The Sox might try to convert Royce Ring to a starter. He has three pitches, but I don't think it's a good idea.

I don't give a damn what Royce Ring does, starts or closes, as long as he makes the Sox so that one day I can have the pleasure of sitting next to Baggio and HSC to hear them yell, "Let's Go Royce!"

a very interesting twist to making him a reliever. then who is going to be the rp of the future?

Isn't Edwin Almonte the future closer?

Isn't Edwin Almonte the future closer?

then how bout this, who has the better stuff?

a very interesting twist to making him a reliever. then who is going to be the rp of the future?

Koch. Ring will be ready for the ML's before Koch's new contract runs out. Converting RR to a starter is really the only option for the Sox..... unless they let him toil down in the minors until Koch's contract runs out/traded or deal RR.

a very interesting twist to making him a reliever. then who is going to be the rp of the future?

Koch. Ring will be ready for the ML's before Koch's new contract runs out. Converting RR to a starter is really the only option for the Sox..... unless they let him toil down in the minors until Koch's contract runs out/traded or deal RR.

unless they bring him up and gradually work him in by working in the pen.

The Sox might try to convert Royce Ring to a starter. He has three pitches, but I don't think it's a good idea.

Thats interesting. We definately have an excess of relievers, if you can really say that. I guess moving him to starter works cause it strengthens his arm and it isn't like he can't go back to closing. I think its a great way to get more innings and adjust quicker.

 

Koch is about the only other closer out there that I can think of that was drafted strictly as a closer. I do like Ring though. Its a tough thing though, considering he was a closer throughout college as well.

Wasn't Guerrier a closer/reliever and then converted into a starter? And then didn't he put up like an ERA of about 3.50 or something in 140-150 innings or so?

 

We had enough lefties as it was....Marte, Wunsch, and Porzio are all MLB ready right now.....and then you have Munoz, Stewart, Sanders and most likely more I'm not even thinking about....and it's not like a decent lefty is expensive(hell, the Yankees signed Chris Hammond, the NL ERA leader last year with an ERA of .94, for $1-2 mill or so....given, that's a career year, but you get the point....hell, any lefty would do....the Giants used ex-Sox pitcher Scott Eyre as their lefty during the World Series last year). I think converting him to a starter is the wise thing to do.

I still say that we have to give our young pitchers a chance to pitch, which is virtually impossible if we keep signing high ERA retreads like White, Loaiza, Heredia, and possibly Rogers. I promise I won't rant on the same subject again.

Ring won't become a starter, because it will take him too long to build the stamina... Royce is a big boy, a mighty big boy, who will take alot of innings in relief before he'll be ready to even come close to pitching five innings even. Royce does only have three pitches, but he is trying to add on another. Edwin Almonte will be up in the bigs as a setup, not a closer, because by the time Koch is out of a contract, Ring will be ready to step up and take over. I don't think he can lose the job, he's pretty tough to hit, but I guess we will see in a couple of years.