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Ryan Dempster wasn't very good last year. That made him an oddity on the 2013 Red Sox: a free agent acquisition who did not live to his contract. The one and only when omitting minor league free agents and the like.
That being said, he wasn't quite as bad as it may have seemed. There were certainly periods when he seemed completely awful, to the point where every start the Red Sox gave to him seemed like a game wasted. But it's easy to forget that Dempster was actually a major contributor to Boston's quick start, and with a few other periods of decent pitching intermixed, managed to finish the year with a 4.57 ERA. Not very good, but not awful either.
Also not up to expectations, as it happens...
| Username | IP | Wins | WHIP | ERA | K/9 | BB/9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ryan Dempster | 171.1 | 8 | 1.45 | 4.57 | 8.20 | 4.10 |
| Sologub | 195.2 | 14 | 1.33 | 3.75 | 7.90 | 2.80 |
| JimEd14 | 205.0 | 13 | 1.28 | 4.10 | 7.90 | 2.80 |
| 0bsessions | 199.0 | 12 | 1.36 | 4.09 | 8.00 | 3.70 |
| Thinman61 | 190.0 | 14 | 1.28 | 4.06 | 7.80 | 3.20 |
| tanookiscutaro | 203.2 | 17 | 1.42 | 4.08 | 7.90 | 3.60 |
| cds7c | 187.1 | 14 | 1.38 | 4.07 | 7.70 | 3.70 |
| dennet | 201.1 | 14 | 1.38 | 4.46 | 8.10 | 3.45 |
| theartolater | 174.0 | 15 | 1.19 | 4.12 | 6.20 | 2.20 |
| whonichol | 190.0 | 14 | 1.35 | 4.20 | 7.50 | 3.50 |
| BobZupcic | 198.0 | 13 | 1.38 | 4.10 | 6.50 | 3.20 |
| soxdude7 | 188.0 | 12 | 1.36 | 4.30 | 7.66 | 3.16 |
| dsharp | 187.0 | 9 | 1.40 | 4.82 | 8.10 | 3.30 |
| fizrat | 201.0 | 14 | 1.39 | 4.11 | 7.90 | 3.20 |
| navarra | 180.0 | 12 | 1.27 | 3.88 | 7.30 | 3.40 |
| Mjmadonna@comcast.net | 221.0 | 17 | 3.90 | 6.00 | 3.00 | |
| ToddWalkerHOF | 185.0 | 12 | 1.37 | 3.95 | 7.58 | 3.15 |
| diggle4riggle@gmail.com | 203.0 | 14 | 3.85 | 5.00 | 3.00 | |
| jshane | 180.0 | 14 | 1.20 | 3.40 | 6.00 | 3.00 |
| Colco | 189.0 | 14 | 1.37 | 3.89 | 7.80 | 3.40 |
| MaineSox | 200.0 | 15 | 1.30 | 3.75 | 8.20 | 3.10 |
| soxfanabroad | 203.0 | 13 | 1.27 | 3.91 | 7.50 | 3.20 |
| RedSox01 | 198.0 | 11 | 1.36 | 4.10 | 7.40 | 2.30 |
| Ozsoxfan | 220.0 | 14 | 1.36 | 4.07 | 6.80 | 2.60 |
| Sysprog1 | 170.0 | 12 | 1.40 | 4.50 | 6.00 | 3.00 |
| gyuhnkml | 197.0 | 13 | 1.19 | 3.84 | 6.50 | 2.10 |
| pichris | 177.2 | 11 | 1.44 | 4.44 | 4.40 | 2.84 |
| Droot | 201.2 | 14 | 1.39 | 4.18 | 8.10 | 3.00 |
| dibs | 180.0 | 14 | 1.35 | 3.89 | 6.50 | 3.10 |
| negaduck | 183.0 | 13 | 1.35 | 4.05 | 7.40 | 4.00 |
| kimmel09 | 193.0 | 13 | 1.45 | 4.78 | 8.60 | 3.40 |
| titio1300 | 181.0 | 11 | 1.34 | 3.92 | 8.20 | 3.00 |
| louandjan | 188.0 | 13 | 1.12 | 4.01 | 8.00 | 3.00 |
| Rogue Nine | 201.2 | 14 | 1.28 | 3.96 | 8.44 | 3.45 |
| sguglie2 | 206.0 | 16 | 1.51 | 3.96 | 8.15 | 3.50 |
| speeddemonnd | 191.0 | 12 | 1.45 | 4.38 | 6.90 | 3.40 |
| justin_bobo | 185.0 | 13 | 1.41 | 4.13 | 7.10 | 2.85 |
| Debageldond | 191.0 | 13 | 1.37 | 4.11 | 7.30 | 2.90 |
| willove | 210.0 | 17 | 1.27 | 3.70 | 8.50 | 2.32 |
| random walk123 | 189.0 | 14 | 1.26 | 4.11 | 8.10 | 2.90 |
| PriceJD | 201.0 | 15 | 1.38 | 4.14 | 8.10 | 3.80 |
| HeyYoCraig | 200.0 | 13 | 1.30 | 4.00 | 8.20 | 3.40 |
| kraken613 | 190.0 | 13 | 1.35 | 3.82 | 8.00 | 3.10 |
| Alfredo | 168.0 | 12 | 1.37 | 4.06 | 8.20 | 3.30 |
| RSNexile | 190.0 | 13 | 1.30 | 3.70 | 8.00 | 3.00 |
| westcoastredsox | 183.0 | 14 | 1.35 | 4.19 | 7.80 | 3.10 |
| bilmster | 188.0 | 12 | 1.48 | 4.59 | 6.90 | 3.70 |
| DC Sox Fanatic | 209.0 | 16 | 1.28 | 3.87 | 7.40 | 2.88 |
| Buccaz | 200.2 | 14 | 1.37 | 4.40 | 8.26 | 3.43 |
Interestingly Dempster was still up to the task of striking plenty of batters out. Usually that's not what you expect to see when an old player declines. No, he just couldn't keep his walks down. It's a problem that Dempster hasn't experienced since 2007, and when combined with Fenway-based home run difficulties (1.5 per nine innings at home, leading to a 4.84 ERA at home vs. 4.03 ERA on the road) the results weren't pretty.
So maybe that's something to keep in mind for Dempster next year. If the Sox can get him working mostly on the road, he might end up having a better year. He might never get that chance for redemption, though. With Lester, Lackey, Buchholz, Peavy, and Doubront likely to fill the rotation, Dempster's opportunities to start will basically come when they come. If they come at all.
So who takes down this last round of projections? We didn't have many people come close on much. Alfredo has the best set with one perfect and one near miss, but when it comes to actually getting the tenor of his season just right, I've gotta go with Kimmel09, who had the odd combination of high strikeouts, high(ish) walks, and disappointing results. Yay?