The Boston Red Sox have a problem. I should rephrase – The Boston Red Sox have many problems, but they have one in particular that few people are discussing: what to do with Steven Wright. More specifically, does he best fit with the team as a starter or as a reliever?
Wright is a knuckleballer, and as such is by default the heir apparent to the role of token knuckleballer once filled by the great Tim Wakefield. Now that is not to say Wright will ever be that good, but there is no denying that it simply would feel wrong to not have one on Boston’s roster. Right now, per the team’s official depth chart, Wright would be the seventh starter, which just means that he’s the second choice if the Sox ever need someone to make a spot start. Normally, that guy would start the season in the minors. But Wright is out of options.
This means that if Wright’s future with the team is truly as a starter, then the Sox will have to carry seven starters on the roster into Opening Day (or six if Wright leapfrogs Henry Owens, the current sixth starter). Right now, both Owens and Wright are stuck behind new ace David Price, veterans Clay Buchholz and Rick Porcello, promising youngster Eduardo Rodriguez, and Joe Kelly.
That leaves Wight with a few possible paths into the rotation. The most obvious in injury. Buchholz, despite his potentially devastating stuff, has struggled with inconsistency and injury his whole career. He’s topped twenty starts in just three of nine seasons. It seems almost inevitable that he will go down again, and Wright would be a logical choice to fill his shoes. Though Owens precedes him in the proverbial pecking order, Wright has more major league experience (three seasons to Owens’ one). Owen’s also still has minor league options, meaning he could begin the year in Triple-A to refine his stuff.
It’s also entirely possible that Wright beats out Kelly for a rotation spot. Once again, Owens will probably be given the first shot at doing that given his status as one of Boston’s top pitching prospects. However, if they put up similar numbers this spring, Wright’s experience and lack of options could be his trump cards.
The truth is that Kelly has done nothing to earn his rotation spot since arriving in Boston in 2014. He recorded a 4.11 ERA in ten starts for the Sox that year, and followed that up with a 4.82 ERA, 1.44 WHIP season in 2015. Sure, he pitched better over the final two months, but by then the Sox were good and out of it, and there was no pressure to perform.
Wright, when given a chance to start, has actually pitched well. Last season, in nine starts, Wright allowed twenty-three earned runs over 52.1 innings for a 3.96 ERA. He was actually even better than that, as he allowed more than three earned runs just once (a six run affair against the Los Angeles Angels). Unquestionably, he out-pitched Kelly all season long, and has long since earned Kelly’s rotation spot.
However, Wright might find an easier path to the roster through the bullpen. There should be a few spots open after closer Craig Kimbrel and set-up men Koji Uehara, Junichi Tazawa, Carson Smith, and probably Tommy Layne make the team. Robbie Ross should be cut. Matt Barnes, Heath Hembree, and Brandon Workman could all use more time to develop. And Noe Ramirez is unlikely to make the team at all.
Though Wright performed better as a starter than as a reliever last season, it would be easier for the Red Sox to justify carrying him as a long reliever/spot starter than just as a sixth or seventh starter. Last season, he averaged 2.2 innings per relief appearance, and pitched five innings twice. He can certainly handle that role.
His 4.43 ERA as a reliever last season looks bad compared to his ERA as a starter, and his .269 batting average against as a reliever is admittedly much worse than the .228 number he posted as in his starts. But he needs a roster start, and I have a feeling that he will have to accept a spot in the ‘pen.
And that could be a good thing. Numbers aside, there’s just something appealing about the idea of having a weapon like the knuckle ball available in relief. Tim Wakfield openly admitted that, for the most part, he had no idea where his knuckler was going once it left his hand. When it was on, it was nearly impossible to hit. When it wasn’t, it was like batting practice. And Wake never really knew why he got one result instead of the other.
While I do not expect Wright to ever reach Wakefield’s level of greatness, he still throws that pitch. Opposing batters already have a lot to think about every time a new pitcher appears in relief. Adding in the unpredictable nature of the knuckle ball to those calculations could be overwhelming and could make a huge difference late in games. It almost feels sinister, in the best possible way.
If Wright is allowed to settle and grow into a more permanent relief role over the course of a season, instead of having to stretch out as a starter and then settle back into relief several times, his performance should improve. Though he is already 31 years old, knuckle ball pitchers tend to mature later in their careers than most other pitchers, and tend to enjoy greater longevity. He has time, and he’s shown his quality as a pitcher. It’s time for the Red Sox to decide where that quality belongs.
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