Getting Ready to Bard the Door
The Boston Red Sox pitching depth is just getting ridiculous. This past off-season, I took a look at the incredible number of starting pitchers that the organization has that are ready to pitch in the Majors (which includes Michael Bowden, who is currently dealing in triple-A).
That depth is now starting to spill over into the bullpen. The club recently recalled Daniel Bard from triple-A. The right-hander is arguably the top relief prospect in all of baseball. Bard’s emergence is truly impressive, considering he all but flamed out in 2007 while pitching in high-A ball as a starter at one of best hitter’s parks (and leagues) in professional baseball. He posted a walk rate of 14.85 BB/9 in 13.1 innings and allowed 21 hits. His ERA was 10.13. The now-23-year-old hurler was demoted down to low-A that year where he posted a 6.42 ERA in 61.2 innings.
Moved to the bullpen in 2008, Bard improved his walk rate to 1.29 in low-A ball, with a strikeout rate of 13.82 K/9, and then skipped over high-A and dominated double-A with rates of 4.71 BB/9 and 11.60 K/9. At triple-A in 2009, he posted rates of 2.81 BB/9 and 16.31 K/9 in 16 innings of work. Bard allowed just six hits. His control is still iffy so there is room for improvement (which is a little scary to consider) and his mid-to-high-90s fastball is by far his best pitch, although the slider has improved a lot.
Now in the Red Sox bullpen, Bard will likely be used in low leverage situations (Thanks to the presence of Manny Delcarmen, Ramon Ramirez and even Takashi Saito) and his previous experience as a starter will come in handy if the club needs to use him for two or three innings. There is no doubt, though, that he will be the club’s set-up man in the near future, as long as the improvements in his control hold (or improve). When Jonathan Papelbon’s time as closer expires for the Red Sox, Bard should be ready to assume that role as well.
With his high strikeout totals and dominating stuff, Bard will no doubt be of great value to fantasy baseball owners in the not-too-distant future. Just be patient.
Marc Hulet has been writing at FanGraphs since 2008. His work focuses on prospects and fantasy. Follow him on Twitter @marchulet.
Thanks for the informative article, Marc.
I just picked him up in one of my fantasy leagues(needless to say, I have a very beleaguered bullpen that has seen the likes of Manny Corpas, Joe Beimel, and Jensen Lewis all serving in it–it’s a 16-team mixed league).
I’d love it if the Red Sox were to jettison Saito. He’s got the lure of being a former closer, but I wonder jut how much the Sox trust him in high leverage situations, anyway?
Delcarmen’s the one they’ve supposedly been shopping, and Matsuzaka seems ready to come back, so Masterson might have made his last start yesterday. I’ve actually been wondering what they could get in a trade for Papelbon.
Judy,
Personally, I wouldn’t be surprised if Papelbon is shopped his last year, or just let go after his arbitration years are up for the draft picks. Theo seems to be very progressive when it comes to contracts, and especially after the mess with Foulke, I can’t see him ever paying double digits per year for 80 innings. I think he’s realized by now it’s just not money well spent even when you have a high payroll.
It’s exactly what the Halos did with K-Rod. It was great to have him but there was no way we could justify paying him that much money for only 70 innings a year. I don’t see a smart Red Sox club dishing out big bucks to bring Papelbon back. They’ll probably find someone cheap to hold the door and pave the way for a younger guy like Bard to work his way up.
And Papelbon is older than K-Rod.
He’s 28.
K-Rod was born in 82, Paps was born in 80.
I do love Papelbon though.
Now that the closer’s market has come back to earth (3yr/37m for the record setting performance demonstrates the ceiling of the market) it makes more sense to retain a shut-down closer. 12m a season would be money well spent on Papelbon, even with good talent coming up the system. Papelbon is best in the game now, potentially can be for the Sox what Mariano has been for the Yankees over the years. Unhittable.
The other option for the sox, is to resign Papelbon as a starter. If he has interest in doing so then that would leave the spot open for Bard or one of the other talented relievers in their system to take over closer while gaining a valuable starter. If he fails to re-transit to the rotation then the downside is that you now have a dominant closer. Doesn’t sound bad to me.