Shortly after last season ended, Bard — then a reliever — mentioned the idea to his agent. His agent then raised the possibility with Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington. Before long, Cherington dialed up Bard to get confirmation.
Those conversations ultimately resulted in Bard’s debut during the team’s first workout on Tuesday. After tossing roughly 55 pitches in a bullpen session, Bard officially started his conversion from reliever to starter.
“It’s a change of scenery,” Bard said. “If I do the same thing I did the last three years out in the bullpen — and it worked out to almost three times as many innings — it’s a no-brainer. For me, it’s a new challenge and I’m excited about it.”
But the apprehension around the sudden shift isn’t lost on him. The last time Bard started was in 2007, when he combined to finish 3-7 — in stints with Greenville and Lancaster — while tallying a 7.08 ERA in 22 starts.
The numbers signify a large disparity compared to Bard’s statistics at the major league level. Since his call-up to Boston in 2009, Bard has posted a 2.88 ERA with 213 strikeouts through 197 frames.
As Bard reflected on his minor league setbacks, he said his flameouts weren’t attributed to his starting role, but a byproduct of inconsistent mechanics.
“If you can find video of me throwing in ’07, my mechanics were so messed up and it’s not a surprise that I couldn’t throw strikes,” Bard said. “The next year I moved to the bullpen and made a lot of tweaks to my mechanics to get back to where I was comfortable. That’s the reason the results got better, it had nothing with the role change.”
That self-assurance was enough to sway Cherington. After speaking with Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine, the general manager executed trades for Mark Melancon and Andrew Bailey to stabilize the back end of the bullpen.
Nearly two months since the deals, Cherington continued to endorse Bard’s bid for the starting gig.
“He’s attacking this like he would anything, just a day at a time with a good focus,” Cherington said. “Pretty soon he’ll be in games and get in a routine and we’ll see how it goes. I know he’s very confident and believes strongly he’s in the right place.”
Throughout the process, Bard has consulted his counterparts. From Justin Masterson to Jonathan Papelbon, the 26-year-old has asked for advice on the transition and remains confident that his body will adjust.
“There’s a lot of unknowns,” Bard said. “I haven’t thrown this many innings in my whole life, but then again, I think 75 innings out of the bullpen to me –– and the guys I’ve talked to that made the transition before –– it’s just as much wear and tear on your arm and body as 200 in the rotation.
“I don’t want an innings limit. If I’m hanging in August, I’ll say something to them, but I don’t see that happening. I think my delivery is pretty fluid to where the wear and tear on my arms will be a whole lot different than it has been in past years.”
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