I don't get why everyone is excited in the media and seemingly across the board that Farrell is going to be the new manager. Can someone remind me what he has done that is special? He led the Red Sox to an increasingly depressing pitching staff every year he was here and Toronto's staff has been nothing but disapointments as well... Does anyone actually expect the team to be rocketted to the top with this disappointing choice? I mean, I guess we can anticipate 4 more wins like he got with Toronto last year.

Year/ERA/WHIP/Rank by ERA in MLB/Staff
2007/3.87/1.27/2nd/Beckett, Wakefield, Schilling, Matsuzaka, Tavarez/Buchholz/Lester
2008/4.01/1.33/9th/Beckett, Wakefield, Lester, Matsuzaka, Buchholz/Masterson
2009/4.35/1.41/16th/Beckett, Wakefield, Lester, Penny, Buchholz/Smoltz/Masterson
2010/4.20/1.36/22nd/Beckett, Lester, Lackey, Buchholz, Matsuzaka
*2011/4.32/1.35/24th/Romero, Morrow, Villanueva, Cecil, Reyes
*2012/4.64/1.39/26th/Romero, Morrow, Villanueva, Alvarez, Laffey
*As Toronto's head coach.

Wakefield will always have a higher ERA being a 95% KB pitcher. Guys like Lester, who had the best year in 2010 and Buchholz, besides the injuries, pitched well too.

I wouldnt add in Brad P and Smoltz for a year either. John Lackey already had elbow issues when he came here. and Taveraz? come on...

Beckett, Lester and Buchholz are the three I would concentrate on...Matzuzaka to a point, as the Sox FO demanded that he change his routine, not Farrell. Dice-K's first 2 years were good, but he wasnt the great pitcher we all thought he was.

Not making excuses, but there are reasons the sox team ERA could be inflated.

Once again, what are the stats from the Three main starters that were here when Farrell came aboard in 2007? Beckett, Lester, and Buch? Lester and Buch are the 2 who are left and now that Lackey has fixed his elbow that was effecting is performance in 2010, we can see what he does this year too..

In response to southpaw777's comment:

Starter"s ERAs are not really what they seem to be. The manager had a tendency to leave struggling starters in games until they gave up 7 runs.. .  Conversly, the manager would also remove them prematurely when they were throwing well.
That has a negative effect on the pitchers ERA.

 

Hey, BOSOX, that would explain why the 2012 starters had the highest ERA in franchise history at a whopping 5.19. It was the moronic managing of Buffoon Bobby.

In response to Hfxsoxnut's comment:

So you think Beckett's and Lester's problems were because Bobby left them in to take their lumps unnecessarily? Okay, good for you.

In response to ThrashMagazine5's comment:

I don't know what you've been reading, but everyone is not excited across the board.  The exact points you made have been made over and over both in the media and on this forum.  The only "across the board" agreement is that Farrell has been the redsox first choice for a number of years.

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In response to BOSOX1941's comment:

You're the one who said the manager could inflate the ERA's.  Well, the 2012 starters had the highest ERA's in history, and it was Buffoon Bobby's one and only season with the team, so you seem to have nailed it down for us.

Beckett had a 5.23 ERA with Boston this year and a 2.93 ERA with the Dodgers. So there you go. He pitched better once he got away from Bobby.

In response to BOSOX1941's comment:

Bosox, you can't have it both ways.  This is exactly the rationale you applied to many a starter's struggles when your buddy Francona was at the helm.