Cole Hamels this, Cole Hamels that. It’s impossible to bring up the Boston Red Sox in spring training without Hamels’ name coming up.
The Red Sox’s lack of a starting pitcher who is considered a true ace has been a major storyline in Fort Myers, Fla., where the Red Sox opened their exhibition schedule Tuesday. Rick Porcello, Clay Buchholz, Joe Kelly, Wade Miley and Justin Masterson might not garner the star attention of the Philadelphia Phillies left-hander, but the Red Sox are counting on substance over sizzle.
The guys slated to inhabit the rotation this season hear the Hamels talk, though, and Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington thinks it will be anything but a distraction.
“Not that we don’t respect the other guys (who) are out there, but the guys we expect in the rotation don’t feel they have to take a backseat to anybody,” Cherington told USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. “I think it does motivate them. But aside from motivation, we actually do feel like we got a very strong pitching staff.
“We want to identify those guys who have the best chance to be that ace going forward,” Cherington added. “But until that happens, we know that question and narrative will be out there.”
Porcello, who posted a 3.43 earned-run average in 204 2/3 innings last season for the Detroit Tigers, is used to being overshadowed by bigger names. Kelly has predicted he’ll win the Cy Young Award. Miley, a workhorse who was traded away by the Arizona Diamondbacks, doesn’t need any more motivation, but now he has it.
“I always take the ball,” Miley said, according to USA Today. “Arizona knew that. I want them to second-guess themselves now. I want them to say, ‘Damn, maybe we should never have gotten rid of this guy.”
If the Red Sox’s overlooked fivesome doesn’t step up, the Hamels hubbub will only grow louder. But if the rotation indeed is as effective as the Red Sox insist, these pitchers will soon make people forget Hamels altogether.
Thumbnail photo via Joy R. Absalon/USA TODAY Sports Images
