2018 Red Sox Player Reviews Part 2

Picking up where I left off with Monday's post, I'm continuing to review player performances from key members of the 2018 Boston Red Sox team. This time, it's the pitchers' turn to get their overall performances assessed just like I did for the position players a couple days ago.

For a team to finish 1st in their division, there has to be a strong balance. What I mean by this is that there must be equally strong position players as there are hitters. In the case of the 2018 Sox, they had a strong balance between talented hitters and pitchers, which translated to a successful season.

For Boston's position players, I set the limit at 300 at-bats in order to receive a grade so the post doesn't drag on and I can assess everyone fairly. In the case of the pitchers, I've decided that in order to be included in this post, they have to have pitched at least 60 innings this season. After setting that limit, I discovered that 10 pitchers met those requirements. 

Without any further adieu, here they are. I'll be starting off with the pitcher with the most innings pitched, Rick Porcello.

2 years removed from the best season of his career and 1 year removed from the worst, Rick Porcello was pretty average in 2018, and that's a very good thing because, with run support, being average becomes all the better. His 4.28 ERA through 191 innings pitched wouldn't strike you as something that could earn you 17 wins, but his 190 strikeouts in those innings speak for themselves. This year, Rick Porcello definitely improved from 2017, and because the Red Sox also got better, his 4.28 ERA is fine by me.

Letter Grade; B-

After failing to pitch even 75 innings in 2017 due to injury, Price returned for a healthy 2018 in which he had his best season since joining the Boston Red Sox in 2016. While having roughly the same strikeout tendencies as Porcello (177 K's in 176 innings), David Price backed up his knockouts with an excellent 3.58 ERA. All in all, 2018 was easier for Price after the media circus involving him and Dennis Eckersley died down and he was back to 100%. He's been steadily improving in Boston for years, and I'm very excited about what 2019 will bring him.

Letter Grade; B/B+

If not for a reoccurring injury that sidelined the 7-time All-Star lefty, he'd have the AL Cy Young award all but locked up. Instead, it's looking like it will (deservingly) go to the Rays' star pitcher Blake Snell. However, Sale's 2.11 ERA through 158 innings pitched this year cannot be ignored, nor can his 237 strikeouts and .86 WHIP during that time as well.

In his 2nd season as a member of the Red Sox, Sale dazzled once again and definitely earned himself some Cy Young votes. However, his missing of time due to injury combined with how Snell dominated all season makes the AL Cy Young award race quite different from what we originally thought it would be. 

Letter Grade; A

Like Chris Sale, Eduardo Rodriguez was sidelined for over a month this season due to injury, limiting his innings pitched to just 130. However, even while missing numerous starts, Eduardo Rodriguez seemed to finally have the breakout season we thought he was capable of 4 years after being traded to the Red Sox as a prospect in the Andrew Miller trade. He maintained a steady ERA for most of the season, only faltering in his last couple starts. Moreover, E-Rod learned how to control his pitch count while still striking out 146 batters this year.

Letter Grade; B-/B

The role of a 5th starter was one that the Red Sox struggled to fill all season due to injuries to E-Rod, Drew Pomeranz, Steven Wright, and Chris Sale that combined to take up a lot of time. For the majority of the year, Boston relied on Brian Johnson to serve as a backup starter and long reliever, and he fits this role very well. In 99 innings pitched, the most in a season of his career by far, Johnson fanned a respectable 87 batters and kept his ERA at a solid 4.17. 

Considering what was asked of him and how uncertain his role as a member of the team could be at any time, I was impressed with what I saw from Johnson this year.

Letter Grade; C+

A pickup from the Mexican League last season, Red Sox pitcher Hector Velazquez served basically an identical role to Brian Johnson throughout the 2018 season. Though he pitched fewer innings (85) and struck out fewer men (53), Velazquez held a steady 3.18 ERA that ended up being a huge help for Boston as he was responsible for 7 of the team's wins in 47 appearances ranging from facing a batter or two all the way up to full-on starts.

Letter Grade; B-

In a way, I was hoping Drew Pomeranz fell short of 60 innings pitched so he could be spared. On the other hand, a pitcher with just 74 innings pitched under his belt was responsible for 6 losses and a 6.08 ERA, so I don't feel too bad. To make it simple, Drew Pomeranz was horrendous in his 2018 contract year with the Red Sox, and that was pretty disappointing given his 17 wins and 3.32 ERA last year made him 2nd only to Chris Sale in the 2017 Red Sox rotation.

Pomeranz would struggle every time he went into a game, and I'm not exaggerating one bit. Quite frankly, he didn't seem like he belonged on a baseball field in 2018. Let me assure you, he really was bad.

Letter Grade; D/D-

Though he became quite iconic during the infamous Red Sox vs Yankees brawl back in April, Joe Kelly never seemed to find his groove again in the later months of 2018. For the first few weeks, Kelly appeared to be unstoppable and was suspected to be the new set-up man for Boston's closer and my favorite player, Craig Kimbrel. However, his 4.39 ERA on the year, including an 8.31 earned run average in his last 7 appearances didn't do him any favors, especially when it comes to making the postseason roster.

Letter Grade; C

It's pretty ridiculous to call a 2.74 ERA with 96 strikeouts in 62 innings pitched a "down year" for All-Star closer Craig Kimbrel. But compared to 2017, it kind of was. Last season, Craig posted an insane 1.43 ERA with 35 saves and 126 K's through 69 innings. Although his saves total went up to 42, his 2.74 ERA is the 2nd highest single-season total of his career, trailing only the standout 3.40 earned run average posted back in 2016, his first year in Boston.

Letter Grade; B+/A-

Because Boston's bullpen lacked any other strong contenders for the role of set-up man, it was up to Matt Barnes to take on this role for the 3rd year in a row, and he's been gradually getting better each year since his debut back in late 2014. This time around, Barnes posted a 3.65 ERA with 96 strikeouts in 61 innings pitched. That's right, in practically the same number of innings pitched as Craig Kimbrel, Barnes posted the same number of K's.

While I'm praying for Craig to stay so Barnes can remain the set-up man and our bullpen can have their strongest pitcher, I wouldn't be opposed to seeing Barnes take on the closer role if he has to. I think he proved he's a capable reliever in 2018, so this would officially be the next step for him.