The starting rotation was announced Monday, and if the Beantown Bombers are gonna add another world series trophy to the mantle in 2010 its going to have to come through the pitchers mound -- first and foremost.
The rotation looks a little something like this:
1.) Josh Beckett -- The ace in the hole veteran for the Sox is coming off a 17-6, 199 strikeout, 3.86 ERA 2009 season that got mixed reviews at times throughout the long season.
Those numbers are only scrutinized when you have the highest of expectations on your shoulders and that's nothing that will change for Beck anytime soon with Theo Epstein and the Boston sports media being what they are.
By the way his career postseason 3.03 ERA when handed the ball is still the kind of stuff that earned him the World Series MVP back in 2003. He wins in the clutch and is still one of the biggest slingers in the game when he's on.
2.) Jon Lester -- At age 26 Lester has already made a great impact on the Sox and looks to only improve as the team's true ace of the future. He posted a 3.41 ERA in '09 with a record of 15-8 and 225 strikeouts.
3.) John Lackey -- After being a staple to standout in the Angels impressive pitching rotation for the better part of the last decade Lackey goes coast-to-coast to become a Red Sock.
The 31-year-old hurler went 11-8 with a 3.83 ERA and 139 strikeouts in '09.
Expected to be the team's third ace to matchup with New York's Sabathia, Burnett and Pettite -- I'm more of a wait and see guy when it comes to Lackey. He and Mike Cameron were the only acquisitions in the off-season that I kind of raised my brow to.
Whether or not these seasoned veterans understand it or not, they most certainly have something to prove here if they intend to be a success in Beantown.
4.) Tim Wakefield -- The ancient one, 43-year-old Wake is still a force to be reckoned with and has earned the respect that as long as he feels like coming back and throwing his wicked knuckler not even Theo Epstein is going to say bupkiss.
He threw for 72 strikeouts on an 11-5 record with a 4.58 ERA in '09, but his game consistency has been a necessary relief to the Sox as Dice-K has struggled with injuries the last 2 seasons. Still I expect that when the 29-year-old Japanese pitcher is healthy and ready to pitch, Wake will ultimately lose starts.
5.) Clay Buchholz -- The 25-year-old prospect who has straddled the line between AAA and the Majors for the past 3 seasons looks to have finally cemented a serious, regular spot in the rotation while hoping to quiet murmurs questioning his maturity and mental toughness.
When he was brought up from Pawtuckett to Boston in 2009 Clay posted a 4.21 ERA with a 7-4 record and 68 strikeouts.
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