Jerry Remy: Red Sox Have No Ace, But Pitchers Can Use That As ‘Chalkboard Material’

The Boston Red Sox head into spring training with five solid mid-rotation starters, but no clear ace.

While there is still time for general manager Ben Cherington to bring in someone to fulfill the role at the top of the rotation, the Red Sox won’t be out of luck if they don’t land a guy like Philadelphia Phillies lefthander Cole Hamels, according to NESN’s Jerry Remy. Instead, Remy says, Clay Buchholz, Joe Kelly, Justin Masterson, Wade Miley and Rick Porcello must step up to the challenge, with hopefully one of them emerging as an elite starter.

“They do have guys on their staff who are capable of becoming No. 1 guys,” Remy said on NESN. “We’ll have to see how that progresses as time goes on. But the fact is they do have guys that may be able to step into that position.”

Remy added that the pitchers can use their current situation as “chalkboard material” and step up to the challenge.

Check out a clip of Remy’s thoughts in the video above, and tune in to “NESN Sports Today” all this week to catch more of his Red Sox previews.