When the Boston Red Sox signed David Price to a $217 million dollar contract in the spring it was assumed that the former Cy Young winner was the new Red Sox ace. But with Price unable to put together consistent starts and Steven Wright beginning to falter, is Rick Porcello the new ace of the Boston Red Sox?
Rick Porcello has come a long way. The first time Red Sox fans heard his name he was wrestling on the pitcher’s mound with Kevin Youkilis like a bunch of WWE wannabes.
At the time, Porcello was just a 21-year-old rookie. The Tigers had drafted him in 2007 with a first round pick, and they promoted him just two years later. Porcello is just 27 but has started 229 games in his major league career.
Fast forward to July 31, 2014. The World Series champions are having a fire sale. The Red Sox decided they were going to trade their ace of the last four years to the Oakland Athletics in the hope that he’d resign with the team in the offseason. In return, Oakland shipped out unruly soon-to-be free agent Yoenis Cespedes.
In his 51 games in Boston, Cespedes hit .269, blasted five home runs and drove in 33 RBI. Those are considered pretty good numbers for a guy adjusting to baseball life in Boston. However, soon after the season ended, rumors swirled around that Cespedes was disobedient and wanted nothing to do with coaches.
So after signing Hanley Ramirez and declaring he’d be the next best left fielder (this was a very bad idea), the Red Sox traded Cespedes away for a guy coming off the best season of his career. His name… Rick Porcello.
Boston wasn’t ecstatic. The Red Sox essentially traded Jon Lester straight up for some guy who had never had an ERA below 3.40. Many believed that Ben Cherington got ripped off, and others assumed nobody wanted Cespedes.
Fast forward late into the 2015 season. It was August 2 and Porcello was 5-11 with a 5.81 ERA in 20 starts, and the Red Sox placed him on the DL. Ben Cherington was being ripped for giving him a massive $82.5 million contract before he threw a pitch, and there was still resentment there for the Lester screw up.
In the offseason the Red Sox tried to right the ship. They gave David Price a $217 million mega-deal, making him the highest paid pitcher in MLB history. One would assume that by the next All-Star break, David Price would be pitching in the Midsummer Classic, be leading the league in numerous categories and be the unquestioned ace of the staff.
Instead, we find ourselves believing quite the contrary. Price has struggled in Boston. His ERA almost matches what it was in his second season, 4.30. He has given up more hits than any other pitcher in the bigs, and he can’t seem to string together a couple of consecutive good starts.
David Price's 3 starts against the #Yankees this year: 17.1 innings, 26 hits, 15 ER, 5 BB, 8 SO, 7.90 ERA. Disastrous. #RedSox
— All Boston Sports (@NE_sportsjunkie) July 18, 2016
Come July, it looked like Steven Wright had adopted the “ace” tag. Entering the All-Star break, Wright had 2.42 ERA and baffled hitters with 87 strikeouts and three complete games. Fast forward to now and his ERA has raised .78 points and he’s yet to get past the fifth in his last two starts.
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So in steps Rick Porcello. Porcello started the season 5-0 and looked like a much different version of his 2015 self. He took a loss on May 17, and hasn’t really looked back since.
Since that May 17 loss, he’s not been defeated. Porcello has won eight straight, giving up just 15 earned runs over the streak. He is second in the AL in winning percentage, fewest walks allowed and BB/9, fourth in quality starts and strikeout-to-walk ratio, and has recorded no cheap wins this season. His ESPN Cy Young Predictor ranking is 112.3, good for sixth on the AL list.
Porcello is the first Red Sox pitcher since 1961 to win his first 10 games at Fenway Park. He is 6-0 in games following a Red Sox loss, and they are 16-5 in games he pitches and 40-40 when he doesn’t.
His last outing was the best of the season. The Red Sox, who had lost four straight, desperately needed a good start from their pitcher on Friday night. Porcello came into the game with a career ERA of 6.82 against the Angels. He ended the night on the mound in the ninth with a complete game, retiring 21 of the last 23 batters, and left 60 percent of runners who reached stranded.
Rick Porcello has been dominant in his 2016 campaign. Since that DL stint in August 2015, Porcello has been a new man. When the Red Sox have needed an exceptional performance, he’s been the guy.
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Porcello could become the first 20-game winner for the Red Sox since Josh Beckett in 2007. He’s the first Red Sox pitcher since Daisuke Matsuzaka in 2008 to win 14 of their first 16 decisions, and could be in the talks for a Cy Young. It’s official, Price and Wright can move aside because this year Rick Porcello is the ace of the Boston Red Sox.