Daisuke Matsuzaka Madness
By teufelmann
@teufelmann (33)
United States
December 15, 2006 8:09pm CST
Possible 2007 Boston Red Sox rotation:
Daisuke Matsuzaka
Curt Schilling
Josh Beckett
Jonathan Papelbon
Tim Wakefield
I'd say that the Boston rotation will look pretty intimidating to a lot of teams next year, especially the Yankees. With the free agents the Red Sox are locking up, it may be time for New York to start fidgeting in their seats. While the Yankees are considering a platoon role at first base inloving Andy Phillips or Josh Phelps, the Red Sox have signed Matsuzaka (which may bring more publicity to a team not named the New York Yankees for the first time in a decade), Julio Lugo, and J.D. Drew. Oh wait, the Yankees also signed Andy Pettitte and his ERA was only slightly above four.
Yes, the American League East could be receiving a changing-of-the-guard in 2007, but most people are not considering the Toronto Blue Jays. They have a high-powered offense which was bolstered by the signing of Frank Thomas. They also have three top-line starters that just need to remain healthy...all year. Or else. Roy Halladay, A.J. Burnett, and Gustavo Chacin have each had their fair share of injury troubles in the years and if the status quo is met, then the Blue Jays could fall apart mid-season. But hey, there is always the chance Toronto puts together a flawless record health-wise in 2007 and makes the AL East a three-team race. Please, PLEASE, stay healthty; I could use a new team in that division. Don't get me wrong, I love watching the Yankees-Red Sox play in primetime every single day, but if the Blue Jays decide to play well for an entire season, then ESPN has no choice but to show Toronto. I also heard something about Bud Selig's last action as commissioner to be designating 100 games of the 162-game schedule for the Red Sox and Yankees to be played against each other.
Oh right, this was about Matsuzaka. Yeah, he's a really great player with almost flawless credentials. That means we'll hear absolutely nothing but analysts getting aroused at the very notion of the Red Sox. It will be just like any other year where the coverage for the Yankees and Red Sox is more in-depth than The War on Terror. I'd like to wage my own little War on Terror and stop the obsession with those two teams. It's just so fitting Matsuzaka got to go to the Red Sox...I liked it better when Red Sox fans were arrogant and had nothing to show for it.
1 person likes this
3 responses
@Scorpio111boy (249)
• United States
16 Dec 06
I really do think they should keep Papelbon as a relief pitcher. He did such a good job last season as the closer. And well i doubt Matsuzaka will have a great season. At best 16-10. He just wont be as dominant.
@teufelmann (33)
• United States
16 Dec 06
I really thought that when David Wells went down, the Red Sox were going to give Papelbon the chance to start. I'm surprised that he lasted so long in that role, but I do want to see him as a starter. It's the same thing with Adam Wainwright and the Cardinals. Papelbon and Wainwright both have great stuff but have the durability to be starters. I don't think the team should limit them to just closer roles and should maximize the talen of both guys. Granted, their careers could be longer if they stayed as closers, but both teams would benefit more from Papelbon and Wainwright as starters.
You're probably right about Matsuzaka. He'll find that baseball in the States is much different than in Japan. Nonetheless, he'll probably win Rookie of the Year and I'll be disappointed.
@streak_tlu (606)
• United States
16 Dec 06
I think you both are looking at it the wrong way. The reason they want Papelbon out of that roll is to lessen the strain on his arm. They'd rather them work at 92-94 instead of trying to be a pure power pitcher and have to throw so hard every evening. Working once a day (despite the longer innings) should have less stress because he's going to be able to work at less than max arm strength.
If Matsuzaka wins 16 games, then he's everything the Red Sox paid for and more, I mean seriously. With the type of offense they're going to run out there (With or without Manny), a rookie winning 16 games is a HUGE accomplishment. I'm going to envision more like 12 or so, which is still a solid contribution from a rookie pitcher in the DH happy American League.
@teufelmann (33)
• United States
16 Dec 06
I think the stress that Papelbon will see on his shoulder as a starter will be potentially much more destructive than if he was a closer. Papelbon will have to use full strength on hs arm if he wants to succeed; no one throws a baseball at half-strength in the majors unless he wants to fail. He's going to be throwing 90-100 pitches a night instead of 20 and it will be an unwelcome surprise to his shoulder. The Red Sox are doing this to maximize his talent and with the offense as you mentioned, he may not have to pitch as far into a game.
It drives me crazy that players that have played in professional leagues like Japan can come here and win Rookie of the Year. I wish I could say I thought Matsuzaka will fail miserably in a league where offense rules but he might not. He has a lot of talent and might be able to keep the better hitters of MLB off-balance. He should be careful of the fact that these hitters are usually better than anything he has ever faced.
@Rotiro3 (27)
• United States
29 Dec 06
I definitely like the Matsuzaka signing I think it is a lot better than the Zito signing because he has a chance to be a number one starter while Zito is a good 2 not an ace. The only hole I see and it is a big one is the Closer role. They need to find someone or forget about this year. The offense will be better the defense will not be as good but I believe the offense and starting pitching will make up for it. I think they should back out of the J.D. Drew deal and sign someone else he has too many injuries.
