Boston Red Sox: The 2010s All-Decade Team
By Manny Gómez
All-Decade Boston Red Sox Starters
Before struggling to find his dominance in 2019, Chris Sale was in the conversation for best pitcher in the game. In three seasons with Boston, from 2017-209, Sale has started in 84 games, tossing 519.2 innings with a 3.08 ERA, .2.57 FIP, and 0.970. In that span, he also punched out 763 batters, tied for fourth-most in MLB.
Jon Lester broke the heart of Red Sox fans when he opted to sign a free-agent deal with the Chicago Cubs. In doing so, however, Lester continued to cement his legacy as an ace starter by leading the Cubbies to their first World Series title in over a century. In all, Lester will always be remembered as a Red Sox pitcher
Rick Porcello has been something of an enigma for the Boston Red Sox. After securing an AL Cy Young award in 2016 having won 22 games while pitching to a 3.15 ERA, he really hasn’t been the same. In fact, from 2017-2019, Porcello has only won 20 more games while pitching to a ballooned 4.79 ERA.
Still and all, he earns a spot on the All-Decade team because of his consistency. The Red Sox can rely on Porcello to take the ball every fifth day without fail. That’s worth something in this modern form of the game.
Clay Buchholz was at one point a surefire MLB ace. For the most part, during the 2010s he was just that – minus a season or two. He pitched for the Red Sox between 2010-2016, posting a 69-47 record with a 3.78 ERA. Injuries, however, have diminished the pitcher some and as a result, he has been relegated to a fourth or fifth starter on three different teams over the last three seasons.
Finally, there’s Eduardo Rodriguez who emerged with the team in 2014 and has since posted a 51-31 record with a 4.01 ERA. E-Rod has steadily improved his performance with each season. To the point where 2019 was by far his best statistical MLB year after posting a 19-6 record with a 3.81 ERA.