Which Red Sox Pitcher Do You Expect to Have the Biggest Turnaround Next Season?

The Red Sox wasted no time in filling the void former pitching coach John Farrell left when he crossed the border and became manager of the Toronto Blue Jays.

General manager Theo Epstein looked to the West Coast for Farrell's replacement and nabbed former A's pitching coach Curt Young, who has found much success in Oakland for the last seven seasons. But Young is in for a rough ride as he has a handful of hurlers who are in need of bounce-back seasons.

"We are lucky to be able to add an experienced pitching coach the caliber of Curt Young to the organization," said Epstein. "Curt has a proven track record of success in this job, mixing excellent relationship-building skills with expert knowledge of pitching and how to get hitters out at the Major League level. Pitchers who have worked with Curt swear by him, and the results speak for themselves. We think he will work well with our pitching staff and within the culture of our clubhouse."

Young will inherit one of the top rotations on paper, but as 2010 proved, nothing is guaranteed. Although they were hampered with injuries, both Josh Beckett (5.78 ERA) and Daisuke Matsuzaka (4.69 ERA) struggled when healthy and combined for a 15-12 record. Despite leading the team in starts with 33, newcomer John Lackey posted his highest ERA (4.40) since 2004 while notching his most losses (11) since 2006.

Closer Jonathan Papelbon had his highest ERA (3.90), most blown saves (eight) and most losses (seven) in his career while posting the fewest saves in three seasons.

Which Sox pitcher do you expect to have the biggest turnaround next season?online surveys