Categories
Software

Review of Daniel Bard’s Season

> In the end, Daniel Bard’s performance in 2012 doesn’t hold a candle to some of the truly awful years we’ve seen out of players in the past. John Lackey’s 2011 alone makes it seem almost irrelevant. But put in context, this disaster may be one for the ages if we don’t see something different out of him in 2013.

Daniel Bard flaming out as a starter made this horrible Red Sox season just that much worse. I really hope he can pull things together next year. Maybe John Farrell coming back will give him some help.

Categories
Sports

Bard Called Back up to the Red Sox

I am really rooting for him. Not just in the “he is on the Red Sox so I cheer for him” way either.

Categories
Sports

Daniel Bard Update

> “Right now, he’s not consistent,” said Pawtucket Red Sox pitching coach Rich Sauveur of the 26-year-old right-hander who Boston tried to convert from a late-inning reliever to a starter. “But I’m seeing signs of what we’re looking for. He just needs to bring that from the bullpen to the mound and have that conviction on the first hitter he faces.

I really hope this whole starter experiment did not end the career of such a promising young pitcher.[^friend]

[^friend]: Full disclosure: One of my good friends went to school with Daniel Bard.

Categories
Sports

The Continuing Walks of Daniel Bard

*UPDATE: – 6/5* – [Fangraphs has posted an excellent breakdown of Bard’s troubles.](http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/the-problem-with-daniel-bard/)

> “I think it’s maybe we tried to turn me into a starter rather than take the same pitcher I was out of the ‘pen and just move that guy to the rotation. It’s all my fault, essentially, so maybe it’s just a matter of getting back to what I had success doing in the past.”

Daniel Bard after his latest start. (h/t [Fenway West](http://www.fenwaywest.com/2012-articles/june/qotd6412.html))

It’s depressing to watch Bard’s most recent outings. I say that not just as a Red Sox fan, but also someone who knows him from his days pitching at North Carolina and someone who has a close friend that went to school with him and says nothing but positive things about him.

Unfortunately, no one seems to have any answers for what is going wrong. For example, Bobby Valentine could just say “I’ll think about it a while, I have some time.” Here’s hoping that they figure something out soon, or it might be Dice-K taking the mound Friday instead of Bard.

(For more coverage of Bard’s outing see the Providence Journal [here](http://blogs.providencejournal.com/sports/red-sox/2012/06/what-to-do-with-bard-valentine-ill-think-about-it-a-while.html) and [here](http://blogs.providencejournal.com/sports/red-sox/2012/06/roller-coaster-season-for-bard-goes-entirely-off-the-tracks.html))