Too soon. But I've always hated him, and he's done nothing to change that since he's put on our uniform.
The Worst Free Agents In Red Sox History
- Thread starter Darnell's Son
- Start date
Price. JFK fellas. I posted about him possibly being in this thread some day in a game thread. A game thread.
Sure were frustrated with the latest high priced guy, but wait until half way through the contract.
Sure were frustrated with the latest high priced guy, but wait until half way through the contract.
Panda is not halfway through his contract, and I think the jury is already out on him. I do agree 6 starts is way too early to judge Prices contract, but you have to be worried, even if just a little bit.
There are some areas of concern, mainly his velocity down 2 mph from the same time as last year. Then in hindsight, we must look to his poor last start of the previous season which was followed by a curious decision not to pitch in a game for 10 days (skipping a tuneup start) and his poor post season. Tfis is a historic poor start for him in a year the Red Sox hope to get top production early in his FA deal.
We have to consider non-injury reasons of course. Maybe he slacked off on his off season conditioning regime. Maybe he stopped PED's, now having too much to lose and nothing to gain Maybe Boston has a hex on ex-Tampa players. Maybe an adjustment year like Josh Beckett in 2006 and Lackey in 2010, both guys redeeming themselves later on, although in Lackeys case his poor start was likely attributed to injury that required TJS and a brutal 2011 and missed 2012 season.
Price's stuff is just not very good. Read he's gotten two swings and misses on non-change ups in his last 101 pitches. He's unlucky based on bapip but it's not like his line drive rate is low. Basically, he is a 4-5 starter right now even with "average luck"
Now, one thing to note is that he has pitched in cold, rainy games almost every time out. I'm too lazy to do this but I'm guessing there could be some correlation to his performance and the cold this year and historically. Might also explain his crap postseason record?
But, there is little in what we see from Price so far that would suggest this might be amongst the worst contracts the Red Sox have signed
Now, one thing to note is that he has pitched in cold, rainy games almost every time out. I'm too lazy to do this but I'm guessing there could be some correlation to his performance and the cold this year and historically. Might also explain his crap postseason record?
But, there is little in what we see from Price so far that would suggest this might be amongst the worst contracts the Red Sox have signed
Saying the guy sucks, or is playing poorly is different than saying he is one of the worst of all time. How about a full season?
Price has not merely been a good pitcher during his career. He's been an elite pitcher. Whether we liked him or not (see: his comments about Papi), we pretty much all (the vast majority anyway) felt like he was the guy to get. DD got him. It would be miraculous (in a bad kind of way) for him to suddenly be awful.
He may not be in the CYA running this year but he should end up just fine. Granted, he's being paid to be a CYA contender, but still. I think it's still crazy to think he won't end up with pretty good numbers by season's end.
He may not be in the CYA running this year but he should end up just fine. Granted, he's being paid to be a CYA contender, but still. I think it's still crazy to think he won't end up with pretty good numbers by season's end.
Remember when he signed and some of us were ranting about accepting seven years of downside while only getting three years of upside? This is what seven years of downside looks like after six starts.
Seven starts. Three really good ones. Four really bad ones.
Let's hope he has a lot more
Good ones than bad ones the rest of the way.
Let's hope he has a lot more
Good ones than bad ones the rest of the way.
Fwiw, a caller into Felger/Mazz last week cited Price's career ERA in certain temperature ranges. It was something like 4.90 when 59 degrees and below, 2.95 between 60 and 85 degrees, and 6.00 when over 85 degrees.
In Ben Affleck's bank robbery movie of 2010, the Town, there's the line to the effect that 'No one's robbed the Sox like that since Jack Clark."
On a more positive note we could look at free agents signed away from the Sox who bombed, although it's probably a shorter list. Jacoby Ellsbury looks like he will belong on it when his career is over. Nick Esasky had a really good year in his single Red Sox season of 1989 with 30 homers and 108 RBI's, and was signed away by Atlanta for three years and $5,600,000. He came down with vertigo, played nine games in April, 1990 and his career was over.
On a more positive note we could look at free agents signed away from the Sox who bombed, although it's probably a shorter list. Jacoby Ellsbury looks like he will belong on it when his career is over. Nick Esasky had a really good year in his single Red Sox season of 1989 with 30 homers and 108 RBI's, and was signed away by Atlanta for three years and $5,600,000. He came down with vertigo, played nine games in April, 1990 and his career was over.
Mo Vaughn didn't exactly bomb, but his OPS+ took a nosedive from the 150 range to the 115 range in the three seasons he played in 4 years (and then 2003 happened).
Jason Bay signed a four year $66M contract with the Mets starting in 2010, had a sort of decent year but then fell off the table.
Salty took 3 years and $21M from the Marlins - he played in 120ish games with a .680 OPS before being released.