A few years back, 2007 to be exact. I used the term “effective” to sum up what Tim Wakefield was as a pitcher. It was a debate about whether or not the Red Sox were good enough to win the World Series that season. And as any Red Sox fan knows, the pitching staff was a very important reason why we as fans thought the team to be good enough to win. And I’m talking about in the beginning of the season, when they took off with the division, and left the Yankees behind.
Yet there were a few Yankee fans that discounted everything that they were doing. He came out with all the negatives; why Dice-K would struggle simply because Japanese players struggle more with Major League talent. Why Schilling would crumble with age. Why Beckett would either experience blister issues again or regress. And basically, this fan ignored Wakefield as a quality pitcher.
So “effective” I thought summed up Wakefield well. Six straight seasons of “league-average” ERA+’s led me to use that word.
Make it eight straight to date.
And at the time, Wakefield was the fourth starter, with Lester’s return on the horizon (sometime during the remainder of the season.) Then, I knew the rotation was the real deal. Julian Tavarez was a stopgap that wasn’t very good, but at least held the spot until another pitcher of quality would arise.
So Wakefield is what he is; league-average. If he was a teams number one starter, then they would be in serious trouble. But he was manning the back end of the rotation, and that seemed like a huge plus. Average starters don’t exactly blow anyone away, but they don’t exactly grow near the apple tree in the field over yonder, either.
What Wakefield has been to this Red Sox team, 2007 being no exception, is a very important piece. Yet no one ever seems to realize this. Well, some do. But some don’t understand what the Red Sox organization have when they pencil in a league-average starter (maybe even a little better) basically every fifth day, for what will be 15 straight seasons when 2009 begins.
And what makes it even more of a privilege at this point, is that Wake is merely $4 million a season, and not under contract unless the team renews his “team-option” before each season.
While teams like the Mariners have thrown $12 million a year trying to acquire a league-average starter (Carlos Silva). While the Yankees spent $17 million on a half season of slightly above-average starts (Clemens). And while several other teams have attempted to sign and acquire pitchers to eat quality innings over that 14-year period. Wakefield has been an absolute bargain for the Red Sox, and would be a bargain for any ballclub.
It took me some time to come around to believing this. Like many people, I saw that Wakefield could be hit…very, very hard on any given day. So I never fully appreciated Wake’s ability. It was obvious that he wasn’t an ace, for ace pitchers don’t get rocked that often. But with my growing understanding of statistics, came my growing appreciation for Tim Wakefield.
I mean, seriously. Five of the past six seasons, Wakefield has started 30 or more games. Each season he has cost the Red Sox about $4 mill. And each season has resulted in no worse than average production.
For a guy that one has no idea what to expect from start to start…Talk about reliable.
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I hope Wakefield, like Jamie Moyer, pitch until their 50.
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Link: http://morehardball.blogspot.com/2009/03/hottest-fan-in-mlb-divisional-series.html
We’d appreciate the plug if you’re so inclined.
I’ve been wanting this guy to retired for about 5 years. I hope he finally blows his shoulder this year. people like to see the numbers at the end of the year, but the truth of the matter is that Wakefield and Matsuzaka cannot be trusted in the playoffs. One is wilder than the other.
I remember not just one, but several ballsy games by Wakefield in the playoffs, particularly against the Yankees in ‘03 and ‘04. We didn’t win all of those games, but then again, Mo Rivera has given up his share in the playoffs as well. Is Mo a dud, too?
And the numbers in the regular season are what GET YOU INTO the playoffs in the first place. I’ll take Wakefield on my team any day of the week. Just by the numbers. Nevermind the favorable price tag. Nevermind the leadership or good citizenship or charitable efforts or anything else. Just by the numbers, Tim Wakefield is a great guy to have as your #5 starter. Anybody who says differently has a warped perception of the world, and not just of baseball.
It’s funny, too, because Wakefield is my least favorite starter to watch. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t understand his value, I just prefer to watch the other four starters.
If i’m tired MLB hitter with a slow bat, playing in October i’d love to hit a 65 MPH pitch. Power pitching wins in the playoffs.
Wakefield is the fourth starter on this team though. Not the 2nd. Teams need quality innings to be “eaten” in order to get to the playoffs in the first place, as Sam pointed out.
Any MLB pitcher can throw 180 inning and not suck while doing it.
If the guy won between 15 to 20 games every year, in other words if he was a #2 or a #1, i would not say anything. The Red Sox put up with a lot of crap for this guy. for example carrying catchers with qustionable offensive skills.itsnot worthit for a pitcher that at best at the end of the year will end up with.500 winning percentage, and stink it in the playoffs.
The whole point is not every pitcher can throw 180 innings and not suck while doing it. By definition, being a league average pitcher, Wakefield is approx. better or worse than 50% of baseball pitchers.
Paying Wakefield $4M per year for the last five or six years has allowed us to spend money on guys like Schilling, Papi, and Manny in the past. This year it allows us to improve the rest of the team with guys like Saito, Smoltz, and Baldelli.
I will be the first to admit that Wakefield can be exasperating to watch pitch and that I don’t necessarily see a place for him on a post-season roster, but I guarantee you that 29 other teams would want him in their rotation for $4M per year.
And btw, a .500 winning percentage means nothing. There are way too many other variables involved in wins. I saw a stat recently that the Red Sox blew something like seven leads for Wakefield last year, which would have left him with 15-17 wins if the bullpen didn’t suck for him.
His mainstream stats are never gaudy, but he puts up league average every year. I can’t complain about that even if he gets rocked a few times and doesn’t pitch an inning of post-season ball.
Marcos, you’re dead wrong. A league-average fifth starter is a wonderful thing to have. Most teams would give their eye teeth to have a reliable guy at the back of the rotation who can give them a .500 record, an ERA under five, and close to 200 innings of work. Most teams are filling the fifth slot with career minor leaguers, or constantly shuffling guys in and out, just hoping to find somebody who can achieve an average performance.
And it doesn’t matter whether Wakefield can pitch in the playoffs. Fifth starters never pitch in the playoffs, except out of the bullpen in mopup situations.
The Sox do suffer a slight drawback in having to carry a backup catcher who can’t hit, but can handle the knuckleball. But guess what? The vast majority of backup catchers can’t hit! That’s why they’re backups!
Wakefield’s value — eating up a goodly share of innings, keeping the team competitive in most of his starts –far outweighs the slight offensive loss suffered by carrying a Mirabelli or a Cash instead of, say, a Jose Molina or a Jason LaRue.
It would be nice if the Red Sox did not pitch this guy in the playoffs. But guess what? they always do.
For that matter, the majority of MLB starting catchers can’t hit, so I really don’t know what you can expect from the backups.
Point is, Marcos, you clearly have a belly-ful of venom for Wakefield, and you’re throwing a lot of nonsense half-arguments at us as reasons why the guy should be canned, but in fact the man is a valuable pitcher whose production and playing time can be penciled in at the start of every season. He is, furthermore, a man who is being paid less than he is worth (on the free market). You should be grateful we have Wakefield, but because of Aaron Boone you aren’t.
Well Aaron Boone’s career is toast, and Wakefield is still starting every 5th day, so screw Aaron Boone. Screw his ‘roid-using brother too, who was a commentator in the booth for that fateful game in ‘03 and who cried tears of joy when his little no-account brother did the first and last memorable thing of his life. Hell, for that matter, screw Bob Boone too, while we’re at it, and I don’t even need a reason to say that. Now, Marcos, with all that said, can we get past the Aaron Boone thing and recognize Wakefield for his actual value?
I am not just referering to Aaron Boone, i’m talking his overall postseason #’s. You can disagree with me all you want, but i just don’t trust him in the playofss. Especially when the pitcher throws 65 MPH and does know where the pitch is going. I just want certainty and i don’t think that’s too much to ask. And please stop mentioning his salary, i don’t care if he got paid the league’s minimum, he is not worth it. And for the record i’m not a big fan of Matsuzaka fan.
Well, Marcos, the reason that people think you have a “belly-full of venom” for Wakefield is comments like this: “I’ve been wanting this guy to retired for about 5 years. I hope he finally blows his shoulder this year.” Nice, very nice.
Or “If the guy won 15 to 20 games a year… I wouldn’t say anything.” Which shows how far off the mark you are. NOBODY wins 15-20 games a year. Win totals above 15 are very rare. Even the best pitchers bounce up and down between the low teens and the high teens — assuming they stay free of major injuries.
Wakefield averages nearly 200 innings and 11-12 wins a season. He has won 164 games in his Red Sox career. He is a remarkably durable and consistent pitcher. So he’s a mopup man in the playoffs; without his contributions in the regular season, how often would the Sox have missed the playoffs entirely? Let’s say he retired five years ago, as you say you want. Plug in Julian Tavarez or Kyle Snyder or David Pauley in his slot, and see how many more games the Red Sox would have lost.
Yes, we’d love to have top-quality power pitchers at the back of the rotation. But nobody has that. Everybody has less pitching than they want — everybody! Tim Wakefield is not a Cy Young candidate, but he fills a role and does it very well. If you can’t understand the value of role-players, then all I can say is I’m very glad you’re not the GM of the Red Sox.
It is What is, i dont feel sorry for Wakefield its not like he going go hungry if he retires. And i’m not taking it back, i Hope he blows his arm. its not like i wishing he’d die. A lot of people wish the same way i do, they just don’t say it.
Pretty sure you’re on your own in wishing he’s blow his arm out. Hell, most real fans that I know don’t even wish that on opposing players (even Yankees). Not to mention the fact that, other than Papi, Wake is probably the most popular player on the Red Sox.
Clearly we’re not going to convince you otherwise on this and can just settle with the good news that the Red Sox have a MUCH different opinion about Wakefield than you do. Thank goodness…
“its not like i wishing he’d die.”
You’re a real humanitarian, Marcos. And a real grammarian, to boot.
Reality check. Wake won 17G in 2007, with a 4.76ER, .33points higher than his career average, bringing him to 168 games won. Schilling won 9, with a 3.87, bringing him to 210 career wins. In 2007, Lester won 4, with a 4.57, and Daisuke won 15 with a 4.40. Wake’s contributions to the 2007 WS, as the winningest pitcher behind Beckett, can not be doubted.
Wake now sits at 179 career wins, and has a very good shot at becoming the all-time Red Sox winningest pitcher, as a #4-5 starter.
In 2008, he won 11G but left with a lead in 7 more . . . with a little luck and good relief he could have won 18, much like your other favorite, Daisuke. He carried the wounded pitching staff through the middle of 2008, even while wounded himself, only getting hammered as the year went on and his shoulder and back worsened.
In 2009, Wake, Smoltz, Penny, Buchholz, Bowden should all get plenty of action while resting the rest of the rotation and getting rest themselves. Fortunately, because of Wake, there is very little chance any of them will hurt their shoulders.
“I just want certainty and i don’t think that’s too much to ask.”
From a #5 starter? Are you crazy?
Certainty is a #1, guaranteed, bona fide Ace. Certainty, you say. How many freaking pitchers are there like that in the entire world? You can count on one hand the number of guys who can give you your precious certainty. And you expect performance like that from our #5 starter?
This goes back to what I said in my initial comment in this discussion: anybody who doesn’t appreciate what Wakefield gives us as a #5 starter has a warped view of the world, not just of baseball.
NEVER forget that Wakefield is the ultimate professional and team player!!
Wakefield gave up his game 4 start in the 2003 ALCS vs the NYY to relieve in a game where the Sox were scoring runs but the pen was leaking oil. Eventually, they lost anyhow despite scoring 8 runs.
The game 4 start went to Lowe, who won game 4,7 of the ALCS and game 4 of the WS.
Without Wakefield’s altruism, we would probably still be cursed. Guys who would be that unselfish in todays game are rare indeed. Thanks, Tim!!
I’ve stayed out of this until now, but has it occurred to anyone else that Wakefield’s “altruism” in 2004 ALCS Game 3 was an acknowledgement on his part that the team had a better chance of winning if someone -anyone- else started Game 4? Maybe he just didn’t want to be the goat two years running, taking the L in another ALCS-ending game. Maybe it was altruism, but I think an understanding of his own limitations and a lack of desire to replace Bill Buckner as the face of the franchise’s failures are just as likely explanations.
I understand what Wakefield brings as a budget fifth starter, and I manage my expectations accordingly, but I still cringe whenever he pitches.
I agree with you man. Wakefield should just go away. Enough !!!!!
Altruism or not, he recognized that another pitcher had a better chance of winning. Wisdom of age? He has never been afraid to pitch, even in parks or against teams which mash his pitches. His personality and reputation would indicate an altruistic component to this decision.
In the meantime, I cringe too, but I also cringe on a great roller coaster, or coming off a big wave, which make life a bit more enjoyable. It’s called exhileration. Wake’s results over 15 years, and 27W over the past two, as a #5, speak for themselves. Go Wake! Hang in there.
hey i heard today that Mariano plans to learn a knuckleball so he can pitch till he’s 50– not sure if he was joking or not, but it felt reasonable to mention it here considering the topic.
BTW it’s been fun rooting for youk in the WBC…
did you watch the game tonight?
No, I missed it all except for David Wright’s game winner. I turned it on, on my computer when I saw what was going on after I got home. If Rivera learns a knuckleball then that is cool because the cutter is unhittable most of the time, and there is no way anything will be that good. :)