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Opinion: Is Daniel Bard a lost cause? 06.30.12 at 11:20 am ET
By Kirk Minihane
Daniel Bard struggled again in Pawtucket on Friday. (AP)

Daniel Bard struggled again in Pawtucket on Friday. (AP)

Full disclosure: I was in the camp that believed moving Daniel Bard to the starting rotation was a risk worth taking. Potential upside, a good starting pitcher is more valuable than even a very good reliever, if it fails he can always go back to the ‘pen, all the same stuff you heard from everyone else supporting the move in the offseason.

Well, it turns out I was wrong, Ben Cherington was wrong and Daniel Bard was wrong.

Bard was a flop as a starter, a complete wipeout. In 55 innings pitched he allowed 32 earned runs (5.24 ERA), walked 37 batters, hit eight batters and struck out just 34 guys (he had never been below a K an inning as a reliever). The velocity was down and the command was nonexistent.

His final start — five runs, six walks, two batters hits in 1.2 IP against the Blue Jays on June 3 — was confirmation. Fair or not, enough of a sample size or not, Daniel Bard was going back to the bullpen. OK, the Sox sent him down to Pawtucket two days after the start in Toronto to “work things out,” with no comment on if he’d be a starter or reliever when he got back to Boston, but the ultimate conclusion was obvious.

When Daniel Bard returned, he’d be back in the bullpen. No question about it.

But after nearly a month in Pawtucket, the question has changed.

Has the failed conversion to starter ruined Daniel Bard?

One year ago, Bard was maybe the best relief pitcher in baseball, at least in the top dozen or so. A year ago today, he pitched a scoreless inning against the Phillies, completing a June that saw him allow no runs and four hits in 13.0 innings pitched. That was followed by another scoreless month in July.

This June? Bard has a 7.15 ERA in 11.1 innings for Triple-A Pawtucket, with eight walks and four batters hit.

And Friday night was the bottom (to date, anyway) for Bard. He faced six Charlotte batters and gave up a single, recorded a fly out, walked a batter, hit a batter and then walked the next two before being yanked.

Twenty-six pitches, nine strikes.

Look, maybe Bard will figure it all out and be OK. But it’s fair to at least wonder if we are in Act I of another Steve Sax, Rick Ankiel or Chuck Knoblauch. Again, maybe something clicks and he’s the Bard of last summer, but haven’t seen this story enough times to at least have some pause? Are you convinced that Bard will be an elite major-league reliever again? Because right now — and I’m assuming he’s physically healthy, there’s no way the Sox would be trotting him out to pitch like this in Pawtucket if he was hurt — he’s a terrible minor-league reliever.

Right now, this story isn’t tracking much. We look at the box scores and shake our heads, but other issues are pressing. Plus this: The Sox bullpen has been terrific the last two months, so Bard hasn’t been missed all that much. But what happens if Matt Albers or Scott Atchison or Andrew Miller come back to what they’ve been before this season, which I hate to tell you isn’t exactly out of the realm of possibility? What happens when the 2012 Red Sox need Daniel Bard?

There’s no way to answer that. The Red Sox took a chance and it has backfired spectacularly and with ramifications that could last long past this season. The story just seems to get uglier and uglier with each outing. Because right now Daniel Bard finds himself lost in the tall grass. Others have been there and not found their way out.

Will Bard? Impossible to predict. It sure doesn’t look good, but I’ve been wrong about him before.

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  • Fenian

    another stupid article…as you said before in a previous article you always have an agenda…so this article is just stirring the pot…he pitched great the other night…crappy last night…he has not been this bad every time down there…he will get it back…so give it a rest…

  • Pucchi8780

    Yes Daniel Bard is Destroyed the Red Sox ruined him this year 

  • BENNY

    I agree!!  They should have left the damn kid alone!!  He was great in his role over the past two seasons, so why tinker with him??  The kid has shown in the past that he doesn’t have the mental makeup, or control to be a starter..  I think they have blown his confidence!!  Let’s hope the kid can get it back, as Bailey is close to returning.  The tandem of Bard and Bailey could be formidable!!

  • http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/ZVFM2HRNC5CTO2OUXD4XTX65O4 Dennis

     He’s done. The Sox screwed up again. 

  • Ima db

    I can’t believe that bum bobby valentine wanted to keep bard in the pen and not as a starter…..oh, bobby v was right? Nevermind

  • AndyP

    Silliness.

  • Anonymous

     He was 2-9 last year. He’s equally bad in either role.

  • Anonymous

    Bard is done!

  • Bobby Valentine’s bloated ego

    We should trade him to Chicago for Marlon Byrds ovaries.  Then eat some delicious wrap sandwiches, I did invent the wrap you know.

  • Realist

    So this is all the Red Sox fault, huh I thought it was Bard who wanted to start and didn’t have the stones to step as a closer. This all falls on Bard and no-one else he has wanted to start for a few years now.

  • Felix

    **pink hat alert**

  • maz34

    this tool is still writing stories…..

  • ImSmarterThanYou

    At least this POS “writer” finally admitted that he was wrong. Minibrain, you should just shut your mouth. Your opinions are garbage and so are you. When will weei wake up and can your @ss.

  • Bara

    you are so pathetic

  • Bara

    perfect.

  • Bara

    Another pink hattttttttttttttttttttttttt!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. Oh no. Very sorry he doesnt know what he is talking about. You are right. Bard will be fine. What a great pitcher. Best around. What a find for the sox.

  • Bara

    what are you 12?

  • Anonymous

    If the Sox don’t get Bard back down to Salem with the instruction to start over, as if he’s never pitched professionally before, then yes, he’ll be ruined.  He has “fundamental” problems, not just “fine points” to work out.  This was the ultimate price of greed/avarice on the part of both Bard and Cherington.  It was never a good idea.  Bard’s mechanics have always been a wing and a prayer, and messing with them to make him a starter was beyond foolish.  But he can come back.  Only if they make him start from the beginning.  If he stays at Pawtucket, or even goes to Portland, he will ultimately wash out forever.

  • Anonymous

    Ridiculous.  Bard has had a consistent string of many bad outings, broken only by the rare occasional decent outing.  He’s not likely to ever be consistently reliable again, unless he starts over.  Don’t act like the bad and good outings have been equal when that is obviously not true.

  • Benny

    Disagree!!!  A relievers win loss record isn’t the benchmark you should use when considering overall performance!!  The kid had an era of 3.33, which isn’t bad, and his whip was an impressive .959!!   So where was he a failure??  The year before his era was 1.93 and whip was 1.004!!!  Nice try though!!  The kid is a reliever, not a starter!!

  • Bubba

    Remember that he was starting to go downhill last September as a relief pitcher. 
    As much as I’d like to blame Cherington and BobbyV for this, and I DO think it was a bad idea to move him into the rotation, Bard had issues even before the switch. 

  • http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/ZVFM2HRNC5CTO2OUXD4XTX65O4 Dennis

     All Bard had going for him was high velocity, something a starter has available only.in limited quantity. Making him a starter wasn’t the correct decision and it could bite the Sox on the backside for some time to come.

  • Bielawski82

    He had a few good starts if I recall.  A 5+ era for around 40 innings pitched is not at all a disaster… it’s not good either but it’s just a run above the average 4+ era for a relatively small sample size. 

    Now what’s going on in Pawtucket could be another story.  I don’t know anyone could have predicted this, it’s just weird.  Maybe he should just take a few weeks off or even a month and get some arm strength back.  Get that upper 90s fastball back, see what happens then.

  • http://www.facebook.com/brandon.cosmo Brandon Cosmo

    went to tuesdays pawsox game  pawsox were winning 7-0,yes 7-0, and they put bard out there,he walked Five batters,walked in a run,before being yanked.

  • Dpi

    Really glad to see him back, if it’s not early and causes more trouble. Now isn’t time to take a BIGGGGG looka the EJD. field? 2 injuries to DA in 2 yrs. injuries to others that sound a lot like surface caused. Is the surface concrete under the rug? A lot of new rugs are going down over sand & other soft bases. Come on Rams, Please look to see if you can soften up that surface? I’ll take a little slower, healthy, players. Just an idea.   

  • LACHAMP

    I think a lot of artificial surfaces are laid over concrete

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