Red Sox Buchholz Rant |

Its Rant Week for Gideon here at CubicleGM. After feeling great about getting some All Star related troubles off my chest, I return for some Red Sox and Buchholz related ranting. I have been diligent to not let my personal allegiances dominate my posts., but a mere four months after my first , I am here to say I’m a Red Sox fan. I just couldn’t rant against the Sox without making you aware that I support them.

I do not see the value of starting Clay Buchholz tonight, and think it is a terrible idea. Nothing good comes of it, and it has the chance to do some serious harm. He should either be with the Sox for a good month of starting or he shouldn’t be called up at all.

Cast your mind back to September 2007 and you recall a very young Buchholz throwing a no hitter in just his second start. Expectations were sky high. He struggled quite a bit last year, and with his confidence rather shaken he was sent down to AA as a 23 year old to tweak some things and get back to his fundamentals. He does that, improving along the way, and shines, absolutely shines in Spring Training ’09. With a rotation already rather full (Beckett, Lester, Dice-K, Wakefield, Penny), and only getting more clogged (Smoltz), Buchholz packed his bags for AAA to improve a bit more, bolster the confidence, and bide his time. Nevermind that he would have been the 2nd or 3rd best pitcher on most MLB teams, on the Sox, where depth is King, you wait. He goes to AAA and utterly dominates, including taking a perfect game into the 9th against the Louisville Bats, and posting a .41 ERA through his first 16 starts. Absurd numbers – the kid’s stuff is back. What does he have left to prove in AAA?

So I ask you what good comes of a one-start dance with the big squad? If he goes out tonight and pitches 7 or 8 strong innings is he not going to be supremely frustrated by being sent back to the minors?

“Hey guys, happy to be back in Pawtuckett, had a blast far outperforming Penny and Wakefield (who only has 10+ wins because of his run support), but still no spot in the rotation for me, really happy to be back, though. Can’t wait to spend the next two months dominating these fools!”

But the real question is what happens if he gets shelled? Theo Epstein already knows his confidence is shaky. If he gets shelled tonight, he goes back to AAA knowing that he will dominate, only to come back to the Sox at some point with even more doubts, and less confidence. The start is ont he road, toboot, against a pretty good Blue Jays offense. One start just isn’t long enough to get into the groove. Either give him a month with the big squad, using a 6-man rotation (which gives the other starters more rest – the reason he was brought up in the first place) or don’t bring him up at all. One start isn’t a ‘reward’, as Epstein is spinning it. It is a recipe for either frustation or a confidence demolisher.