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Justin Masterson

Attention Red Sox fans and other knowledgable baseball people:

How do the Red Sox plan on using this guy (Justin Masterson) in the future?

Currently he's in the bullpen but it's not all that uncommon for younger pitchers to begin their careers in the pen because of a logjam in the rotation.

Is Justin Masterson going to be a 4/5th starter or is he projected to be the future 8th inning setup man for Papelbon?

I know the Sox rotation is pretty loaded but I've heard conflicting reports on his projected use.

Any and all comments would be great appreciated!!!

 

Thanks in advance.

 

 

 

 

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Not a Sox fan

but ideally, he would be a #3 starter for someone, Derek Lowe type I guess. With the deep Boston rotation, he would probably be a #4 or #5 for them, and could make more of a difference as someone they can call from the pen for a quick double play.

by number_twentyone on Aug 3, 2008 12:45 PM EDT reply actions  

I live in Boston

so I hear about the Sox pretty much all day.

I don’t think they have a plan just yet is actually the answer. He pitched pretty well through the minors and in his starts with the big club. I personally see no reason not to have him start.

That said, here’s what they have coming into next year:
Beckett (2 More Years)
Matsuzaka (4 More Years)
Lester (through 2013)
Wakefield (Should be back)
Buchholz (they’re committed to having him start)

In the minors, they also have Bowden who is definitely on the fast track.

When you look at all of those arms, these are the potential odd men out:

Wakefield – has been an RP for them before, but they like the change of pace and resting Varitek

Bowden – hasn’t proven anything at MLB

Masterson – If you think about it, is ideal out of the pen. Gets GB, tough arm slot for righties. Also, mostly relies on two pitches.

I’d like to think his future is as a starter. I think the Red Sox think that too. That said, I see him as their 7th inning guy, esp with Hansen gone and Delcarmen and Okajima not being on top of their game.

by benzalman on Aug 3, 2008 1:05 PM EDT reply actions  

thanks benzalman

Your thoughts towards the end pretty much summed up my thoughts…
They have too many arms in the rotation, thats what makes his projected niche so tough

Personally, I think he could be a very good 7th or 8th inning guy, but I think his value drops off considerably if he goes into the rotation.

by barlow078 on Aug 3, 2008 2:40 PM EDT reply actions  

Which version of Tim Hudson?

I’m a sox fan, I can’t see it happening. I have a hard time thinking of another successful starting pitching who threw from the same arm slot as Masterson. To me, he screams 7th/8th inning guy.

ProspectTube.com

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by ProspectTube.com on Aug 3, 2008 8:07 PM EDT reply actions  

Remember...

...you heard it here. He throws from the same arm slot as oh, I don’t know…Brandon Webb!!

Not saying he’ll be that good…ok, I AM. He is not going to be a 4/5 starter. He’ll be a 1/2 starter. Killer instinct, killer stuff, killer movement.

by casejud on Aug 3, 2008 8:45 PM EDT reply actions  

Brandon Webb

I actually thought of Webb the first time I opened this diary… that power sinker only compares to Webb or Chien Ming Wang…

Also kinda agree about the 1 or 2 thing… I think people write him off as a man with one pitch, but he’s got a good slider too. Has he improved his change at all?

by David Tokarz on Aug 4, 2008 12:50 AM EDT up reply actions  

same arm slot?

I don’t see it. My eyes tell me that Masterson is significantly lower than Webb. Granted, both get remarkable sink, but to me, Masterson qualifies more as a “quirky” type of guy who may struggle against left handed batters and guys who see him the 2nd and 3rd time through. This isn’t to say he couldn’t be an inn’s eater type of pitcher, but more towards the back end of the rotation rather than the front. What’s more valuable to the Sox, a dominant 7th/8th inning guy or inn’s eating 4-5 type? I’m not sure.

ProspectTube.com

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by ProspectTube.com on Aug 4, 2008 12:32 PM EDT up reply actions  

Masterson vs. Kendrick

If Masterson can pull together that changeup and toughen up on lefties, I can see his ceiling being Brandon Webb.

Right now, he sounds much more comparable to a more toolsy Kyle Kendrick. KK right now has a very strong sinker, great GB rate, strong mentality, excellent competitor, but struggles with lefties because of the lack of a developed change.

If Kendrick can develop his change, I’m sure he’ll become an even better SP, while he already is a strong #4 who just knows how to win. I think the same could be said about Masterson, except that his slider could (with development and improvement) has an even higher ceiling. Plus, he throws a bit harder, which makes him a stronger option in the bullpen than KK would be.

Bottom line is that this kid is going to succeed no matter what. It will likely rely on developing a solid changeup and tweaking his slider to determine if that success comes every 5th day, or every 8th inning.

by Domino427 on Aug 4, 2008 4:08 PM EDT up reply actions  

"Knows how to win" apparently meaning "gets ridiculous run support"

Kyle Kendrick is really a pretty terrible pitcher.

Your 2008 Athletics: It's Nothing Personal.

by PaulThomas on Aug 4, 2008 10:31 PM EDT up reply actions  

The org. definitely views him as a astarter long term

He certainly has the stuff, mentality and results.

Theyre just swimming with so many good starting pitching options… well, its kind of ridiculous right now. Bowden, Masterson and Buchholz could all easily be frozen out of the MLB rotation and yet they all would be the top pitching for say 20 MLB teams.

by alskor on Aug 4, 2008 12:20 AM EDT reply actions  

Do they?

Does the organization see him as a top notch starter?

Heres the writeup from the 2008 Baseball American handbook on Justin Masterson, and I quote:

“After beginning his high school career as a catcher, Masterson first blossomed as a prospect in the Cape Cod league in the summer of 2005. He transferred from Bethel Ind to San Diego State, went in the second round of the 2006 draft and reached Double-A in his first full pro season. Using a low three-quarters arm slot, Masterson unleashes a special sinker. With its combination of low 90s velocity and heavy movement, batters feel like they’re trying to hit a bowling ball. His No. 2 pitch is a slider that improved last season. He showed his toughness by not giving in when he went 2-3, 6.31 in his first nine starts at hitter-friendly Lancaster, making adjustments so he could survive the wind tunnel there. Because he throws from a lower arm angle, Masterson doesn’t always stay on top of his slider. His changeup is getting better but also is inconsistent and he doesn’t use it enough. He worked a career high 154 innings and tired down the stretch, so he’ll need to get stronger. The Red Sox will send Masterson to Triple-A as a starter but envision him being a big league reliever. He has he power sinker and the mentality to close games, though in Boston he’d be a setup man for Jonathan Papelbon.”

That’s exactly what it says in the BA Handbook.

Those last two sentences seem to contradict a couple of posts on this board.

Now I don’t mean to argue, I just wanted to get a definitive answer for sure on their projected use of Masterson.

by barlow078 on Aug 4, 2008 5:40 AM EDT reply actions  

There was talk of him being a releiver when he was drafted

The Sox typically have their relief prospects work out of the rotation or work multiple innings in order to force them to work on their secondary offerings.The thing with Masterson was he was so successful as a starter that it changed opinions about him. Ive definitely heard Sox FO guys talk about this, including Theo.

I dont think there is any question he could be a successful starter, though. This talk of back end of the rotation is silly.

by alskor on Aug 5, 2008 1:56 AM EDT up reply actions  

My two cents

I think that Masterson’s ability would be wasted, long term, in the pen, unless he closed, but with Paplebon that doesn’t seem likely to happen. Going back to his promotion to Portland last season he has struck out almost a batter an inning in the minors, while keeping his GO/AO ratio above 2.30 each of the last two years.

While I think he should start, there is no way he profiles at the front of a major league rotation, and the comparisons to Webb are ridiculous. Webb has a career GO/AO ratio of 3.24 and a K/9 of 8.13. Masterson is not going to put up those numbers. I think he has a good chance to be a solid 3, but he’s no ace.

by Birdfan01 on Aug 4, 2008 7:07 PM EDT reply actions  

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