What Boof Bonser Brings To Boston

The all-important checklist for a new Red Sox acquisition:

• Great name? Check.
• A name that can be chanted easily from the crowd? "Booooooof." Check.
• A name that can easily be manipulated into a great nickname? His name is "Boof." Why do we need a nickname?

He passes this list, but how is Boof Bonser going to be as a pitcher for the Red Sox?

For his career, Boof hasn't done anything that spectacular. He has a 5.12 ERA in 96 games, with 60 of those coming in starts. His WHIP sits at an all-too-high 1.45 and batters have hit .286 against him lifetime.

Basically, he's not going to light the world on fire. But he does do some things well.

Specifically, he throws strikes. It sounds obvious, but this is what you want a pitcher to do. Over the course of his three seasons with the Twins, 65 percent of his pitches have gone for strikes. His BB/9 for his career sits at 2.87, which would sit as No. 2 in the Red Sox rotation behind Josh Beckett (2.74).

Boof has also been unlucky over his career. His career BABIP is .326, with a .342 mark coming in 2008. If those numbers were to regress just a little bit -- meaning, he'd get lucky for once in his career -- he may be able to put up some good numbers.

Also, remember that this Red Sox defense should be improved if he's on the mound for the Sox this year. A better defense means less runs surrendered (another obvious statement, I know). Sometimes that's all you need to see good numbers out of a pitcher.

I don't see Boof as a "nothing" acquisition. I think he has some good things to give to this team. Maybe he'll be the team's long reliever. Maybe he'll just be depth for the rotation. Regardless, just because he was designated for assignment by the Twins doesn't mean he's useless. The Sox might be able to find a good spot for him and get solid production out of the former first round pick.

Now it's your take. Boof: greatest name in Red Sox history or the greatest name in Red Sox history? Also, in regards to his pitching, will he even make the Opening Day roster? Where do you see Boof fitting on this team?