Is Tim Wakefield Still a Legitimate Starter?
Tim Wakefield has pitched with the Boston Red Sox for the past 16 years. During that time, he has had up-and-down seasons, alternating from a good season to a bad one. That’s the dice you roll when your best weapon is a knuckleball. Some days it will work, some days it won’t, and Wakefield’s performances reflect it.
This season, Wakefield is 3-8 with a 5.65 ERA in 19 games. That has created problems for the Red Sox, who have been battling injuries all season long. Due to the injuries to their pitchers in particular, Wakefield has been required to play a bigger role in the Red Sox pitching rotation. For the sake of the brutally honest truth, he has not done enough to help the Red Sox.
Now to be fair, Wakefield has enjoyed a good career in Boston. He is third in wins behind Cy Young and Roger Clemens. Not too shabby.
Just last season, Wakefield made it to his first All-Star game as he led the AL in wins with 11 at last year’s break. However, that was the peak of his season and he did not win another game for the rest of the season. He's also continuing to struggle this year.
Wakefield’s latest setback came against the Texas Rangers when he allowed six earned runs in the very first inning. It is hard for a team to come back when they are down by six runs, and the Red Sox eventually lost that game 7-2.
Manager Terry Francona has already sent Wakefield once to the bullpen this season and with the upcoming return of Josh Beckett and Clay Buchholz back into the line-up, it is hard to imagine that Wakefield will be able to hold on to his starting role.
The Red Sox already have one of the best starting rotations in baseball. That rotation features John Lester, Josh Beckett, Daisuke Matsuzaka, John Lackey and Clay Buchholz. There just may not be enough room at this point for the struggling veteran.
The bottom line is, he is not winning games for Boston, especially against the tougher teams in the league. When you’re in the same division as the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays, you need your pitching at its best and Wakefield may be past his best days. It’s sad to say if you’re a Sox fan, but that’s the way it is.
Wakefield’s once feared knuckleball doesn’t seem to faze hitters anymore and in a league where so many pitchers are now throwing up to 100 miles per hour, the league may just be heading in a different direction regarding pitchers.
That may be the reason for Wakefield’s struggles, as hitters are getting smarter and are able to catch on to what Wakefield is doing right now.
There may still be room for Wakefield to be a reliever and that’s probably what he will be once the Sox’ rotation is healthy again.
Now we may have to wonder how much longer Wakefield will still be of use to the Red Sox. Some may be calling for a trade or for Boston to release him, but then again people were saying the same thing about David Ortiz earlier this season.
The difference with pitchers is that we don’t see them every night and they have less chances to turn it around than the hitters do.
The Red Sox are heading into a tough second half of the season, and as they get healthier, Wakefield may be the odd man out as the Sox attempt to chase the Yankees for the division lead.
Tags: