Let??s look back at the players we traded for Josh Beckett this past off-season: Hanley Ramirez, Anibal Sanchez, Harvey Garcia and Jesus Delgado. Surely these guys are washing cars by now.
Hanley Ramirez: Instead of the recently-injured and at times offensively-challenged Alex Gonzalez at shortstop, we could have a 22-year old phenom named Hanley Ramirez. Ramirez is sporting a cool .459 slugging percentage, and even a very decent .347 SLG for a 22-year old rookie that likes to swing. If Hanley can cut down his strikeout rates and improve the defense, folks, his potential is limitless. Our former top prospect is doing just fine down in Florida for a team working to get into the postseason against all odds.
Anibal Sanchez: Former a member of the Portland Sea Dogs, Anibal Sanchez is having a year beyond anyone??s expectations at just 22 years old. His 7-2 record, along with a 2.89 ERA and 1.19 WHIP, are hugely impressive, along with the .208 BAA. Surely these numbers won??t continue throughout Sanchez??s career, but there??s reason to believe we not only traded a future All-Star and potential .300 career hitter in Hanley, but also a 18-game winner in Sanchez. Oh yeah, HE THREW A NO-HITTER LAST NIGHT!!!!! It??s like dumping 10,000 pounds of salt on the wound (seriously, I almost went on a neighborhood killing spree last night when I found out the news).
Harvey Garcia: Just a throw-in. No problem, he??ll be out of baseball in two years, right? No. Garcia might fool you with an 0-7 record, but his 3.02 ERA in high-A Jupiter, along with a keen 31/79 walk-to-strikeout ratio is making my head spin. His WHIP is 1.37. On the bright side, he has balked 3 times. Could Garcia be in the big leagues contributing in a few years?
Jesus Delgado: Same team as Garcia, same results. 2.58 ERA, 33 hits in 38 innings, 18/40 BB/K, 1.33 WHIP. On the bright side, he does have four wild pitches!
Josh Beckett: The man we traded all of these budding, young, eventual stars for is Mr. Josh Beckett, formely known as Ace 1B or The Savior. He was supposed to bring the pitching staff to another level, not take craps on the mound during every other start. His numbers this season have been downright disappointing to the structure that whenever you see a home run, there??s a 20% chance a Josh Beckett joke will come flying from some direction. His WHIP is okay at 1.31, but the ERA is 5.11, and Beckett has given up WAY too many hits and home runs. His once misleading record is now leading at 14-10.
I??m willing to give Beckett a couple more years to adjust to the AL and find his form. That doesn??t mean I can??t analyze the trade almost a year later and cause myself unneeded pain and anger. Maybe I can spread some of that love to all of you on this fine Thursday. Thanks for listening.
