Daniel Bard's transition to starter from reliever is not exactly virgin territory. Here are just a few pitchers who did it: Pedro Martinez . Derek Lowe . David Wells .
Their teams, I think you would agree, were all happy they made the switch.
Now I'm not saying Bard will be as good as any of these pitchers, but people who know a lot more about these things than I do think he has a very high ceiling as a starting pitcher. And the Red Sox are determined to find out, (1) because of the scarcity of quality starting pitching and (2) developing your own pitching can save you a boatload of money cash you can then turn around and spend on elite position players (think Adrian Gonzalez ) who are much safer risks than high-priced, free-agent pitchers.
A couple walk-off losses in the season's first three games are not going to persuade the Red Sox to abandon that carefully crafted plan and return Bard to the bullpen. That won't happen until they give Bard a chance to prove his worth as a starter, which he is highly confident he will do.
Alfredo Aceves did a terrific job out of the bullpen last season. It's almost inconceivable that he has yet to retire any of the five batters he has faced as closer, but the facts speak for themselves. Does that mean he can't close? No. The Sox can ill-afford to give away more games, especially when playoff spots are likely to be determined by the thinnest of margins, but Aceves has not yet forfeited his chance to prove he can do the job.
And Bard will give the Sox a much better chance of returning to the playoffs as a reliable starter than by returning to the 'pen. At least, that's the position the Sox should hold on to for now. Let manager Bobby Valentine mix and match until he finds the right combination, go outside the system if need be, but leave Bard where he is.
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