[新聞] Masterson valuable to Sox in any role
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01/26/09 1:28 PM EST
Masterson valuable to Sox in any role
Confident young righty comfortable as starter or reliever
By Ian Browne / MLB.com
BOSTON -- Starter or reliever? When it comes to Justin Masterson, the
ever-poised right-hander for the Boston Red Sox, that is a question that
doesn't figure to go away any time soon.
Fact of the matter is, just 36 games into his Major League career, Masterson
looked entirely comfortable in both roles, almost as if he had done both his
whole life, even if that was only true when it came to starting.
So perhaps it is best to categorize Masterson simply as a key contributor and
go from there.
The plan, as Masterson has been told, is that he will go into Spring Training
with the mind-set of a starter. That way, he can get stretched out in the
event that he is truly needed in that role, where the Red Sox already have
considerable depth.
The likeliest scenario is that when the Red Sox open their season on April 6
against the Rays, Masterson will be alongside Jonathan Papelbon, Hideki
Okajima and the rest of the relievers.
That's just fine with the 23-year-old righty, who got as many big outs as any
Boston reliever during the 2008 postseason.
"It was a lot of fun," Masterson said at a recent charity event in Boston. "I
was pleasantly surprised. I had never really gone to the bullpen. Then I got
there and I was like, 'This is pretty fun.' Then it came to the offseason and
moving on, and everyone asked, 'Where are you going to be, what do you want
to be?' I don't know. They're both fun and so different."
Much like Papelbon, who came up through the ranks as a starter and was
converted to reliever in the heart of a pennant race, Masterson took quickly
to the adrenaline that comes with the late innings and the game -- and
sometimes the season -- on the line.
"It's hard to compare," Masterson said. "As a starter, I'm not pitching eight
out of 10 playoff games. And as a reliever, I was able to do that. That's
pretty neat. Then you look at a guy like Jonny Lester, who got to start Game
7. Not that I would ever be pitching Game 7, but that idea of pitching big
games as a starter, that's pretty cool in itself, too."
When Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein was going about the process of
adding to his pitching staff this winter, he could do so with an open mind,
knowing that Masterson could seamlessly slide into the rotation or remain in
the 'pen.
"We're still going to keep our options open with respect to Justin
Masterson's role," Epstein said earlier this month. "Clearly we have some
added depth in the rotation and some added depth in the bullpen. But it's
January. We'll see what we look like the first week of April when we're ready
for Opening Day.
"Justin's versatility gives us the ability to sort of read and react. He's
likely to come to camp on a starter's program because we find that's useful
for our relievers. Then we can adjust with him the way we did with Jonathan
Papelbon."
In nine games in the rotation in 2008, Masterson went 4-3 with a 3.67 ERA. In
the second half, he was utilized exclusively as a reliever, and came up big,
posting a 2.36 ERA over 27 appearances.
It wasn't until the quiet of winter that Masterson could sit back and think
about the fact that manager Terry Francona went to him in the most
pressurized of situations in last year's postseason, a ride that ended in the
heartbreaking loss of Game 7 in the American League Championship Series.
"It was unexpected in some respects but then it was like, 'Oh man,'" said
Masterson. "You don't think about it at the time but you look back and you're
like, 'Oh wow, those were kind of tough situations I was in.' I was coming in
against Torii Hunter or Vladimir Guerrero every single game. That was an
experience. That's how I think about it now. But then it was just like, 'OK,
I'm going in to pitch.' Just his confidence in me built my confidence more
than anything else."
Not that it was hard to see where the confidence that Francona had in
Masterson came from. For Masterson's sinker is a nasty pitch that has
electric movement. And he has that natural demeanor and maturity that makes
him crave the moment instead of shy away from it.
Pitching in nine of Boston's 11 postseason games, Masterson posted a 1.86
ERA, striking out nine over 9 2/3 innings. During one particularly tense
moment in Game 6 of the ALCS, when Masterson hit the leadoff batter in the
eighth and went 2-0 to the next batter, pitching coach John Farrell came out
to the mound for a word.
"The [postgame] spread is getting cold," Farrell relayed to Masterson.
That light-hearted reminder in his back pocket, Masterson went back to work
and mowed down the next three batters. Masterson cites his laid-back demeanor
as the reason moments don't get too big for him.
"Even on days I'm starting, it's 20 minutes until game time and I'm just
hanging out and guys are like, 'Aren't you starting today?'" said Masterson.
In a way, Masterson finds the debate about what role he is best suited for to
be humorous. In recent winters, Masterson was just wondering which level of
the Minor Leagues he would be pitching in. Those questions are over as he
gears up for his first full season in the Majors.
"I know where I'm going to be," Masterson said. "It's not like, 'OK, maybe
I'll start in Lancaster and eventually get to Double-A, or maybe I'll get to
Double-A and eventually be in Triple-A. I'm going to be with the big league
club -- of course maybe as a starter or a reliever, but that's just
nitpicking.
"Let's be honest here. It's definitely a sense of calmness to say, I'm going
into Spring Training and I don't necessarily need to impress people. We're
going to have a chance to be part of another great caliber of Boston Red Sox
teams and hopefully win a World Series this year."
And if that dream is realized, you can be fairly certain Masterson will be
heavily in the mix, likely making contributions in a variety of roles.
==
才23歲的伸卡帥哥
在一票SP海的球隊中
可塑性還蠻高的...
--
ξ 所以我說
●▃ 這 ╔═╮═╦╮
∫BJ╯ 就是人生啊 ╠═╮╮║
█》 ╚═╯╰╯
--
※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc)
◆ From: 218.166.48.70
推
01/27 17:48, , 1F
01/27 17:48, 1F
→
01/27 17:48, , 2F
01/27 17:48, 2F
AVG AB H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS TBB K OBP SLG
vs. Left .238 147 35 9 0 6 20 6 1 25 28 .365 .422
vs. Right .196 168 33 5 0 4 12 3 0 15 40 .274 .298
對左打真的差很多....
※ 編輯: bj26bj 來自: 218.166.48.70 (01/27 18:09)
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