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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.