The Curious Case of Daniel Bard
by Randy Booth on Mar 16, 2009 3:51 PM EDT
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Oh, Daniel Bard. There are so many words to describe you, yet I just can't get them out of my mouth.
If you don't know who Daniel Bard is, his spring stats will speak for themselves:
7.0 innings pitched, 3 hits, 0 runs, 2 walks, 10 strikeouts
He's been almost perfect. The 22-year-old reliever has a triple-digit fastball (that'd be 100 m.p.h., folks) and a low-80s slider that just buckles knees on the outside corner. He used to be the modern day Ebby Calvin "Nuke" LaLoosh, with this line describing him perfectly in his early moments in the Red Sox organization:
Joe Reardon: He walked 18.
Larry: New league record!
Joe Reardon: Struck out 18.
Larry: Another new league record! In addition he hit the sportswriter, the public address announcer, the bull mascot twice...
[Joe laughs]
Larry: Also new league records! But, Joe, this guy's got some serious shit.
Some serious shit he has. Yes he does. But here's the question: is he major league-ready?
It's obvious he has the major league stuff, but is he mentally ready for the big leagues? Whether he is or not, Theo Epstein isn't going to give Bard the opportunity right now.
Remember Craig Hansen? He was a lot like Bard. He threw some solid heat and had a nasty slider. Remember what happened when he was promoted too quickly to the majors? Yup. Explosion. He was never the same after that. Now he's a Pittsburgh Pirate and he's doing a lot of the same (he has a 6+ ERA this spring).
Remember a guy named Cla Meredith? Yeah, another reliever that was filthy in the minors that was called up way too soon. He blew up and was then shipped to the San Diego Padres. Luckily for him, he's turned it around and is a pretty solid reliever.
Those two cases alone will make Theo put up the giant red STOP sign and let Bard earn his due in Pawtucket. He hasn't even pitched above AAA before, as his last stop was in AA Portland where he struck out 64 in 49 innings of work. He might start the year at Portland, but if he does he won't be there for long.
So when could we see Bard in the bigs? I wouldn't be surprised if we saw him mid-2009 if there are some injuries. If not then, September is a definite. Can we just imagine a bullpen for a second with Bard inserted in it? Let's take a look at what the most ideal 2009 bullpen would be with Bard in the bigs:
RHP Jonathan Papelbon
LHP Hideki Okajima
RHP Manny Delcarmen
RHP Takashi Saito
RHP Ramon Ramirez
RHP Justin Masterson
RHP Daniel Bard
LHP Javier Lopez
Holy crap. Everyone just take a deep breath and reread the above.
Can you imagine the potential with that bullpen? I mean, I can't even wrap my head around it. This bullpen, even without Bard, is the best bullpen in the majors. With Bard, it could border on one of the best the Red Sox have ever had (I'd dare go even further than that, but won't).
The Red Sox have something very special with Bard but history will not repeat itself. Theo & Co. will bring him up as they need him, but when he gets here ... boy, watch out.
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Is it just me or does anyone else feel like we might be needing another LHP for relief?
I have a bad feeling that either Lopez is going to become crap or that Oki is going to get injured.
What good leftys are availiable?
To Sign or Trade for.
Friendship is like peeing on yourself: everyone can see it, but only you get the warm feeling that it brings.
by sox-inda-south on Mar 16, 2009 4:46 PM EDT up reply actions
More will be available towards the deadline.
For now, I’m satisfied, but I want to be prepared so we don’t get forced to make a Gagne move.
Bard is the real deal.
I think he’s the Redsox closer of the future if the Papelbon negotiations turn sour.
Friendship is like peeing on yourself: everyone can see it, but only you get the warm feeling that it brings.
Agreed
We have Papelbon for three more years (including 09). Beyond that, he’s made it clear that he’s not going to take much of a home-town discount. Bard could make a big-league debut in september ‘09, get officially promoted to the big club in the half way through ’10, and pitch a full year of set-up in ’11. If he does well over this time frame, I don’t see why Theo would want to pay Papelbon $15+million/year over 4+ years when we have a perfectly suitable Bard.
We have other options to fill the closer roll as well. I realize it’s a little soon to be talking about this, and I’d love to lock up Papelbon, but it’s not the end of the world if we don’t.
All closer capable
With Javier Lopez as the exception, everyone else listed above could be/is/was/should be closers on any other team.
Take your time
I can’t wait for Daniel Bard to come, he looks like an absolute stud. Anyone who can throw 100 with ease will be a force but if he needs time to develop that’s more than fine. We can’t waste an arm like his by rushing it along.
Win at a reasonable cost
Seems to be the new Sox mantra.
We don’t need to go all out, and rush players when they’re not ready. I’d rather not burn up a pitcher à la Foulke just to win another World Series—particularly if it’s a young arm like a Lester or a Masterson.
World Series come along so infrequently
So much has to go right to win the whole thing. Keith Foulke was a reasonable trade-off (especially since he’s only “meh” about playing baseball).
"You know you're having a bad day when the fifth inning rolls around and they drag the warning track." - Mike Flanagan, Baltimore Orioles pitcher, 1992.
True
Foulke in exchange for a WS championship was a fair trade-off. However, I wouldn’t make a Faustian bargain like that with any of the pitchers Boston has now.
Agreed.
"You know you're having a bad day when the fifth inning rolls around and they drag the warning track." - Mike Flanagan, Baltimore Orioles pitcher, 1992.
Unless they can get you multiple WS.
Beck for example. If the Marlins don’t win one soon, the trade will look bad on their end.
Right, I forgot who I was talking about.
But it’s south FL, so a winning team has WAY more fans, and gets more money.
With a bullpen, who knows?
Look at the Tampa Bay Rays. Their bullpen went from worst to first in one year with largely the same cast. Who can say how our bullpen will do this year, but it certainly has the ability to be the best in the league. I’m optimistic that the ’pen will actually be an asset this year.
What other ‘pens do you think could lead the league? The Oakland A’s have some pretty nasty hurlers in theirs.
"You know you're having a bad day when the fifth inning rolls around and they drag the warning track." - Mike Flanagan, Baltimore Orioles pitcher, 1992.
It's hard to pull that off year after year
Everyone in the TB bullpen had career-type years at the same time. That’s hard to rely on across seasons. However, starting with a talented cast makes that sort of performance easier to count on. (Not to say that some of the arms won’t struggle, but the “lights-out” potential is much higher than the “bust” potential.)
It wasn't largely the same cast.
The Rays pushed Hammel and Howell to the bullpen (they were starters in 2007), got Balfour and Wheeler nearly 40 more innings each, acquired Chad Bradford, Trevor Miller, and Troy Percival. The four guys who got the most relief innings in 2007 (Al Reyes, Gary Glover, Brian Stokes and Shawn Camp) were scarcely played the following year.
"It's just a tiny little nick, but it hurts when I get champagne in there."
- Jason Bay, on getting spiked scoring the winning run in ALDS Game Four.
Thanks for the clarification
The names didn’t change much on the whole, but it’s true that the distribution of work did.
"You know you're having a bad day when the fifth inning rolls around and they drag the warning track." - Mike Flanagan, Baltimore Orioles pitcher, 1992.
The Mets 'pen is pretty gnarly
I think that signing Putz was as big, if not bigger, than the K-Rod signing. With Redding, Putz & K-Rod, they’ll be tough to compete with in the NL.
…my best friend is a huge mets fan, i’d love to see a Sox/Mets WS
Who wouldn't?
Oh wait, Yankee fans. Ha! That would be so great. Basically a Yankee fan’s worst nightmare.
Putz
He was traded for.
Friendship is like peeing on yourself: everyone can see it, but only you get the warm feeling that it brings.
by sox-inda-south on Mar 17, 2009 4:11 PM EDT up reply actions
Plus KRod is going to be slightly worse.
He’d be a lot worse if he came to the MFY or us, but he went to the NL.
K-Rod is moving to the NL
Pitching against guys who don’t see his stuff as regularly. I think K-Rod’s peripherals will improve, though his overall save count will drop.
"You know you're having a bad day when the fifth inning rolls around and they drag the warning track." - Mike Flanagan, Baltimore Orioles pitcher, 1992.
The Mets are in the NL
basically the AAAA. Who cares about them?
by BTLove on Mar 18, 2009 12:58 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
There's not much curious about Daniel Bard
His stuff looks really polished, and I haven’t heard / read anything about his delivery being amiss (a la Craig Hansen).
"It's just a tiny little nick, but it hurts when I get champagne in there."
- Jason Bay, on getting spiked scoring the winning run in ALDS Game Four.
More similiar to Benjamin Button than you think, IMO!
See Wakefield could learn from Bejamin. Getting younger. Bard, if he is brought up too early, his skills could decrease, and then blow up and pull a Wakefield. They will both be washed up! Please wait Theo!
Well, I'll appreciate for you to keep my zingers outta your mouth!
I don't think he'd use "See" to begin a sentence.
And you need more acronyms and exclamation marks, IMHO!!!
So...
Is Wakefield’s tank half full or half empty,
And is Bard’s half empty or half full?
Friendship is like peeing on yourself: everyone can see it, but only you get the warm feeling that it brings.
by sox-inda-south on Mar 17, 2009 10:59 PM EDT up reply actions
Neither. The milk that you dip the cookies in are half full…
by Randy Booth on Mar 18, 2009 12:53 AM EDT up reply actions
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