Josh Beckett looks like a completely different pitcher than he did at the tail end of 2010. He entered this season determined to regain his top-of-the-rotation form after a dismal 2010 campaign, and he has done just that.
Beckett was 6-6 in 21 starts in 2010, and his ERA soared to 5.78 by the end of the year. This season, however, he’s looked like a Cy Young caliber starter, dominating hitters with an almost-perfect combination of pitches.
This season, Beckett has a 1.75 ERA through eight starts, to go along with a 3-1 record. He hasn’t allowed a run in his last three outings, a span of 17 1/3 innings.
Jed Lowrie has also exceeded expectations.
Entering 2011 as an afterthought, he began the season on the Red Sox bench as Marco Scutaro was given the nod at shortstop.
However, Lowrie made the most of his April opportunities and has become the team’s primary shortstop, thanks, in part to Scutaro’s strained left oblique. Lowrie has played in 34 of the team’s 40 games and has hit .319.
Carl Crawford, on the other hand, hasn’t quite met the expectations that accompanied him this season when he signed a seven-year, $142 million contract to become the Red Sox’ new left fielder. The 29-year-old has performed much better as of late, though, hitting .321 in the month of May.
But because Crawford struggled to get on base early this season, with a .204 on-base percentage in April, he hasn’t had too many opportunities to use his blazing speed on the base paths — perhaps his biggest asset.
Crawford has stolen 50 or more bases five times in his major league career, but he only has five thefts so far this season. If Crawford continues to improve at the plate, the opportunities should come. But it’s surprising, nonetheless, to see such a low stolen base total from a guy who’s considered to be one of the game’s elite base stealers.
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Which Red Sox stat surprises you most this season?online survey
