A New Closing Time?

The International League hopes not to see this guy again.
(farm4.static.flickr.com)

It's probably so hard to reminisce about Spring Training. You know, that time when pretty much close to nothing happened? The craziness of Manny's antics and the long-haired circus of yesteryear apparently left sunny Fort Myers. But for me, there was Daniel Bard. Just coming off being the 2008 Red Sox Minor League Pitcher of the year, there was already a mild swarm of buzz surrounding the young 23-year old entering camp. But I don't really think that the Nation was ready for what was to arrive. It appeared as if this kid just hopped out of bed in Fort Myers and catapulted the ball into triple-digit insanity. He may have not been the biggest story heading into camp in terms of media focus, but that didn't curb my intrigue one bit. I mean who was the last guy who launched the ball 100 MPH in a Red Sox uniform? Not Pedro, not Roger*, not even our current closer and beloved Riverdancer Papelbon could turn it up to that 6th gear. And just to find out that he struck out 5 straight batters in a brilliant 2 1/3 inning performance against the Blue Jays last night (Forgive me for missing the game. Just chilling in Oriole Park watching the highly-buzzed debut of the mighty Wieters, which provoked me to write this entry.). This is exactly why this kid is worth the buzz, and probably loads more. In the illustrious 108 year history of the franchise, it just might be possible that we may never have seen anything like Mr. Bard.

Could this guy be dancing in our hearts in 2012?
(cdn.bleacherreport.com)

The kid's story starts right out of high school when he signed as the 604th pick in the 2003 First-Year Player Draft by of all teams, The Empire. After not signing (smart move Danny!), he signed with the Sox as the 28th pick of the 2006 Amateur draft, just months after leading his UNC Tarheels to the finals in the College World Series. Despite the promise, Bard didn't exactly set the world ablaze in his first year in the professional ranks. A 7-plus ERA wasn't exactly microscopic, but it was the lack of control (78 BB in 75 1/3 IP in 22 starts) was the problem that needed a little highlighter. So much highlighter in fact, that the Single A bosses made the decision to put Bard down to the 'pen. Winter ball in Hawaii redeemed the decision, as he threw for a 1.08 ERA in 16 appearances. Despite the remaining control issues, the Sox brass knew they were on to something heading into '08. In Single and Double A, the flamethrower whiffed 107 in 77 2/3 innings, showing that when he utilizes his control, he can be as untouchable as the stratosphere that he seems to be reaching. Receiving the honors of being the best Minor League pitcher in the system, followed by impressing the higher-ups in Spring Training didn't halt the kid one bit. In 58 batters in Triple A, he struck out half of them! On top of that, the fireballin' Bard (really struggling for a nickname) allowed only 5 BB and 2 ER in his 16 appearances in Pawtucket. Bard's dominance only made his call up this year more imminent, combined with the fact that Javier Lopez couldn't even get the dog out this year. With that, a new era in the Sox 'pen may have started on the 10th of May. Let the fireballing madness begin.

I smell some competition, Mr. Paps.
(swamigp.files.wordpress.com)

So we head into this afternoon. Bard's MLB stats so far: 8 1/3 IP, 3BB, 7 K's, and a 1.08 ERA. Not too shabby of a start for a guy who was supposed to be called up later in the season. I normally don't get excited with prospects, especially because they are just that. Prospects. They all have raw ability, they tear through the minors, but somehow don't have the gusto to maintain their swagger in The Show (i.e, Craig Hansen, Frankie Rodriguez), disappointing many. It seems as if it happens more than not. But this kid could be better with the simple fact that he has built his professional career through the adversity he had already faced in the beginning, which shows some strong character makeup. His stuff, consisting of a high 90's fastball with a breaking fastball in the mid 90's, is also worthy of at least some attention. If "Pyro" (How's this for a nickname?) can master his slider in the bigs, we could possibly be talking about the most feared pitcher in the Sox bullpen. Which brings me to the situation with our personification of dominance currently, Jonathan Papelbon, and how he said a few months back that he would likely test the free-agent waters a few years from now. It could be possible, that the Sox are grooming this kid extra-carefully (Only 23. I'm 23. Shows I haven't done that much in life in comparison. Damn.) so that he may become the future back-end stopper for the Crimson Hose. In fact, I know it's the ideal situation for the Sox brass, knowing how they don't like to throw multi-million dollar contracts to pitchers. And you always hear about Papelbon and his shoulder management program, which puts more of a red flag on the situation. This makes for some intriguing babble for the next couple years if Bard can keep pace of what he has produced so far. Bard anchoring the back of the bullpen seems like a stretch now, but who in the Nation wouldn't like to see 100 MPH in the 9th inning in a close game? With how the scenario is unfolding now, this could be even more of a reality than even Clay Buchholz becoming the ace of this staff. Storylines like this are all the more reason why a 162 game season just isn't long enough.