In his 12th season in the majors, an All-Star bid for David Price has been reflected in his ERA. It’s the best he’s posted since his 2015 season — the last time he was selected to the game. Price has been the horse of an inconsistent Boston Red Sox rotation and is punching his ticket to Cleveland this summer.
David Price: All-Star Game History
The southpaw last played in the Midsummer Classic in 2015, along with 2014, 2012, 2011, and 2010, when he started the game. Price averaged a 2.90 ERA among those seasons. He also averaged 8.9 K/9 and finished top two in Cy Young Award voting three times. How do these numbers compare to the pitcher’s 2019 campaign thus far?
Leading the Charge
Inconsistencies have told the story of the 2019 Red Sox and their title defense, but Price hasn’t been a part of this story. He has been the leader of the rotation, tallying a 2.70 ERA, 1.050 WHIP, and 10.4 K/9; while his counterparts — Chris Sale, Rick Porcello, and Eduardo Rodriguez — have posted a combined 4.53 ERA, 1.258 WHIP, and 10.0 K/9.
In his most recent appearance, the lefty quieted the bats of the first-place Tampa Bay Rays. Pitching in the second game of the day-night double header on Saturday, Price departed after six innings, allowing just one run on five hits while striking out 10.
That was his 11th outing of the season, 10 of which Price has lasted at least five innings. He is the only pitcher among the four Boston starters that has one or fewer starts lasting less than five frames.
All-Star Competition
Although David Price is a few innings shy of being considered a qualified starter, when put up against the American League qualifiers, he is sixth in ERA, fifth in opponent batting average, and eighth in WHIP.
The Tennessee native is putting together quite the All-Star bid and may even have a shot to start the game in Cleveland by the time July rolls around. Others in the conversation include Justin Verlander, Lucas Giolito, Jake Odorizzi, and Trevor Bauer.
Since Price last started the All-Star Game back in 2010, the American League starters have a combined 2.62 ERA in their respective seasons. This is comparable to Price’s 2.70 to this point.
If the left-hander can keep up this pace, he will no doubt be in Cleveland in mid-July, but he could even be throwing out the first pitch that night as well.
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