Call Up This Young Stud for Some Work

Yvanni Gollardo, Homer Bailey, Jon Lester, Francisco Liriano, Tim Lincecum, Justin Germano, Philip Hughes.....all young stud pitchers. With the exception of Lester, the rest have been given the chance to get their feet on a Major League mound well ahead of the learning curve....and that's the way it should be. Let these young bucks gain some experience on the mound without "babying" them from possibly getting shelled in their first start. All will perform in due time, as their stuff has made them top pitching prospects in the first place. They'll learn from mistakes, adjust, and eventually (hopefully) become the pitchers their respective teams had hoped they'd become.

Thus, the reason that I cannot figure out why the Red Sox will not call up Clay Buchholz when there is an injury or a need for a spot start. The kid has simply been lights out in the minors. The numbers do not lie. 6 wins, 2 losses, 1.79 ERA, and 111 strikeouts to just 19 walks in only 80 1/3 innings pitched. This month he's struck out 12 once, and 11 batters on two additional occasions. There's no reason not to give him a start while Curt Schilling rests his 78-year-old shoulder over the next few weeks. Buchholz is our best pitching prospect. He's better than Jon Lester, hands down. He'll produce more for the Red Sox over the coming decade than Jon Lester will. Buchholz has long been compared to Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter as he mixes a low to mid 90's fastball, throws both a circle and straight change around 80 MPH, and a ridiculous curve ball that has been called "the best in the organization." The curve is thrown 12-to-6 and is mixed between a curve with a quick break, or a slow, biting curve. This is his out-pitch.

Call up the kid, and lets get him some major league experience so he can use the knowledge he acquires in a Red Sox uniform, and use it to fine tool his skills at the minor league level. Stop babying the kid...he's an ace in the making.