On Tuesday, Josh Beckett announced his retirement. Even by the standards of the typical #ycpb career, Beckett's career was full of twists. To honor the veteran's exit, we're rerunning 14 of his BP Annual player comments, written as he aged from elite prospect to injured old supermillionaire.
| 2014 |  |
After a five-year run of declining velocity, Beckett was enjoying a slight uptick in the first six weeks of the 2013 season. Pitchers generally heat up further as the season progresses, but Beckett's momentum was halted by injuries in mid-May. The trouble started with a groin strain, followed by numbness in his fingers while he recuperated. Doctors found nerve irritation in his neck, and Beckett eventually underwent surgery for Thoracic Outlet Syndrome to repair the damage. He is expected to be ready for spring training, but Chris Carpenter never really returned from the same procedure. |
| 2013 |  |
Beckett, already in the heel role after the fried chicken and beer revelations from 2011, didn't do his reputation any favors when he played golf on an offday in May after being scratched from a start with a stiff latissimus dorsi. Whether or not he really was the problem for Bobby Valentine that many reports suggested, his uneven performance fit into a career-long pattern reminiscent of the oft-injured Bret Saberhagen: healthy and effective during odd-numbered years, less so in even-numbered ones. Relocation from Boston and the AL East to Los Angeles and the NL West appears to have helped his cause, but he's far from the pitcher he was in 2007, having lost 4.2 miles per hour off his average fastball, now at 92. Further reinvention isn't out of the question, but even with the calendar showing another odd-numbered year, the chances of him living up to his contract are slim. |
| 2012 |  |
Beckett's seasons all come down to how he is feeling. When he was younger, blisters were what held him back. As he has aged, his back has become the source of his problems. In 2010, back pain kept him from commanding his curveball, forcing him to rely on his fastball. His back felt fine this past year, though, and Beckett—excepting September, when it was physically impossible for any Red Sox starter to pitch well—was the Beckett of old. Won't we all feel silly for getting on our soap boxes when it turns out the key ingredient in the Colonel's recipe has restorative back-healing properties? |
| 2011 |  |
Beckett dealt with an on-and-off back injury that kept him from commanding his breaking ball. He stopped throwing as many benders, which made sitting on his fastballs easier, and the result was a mere five fewer homers than he'd allowed in 2009, but in 85 1/3 fewer innings pitched. His peripherals suggest better results than he got, but if he can't locate his pitches and hitters know what to expect, his home-run rate won't regress. After signing the potentially dominant righty to a four-year, $68 million extension, the Sox will need an able-bodied Beckett to get their money's worth. |
| 2010 |  |
Postseason stats amount to a short-sample split just like any other "clutch" statistic; the larger the sample, the closer they trend toward a player’s overall performance. Beckett built a reputation as a great postseason pitcher because his first two postseasons followed his two best regular seasons (which was no coincidence): he posted a 1.73 ERA, 0.74 WHIP, and a 5.9 K/BB ratio as his teams went 8-2 in his ten appearances in the 2003 and 2007 postseasons. Over the past two Octobers, though, he’s posted a 7.71 ERA and 1.62 WHIP while the Red Sox have gone 1-3 in his four postseason starts. That doesn’t mean he’s lost it. Beckett is still one of the league’s elite starters and is a good bet to remain so in this, his walk year. |
| 2009 |  |
Both Beckett and the Red Sox denied that he was injured for much of the season, but it was apparent that something was amiss, as his velocity was often well below past averages; this was noticeable during the playoffs, when Beckett was topping out in the low 90s. He spent time on the DL in August with right elbow inflammation, but except for the velocity issue he was effective upon his return. Despite the health issue, Beckett's season was much like his '07, when he was a legitimate Cy Young candidate, as his peripherals were almost identical; he stranded fewer runners but gave up a few more homers, and saw his ground-ball rate dip, with those balls in play becoming liners. Better luck in 2009 may be all he needs, but that dip in velocity is a bit disconcerting. |
| 2008 |  |
Beckett's inflated '06 home run rate proved to be an anomaly, but it was the improvement in his control (1.79 BB/9 in 2007 vs. 3.10 BB/9 from 2004 to 2006) that made him the second-best starter in the AL last year. That dramatic step forward is comparable to those taken by Curt Schilling and Greg Maddux at similar ages, and it foretells a coming period of dominance. |
| 2007 |  |
The centerpiece of last winter`s master plan, Beckett was expected to front the Sox`s rotation. While he avoided the blister problems that have disabled him six times so far–enabling his first 200-inning campaign–the solution was a costly one. Beckett covered his middle finger with a Band-Aid between starts, but the remedy prevented him from throwing his curve during bullpen sessions. He then struggled to locate it during games and was forced to over-rely on a very straight fastball. The results were predictable; his 36 homers allowed tied for second in the majors, and his 10 first-pitch homers tied for first. Despite his troubles, the Sox signed him to a three-year, $30-million extension in July, a smart move in light of the winter`s drastic salary inflation. Beckett has the talent to justify that faith, but he`ll need to adjust to succeed in the AL. |
| 2006 |  |
In selecting Beckett`s comparables, PECOTA had injuries on its mind; Bradley and Busby were young pitchers who were pushed extremely hard by their managers and burned out in just a few years. Their misfortune was that they had the strength to endure the heavy workload, at least in the short term, whereas Beckett has hit the DL nine times in the last four seasons, buying his arm a respite. That`s looking at the glass as half full. The contrary POV would be that Beckett, who has never pitched 200 innings in a season, lacks the durability to lead the Red Sox`s staff or endure the more grueling games in the DH league. If Beckett survives and prospers, it will be because of his improving control–he`s cut his walk rate in every season of his career–and Terry Francona realizing that he has another Pedro Martinez-style hothouse flower, a pitcher who might do great work for you if you treat him gently. |
| 2005 |  |
As aggravating as Beckett's blister problems have been for the right-hander and his team, they may end up as a long-term benefit, as they've kept his workload down during a critical period for a young pitcher. His performance hasn't varied much in three seasons, and he's at an age where he can be expected to add innings and show improvement. He could have the kind of big-step-forward performance that another right-hander, Ben Sheets, had in his fourth season. |
| 2003 |  |
Beckett’s got scorching heat, but he needs to be able to throw it without the blister problems he experienced in 2002. Two separate trips to the DL and missed turns in the rotation due to blistering on his middle finger put a damper on his season. Beckett doesn’t have a history of blisters, and the injuries kept Torborg from pitching Beckett as hard as he did Burnett, so this could be a blessing in disguise. Look for a full-strength season in 2003, and some enjoyable Beckett-Prior duels down the road. |
| 2002 |  |
Stud. He shook off concerns about the shoulder tendinitis that cut short his 2000 season to have one of the great pitching-prospect years of recent times. He'll open 2002 in the Marlins' rotation; hopes are high, but Beckett is still basically a two-pitch pitcher, and he has fewer than 100 innings above A ball. Be realistic in your expectations for 2002. |
| 2001 |  |
Josh Beckett began what, contractually, has to be a rapid rise to the big leagues. He showed the ability and poise that caused some scouts to call him the best pitching prospect of his generation, throwing a 95-mph fastball, a big breaking curveball, and a change-up so improved that it became his number-two pitch. He made just 12 starts, twice being shut down with shoulder tendinitis that he says resulted from pumping too much iron. Injury is the only thing that can derail him from assuming a permanent role in The Show by 2004. |
| 2000 |  |
The #2 overall pick in the 1999 draft, Beckett demanded and received a major-league contract from the Marlins. This puts a tremendous amount of pressure on him and the organization, and almost guarantees that he’ll be asked to do too much before he’s physically ready. Drafting high-school pitchers is risky enough without mandating that they take up valuable space on your 40-man roster. Beckett is a fastball/curveball pitcher, just like Kerry Wood. |
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With Torborg's butcherly inclinations gone and Beckett's blister problems apparently behind him, and with a wiser head on his shoulders, the Marlins just have to hope the added load on October has no long-term effect on Beckett's golden right arm. If it doesn't, the sky's the limit."