In 2006, the Boston Red Sox bid $51.1 million for the rights to negotiate with Daisuke Matsuzaka. They then spent another $52 million to sign him to a six-year deal.
Dice-K has not been a disappointment, so to speak, to the Red Sox, but he has by no means been worth his paycheck. In his debut year, 2007, he posted a 4.40 ERA in barely more than 200 innings, surrendering close to a hit an inning, while walking 80 batters.
2008 saw a better year for the Japanese hurler: a 2.90 ERA and significantly less than a hit per inning. Red Sox fans praise Dice-K’s prowess on the mound solely based on his dominance displayed during his ’08 campaign. But let’s be objective and look at some of his numbers:
There are only two numbers over which Matsuzaka deserves praise in 2008: his ERA and his diminishing hits per inning. But in almost 40 less innings, he walked 14 more batters. He also started three less games due to injury. Funny how the guy was able to throw 150+ pitches per start in Japan, but as soon as gets to the States, he can’t remain healthy.
In 2007, he averaged about 6.1 innings per start. In 2008, just over 5.2. People, where is the improvement? He started three less games and saw his endurance fade (note his baffling inability to throw nine innings).
Had he started his three more games (or maybe six more in the vein of a true ace, i.e. Roy Halladay), he could have gotten shelled just once, launching his ERA up half a run. Don’t discount that statement: Anything can happen in three extra starts.
Moreover, Dice-K has been horrendous this year. (And don’t tell me his shoulder hurts. His shoulder hurts the same way Chien-Ming Wang’s shoulder hurt in the beginning of the year when the Yankees sent him down to the minors.) Dice-K is sporting an 8.23 ERA, surrendering 59 hits in 35 innings.
His run in the Majors, however, is not over. How could it be? It never started! This guy has never been a great American League pitcher. Effective? Sure. Great? No. Worth $100 million? Not by any stretch of the imagination.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: Boston, Chien-Ming Wang, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Red Sox, Yankees
I think you are be a little hard on the Red Sox. While your assesment of Dice-K is accurate, the Red Sox can afford to spend that kind of money on an end of the rotation pitcher. Sure no one likes to waste money, but the Sox have enough that it is not like this signing is going to cripple them.
If it was a team like the Jays or Cardinals with a $90ish million payroll, then oh yeah it would be disastrous.
You’re absolutely right that the Red Sox can afford to take a hit the way they did with Dice-K… and they are left relatively uneffected.
My post was meant to be more about Dice-K’s poor showing rather than the Red Sox’ poor monetary decision. I guess my title may have put too much blame on the franchise, rather than the player.