Ranking Red Sox rotation after Nick Pivetta’s complete game

Red Sox rotation: Who comes next?

No. 4 – RHP Michael Wacha

After seven promising years in a St. Louis Cardinals uniform (including a 2015 All-Star Game selection and a 17-win season in the same year), Michael Wacha has spent the last two seasons as a member of the New York Mets and Tampa Bay Rays and has not looked good.

The 30-year old Wacha signed a one-year, $7 million contract with the Red Sox and has looked great for the club so far this season. He is about to come off of the injured list (expected to be activated for tomorrow’s start) from a minor injury but has already made five starts to begin the season.

Wacha has a perfect 3-0 record with a 1.38 ERA with 19 strikeouts and 11 walks in 26 innings. His 3.90 FIP is still good but suggests that he has gotten lucky so far in his starts with his defense providing a ton of value to his statistics. Usually a high-strikeout pitcher (9.8 SO/9 in 2020 and 8.7 in 2021), Wacha is sitting at 6.6 SO/9 through his first five outings for the Sox and is sporting a 3.8 BB/9 rate as well, his highest since 2019.

While the sample size has been very small so far, Wacha resides in the fourth spot for now. He, like Hill, will need another look as we get later in the season. If he is able to replicate his success he had as a Cardinal, he will find himself ranked much higher on this list.

#3 – RHP Nick Pivetta

While Nick Pivetta’s most recent clinic against the Astros was very encouraging, I’m not positive that he’ll be able to continue performing the way he was able to against Houston.

Pivetta is entering his sixth season in the big leagues but has not been much of a contributor over the course of his career. After three seasons with a significant workload as a member of the Phillies, Pivetta began to fizzle out in 2019 and then pitched in just 15 innings in 2020.

Last year he made 30 starts for the Red Sox, posting a 4.53 ERA with a 103 ERA+, nearly hitting a career high in strikeouts with 175 but allowing more walks than he typically does along the way.

To begin the season this year, Pivetta has made eight starts, pitching in over 42 innings and striking out 41 with just 14 walks. He has already allowed five home runs but that is also pretty normal for the 29-year old righty.

Last night’s start from Pivetta was a welcome sight, it remains to be seen whether he will be able to continue his stretch of success.