Clay Buchholz has been taking a lot of heat lately for a guy who is the top pitcher of a potential playoff team’s pitching staff.
Prior to the start of the season, former Boston Red Sox stud Curt Schilling said he doesn’t think Buchholz wants to be an ace. He’s apparently not the only one who feels that way.
In SI’s MLB preview, the magazine got an anonymous scout to analyze each team. When it came to the Red Sox, here’s what the scout’s commentary said of Boston’s pitching, specifically Buchholz.
“There’s no No. 1 starter, no No. 2. Clay Buchholz is a zero; he’s got no tiger in him. I don’t see that in his makeup at all.”
Ouch! That is as harsh as it gets.
Buchholz is 30 and has put together a few stellar seasons for the Red Sox, such as his 2010 year when he posted a 2.33 ERA over 173.2 innings, and 2013 when he had a 1.74 ERA in 16 starts. But he has been inconsistent, which is why his career ERA is 3.89. Maybe he’s not a true No. 1 starter, but he probably qualifies in that No. 2 or 3 starter range. And if he does have any heart, he’ll respond well and try to stick it to Schilling an the SI scout. He did so by pitching a shutout on Opening Day.
