Is this the end for Tim Wakefield? That is the question that WEEI’s always insightful Kirk Minihane asked this morning and hopefully, for the health of this scribe, the answer is finally YES!
Listen, by all accounts, Tim Wakefield seems like a pretty good guy. And I appreciate both his longevity and the generally mediocre contributions that he made to the Red Sox organization over the past sixteen seasons. But if ever there was a movie that went on for twenty minutes too long, it was the Tim Wakefield Story.
The fact of the matter is there just isn’t much of a role for Wakefield to play on the 2011 Red Sox. That is because Wakefield really isn’t really suited for high-leverage relief work. Not with his long warmup requirements, that high walk rate and his inability to check opposing running games. And to be perfectly honest, he really isn’t much of an insurance policy against a starter pitcher getting hurt as he has basically become a replacement-level starter in recent years. Besides, with Alfredo Aceves and Felix Doubront around, the Sox are probably sufficiently insured against an injury or two.
That won’t stop Francona, who has always been a Wakefield loyalist, from giving Wake a start here and there. That is because the manager is simply incapable of going cold turkey when it comes to phasing out a veteran. But that is about all the sand that is left in the hourglass. That much is clear and if the starters are generally healthy through the end of May, one has to wonder how charitable the Sox will be with Wakefield.
At this point, I could waste your time by listing all my Wakefield grievances. Maybe discuss the time he buried the Sox in Game Four of the 2008 ALCS. Perhaps bring up the fact that Wakefield’s gimpy back left the Sox high and dry during the second-half of 2009. Or delve into the numbers which confirm five years of mediocrity.
But the “list” is almost beside the point because mostly, I am just sick and tired of watching Wakefield. It just isn’t fun watching this guy tease you with two good innings and then see him give up a five spot in the third on two walks, a hit, a HBP and a bases-clearing bomb. And who enjoys watching base stealers run wild on this guy? Is that enjoyable? Not only is it not enjoyable, but it is frustrating. And with Daisuke Matsusaka on the staff, how much frustration can Sox fans be asked to absorb?
That barrage might upset the “Doris Kearns” wing of the Red Sox Party which bends over backward to honor things like loyalty and perseverance and tradition. But folks, Tim Wakefield has been clogging up this roster since 2006. And it’s time for that to end. Thankfully, the light at the end of Wakefield’s tunnel is finally dimming. And while that light may still be visible in May, it certainly will be no more come October.
Back to Foulke 