Drew Pomeranz 'Excited' To Finally Pitch For A Contender In Boston
By Matt Dolloff, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- The only other time in his career that Drew Pomeranz got a chance to pitch for a contending team, there just wasn't any room for him.
The 2014 Oakland Athletics, bolstered by Billy Beane's shocking deadline day trade for Jon Lester and midseason acquisition of Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel from the Cubs, featured an absolutely stacked rotation that also included breakout star Sonny Gray and Scott Kazmir having a renaissance season. Pomeranz started that season in the A's bullpen and pitched well after moving to the rotation, but didn't do himself any favors with a self-inflicted hand injury sustained when he punched a chair after a poor outing that landed him on the DL.
It's fair to call Pomeranz a moron in that situation, but at least he got mad for the right reasons. Guy hates losing.
Pomeranz allowed no earned runs in one bullpen appearance and two spot-starts after returning from the minors following his recovery from the injury, but the A's rotation had been set for the playoffs. The team's postseason stint was short-lived, as they dropped the Wild Card play-in game to the Kansas City Royals, and Pomeranz was left still without any postseason experience.
The All-Star lefty has a chance to change that as he now joins the Red Sox with a rotation spot secured and a chance to pitch them into the postseason. Speaking to reporters shortly after arriving to the team, Pomeranz expressed his excitement to have his first real opportunity at contributing crucial innings for a team in a pennant race.
"It's pretty exciting coming here, to be on a team where all they want to do is win out there," said Pomeranz. "I'm excited to get out there on the mound and get that first start under the belt and keep it going."
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Besides the 88-74 A's in 2014, Pomeranz has never pitched for a team that won more than 74 games in the regular season. The San Diego Padres are 41-52 in 2016 and appear on their way to another season in the NL West basement. I'm not speaking out of school here when I say the Rockies, Athletics, and Padres organizations don't typically do as much as they need to do to win. The Red Sox were bad in 2014 and 2015, too, but you can't say they're not devoted to fielding a winning ballclub.
Manager John Farrell sounded impressed with Pomeranz when he spoke to him after he arrived in Boston.
"One of the things [Pomeranz] was very clear on [speaking to him] was coming into a winning situation and the opportunity to play for a contender," said Farrell. "Whether it's talking to people who worked with him daily, or by his own admission ... he is eager to come in and pitch in this environment."
Say what you will about Pomeranz's lack of big innings at the major league level, or injury history, or sudden "career year" at age 27 that the Padres may have "sold high" on. The truth is, he's never gotten a real opportunity to show what he's capable of doing on a team that has a real chance to make a run in the playoffs. Let's at least see what he does Wednesday night at Fenway Park in his Red Sox debut before declaring the Pomeranz-for-Anderson Espinoza trade a bust.
Sounding cool and calm speaking to WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Jonny Miller, Pomeranz seems to have taken all the movement early in his career in stride, and this is really the first time he gets to pitch regularly for a contender. It remains to be seen how he'll really handle the pressure in Boston, which is an entirely different animal from Colorado, Oakland, or San Diego - but he should at least be allowed the opportunity before being written off because of the high price it took to acquire him.
"I've been a part of trades; I've been everywhere," said Pomeranz. "My mindset's pretty simple, just go out there and give us a chance to win every night."
Matt Dolloff is a writer for CBSBostonSports.com. His opinions do not necessarily reflect that of CBS or 98.5 The Sports Hub. Have a news tip or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff and email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.
