Starting Pitching

[Mingo]

The starting pitching is a big question mark for this team, but it appears to be set up very nicely for a playoff run.

With Giolito, Cease, Lopez, Gonzalez and Keuchel - the Sox have a question mark with each: Will Giolito regress or refine his talent? Will Cease refine his talent for MLB? Will Lopez get on tract? Will Gonzalez breakdown or prove too old? How much does Keuchel have left? Even with these questions - there is enough history here and enough talent already shown - that this is a credible 5 starter group. Grandal's pitch framing and game management should help the pitchers. Gonzales and Keuchel as ground ball pitchers should hold down the explosive offense from opposition bats we have seen in recent years. The Sox figure to have more offense to protect the pitching and that should help.

Now add to that - the apparent return of Kopech and Rodon from Tommy John surgeries. Kopech is a few months ahead of Rodon in recovery and both will have pitch counts, but assuming Kopech is pitching big league games in June and Rodon sometime in August or September - the Sox will have major reinforcements and fresh arms available as the pennant races heat up.

Lots can go wrong, but this is exciting depth in starting pitching - and it is depth that figures to deepen as the pennant race gets more serious.

Go Sox!

 

[idseer]

Not sure you can call this ‘exciting depth’ when in fact you have exactly 2 pitchers with any experience to speak of:
Gonzales – 12 years and 1901 inn.
Keuchel – 8 years and 1302 inn.

…….. both of whom are majorly on the downside of their careers.

The rest are basically rookies or 2 year's experience and only 1 has actually had a decent year.
Cease – 73 inn. ?
Rodon – 529 inn. 5 broken up injury-riddled seasons counts as experience?
Kopech – 14 inn. ?
Lopez – 464 inn. ?
Giolito – 416 inn. Promising, but at this point who knows?

This is not depth imo. This is pray that a couple guys come thru.
All those additions they made and not one really good pitching spot filled. Sox brass was never known for it’s brain power. Is it any wonder they’ve been crap for soooo long?

 

[Mingo]

@idseer I think you nailed the downside pretty well.

LOL - my prediction? Some will get hurt - some will do well - some will be up and down - some will be bad. The Sox have 7 talented pitchers for 5 slots as starters. On most teams the depth is all about where are we going to get our 5th starter (which would be 4 talented pitchers for 5 slots)? Just from the sheer numbers the Sox have more opportunity to replace injury or disappointment in the starting pitchers.

In comparison to recent years - the depth in starters is staggering. Even in years when the Sox had great pitching it was pitching that came together and the unexpected result was the norm.

Thanks for your response. If we don't see coherent challenges to our opinions we would never have the chance to be wiser.

 

[Jiddy]

@idseer I think you nailed the downside pretty well.

LOL - my prediction? Some will get hurt - some will do well - some will be up and down - some will be bad. The Sox have 7 talented pitchers for 5 slots as starters. On most teams the depth is all about where are we going to get our 5th starter (which would be 4 talented pitchers for 5 slots)? Just from the sheer numbers the Sox have more opportunity to replace injury or disappointment in the starting pitchers.

In comparison to recent years - the depth in starters is staggering. Even in years when the Sox had great pitching it was pitching that came together and the unexpected result was the norm.

Thanks for your response. If we don't see coherent challenges to our opinions we would never have the chance to be wiser.

ITT: We learn that Mingo had a HUGE Mike Sirotka poster in his bedroom.

 

[idseer]

@idseer I think you nailed the downside pretty well.

LOL - my prediction? Some will get hurt - some will do well - some will be up and down - some will be bad. The Sox have 7 talented pitchers for 5 slots as starters. On most teams the depth is all about where are we going to get our 5th starter (which would be 4 talented pitchers for 5 slots)? Just from the sheer numbers the Sox have more opportunity to replace injury or disappointment in the starting pitchers.

In comparison to recent years - the depth in starters is staggering. Even in years when the Sox had great pitching it was pitching that came together and the unexpected result was the norm.

Thanks for your response. If we don't see coherent challenges to our opinions we would never have the chance to be wiser.

actually i feel that's the middle position to take, not the downside. the downside could be pretty bad.
rodon? maybe he'll pitch this year and maybe he won't. looking at his past i see no reason to be optimistic.
cease and kopech are unknowns. could be good could be bad.
are you confident lopez will indeed get it together? i'm not.
giolito is the only one i feel good about but he just as easily could be a C grade (.500) pitcher.
gio is 34. hasn't had a good year since 2017. think he's gonna get better?
keuchel is 32 and is coming off 2 so-so years with two different great teams. think the team change will make a difference? it didn't last year.

the downside is rodon doesn't come back, cease never cuts it, kopech does not make a successful comeback from surgery, the flash lopez showed last year is just that ... a flash and he reverts to a 5 era pitcher, gio gets worse and keuchel finishes under .500. that's the downside!

but my original remarks to your opening post was about what you called depth. i see no depth at all. just the same sort of rookies and wannabes all teams have.

 

[Mingo]

LOL, but more of them - is the point.

 

[idseer]

well ... what do i know? maybe everyone will have their best years.

 

[Mingo]

well ... what do i know? maybe everyone will have their best years.

Hope springs eternal.