Red Sox Pitching Prospects | Pitcher Abuse Points

Two of the Sox highly touted pitching prospects, Clay Buchholz and Michael Bowden are both having promising years in AAA right now. At 24 and 22 years old respectively they each have a chance at long careers ahead of them, chance being the keyword. Pitchers, more so than any other position, are prone to injuries, especially if they have been overused early on in their careers.

Neither Buchholz nor Bowden have exceeded 100 pitches in a start this season. Bowden has thrown 90+ pitches in just 6 of his 16 starts (38%) topping out at 98 pitches. Buchholz high pitch count this year has been 96, which he has thrown twice.

However, Buchholz has thrown over 100 pitches in each of the past 2 seasons while up with the big club in Boston. In 2007 Buchholz threw 115 pitches during his no-hitter, a PAP score of 3,375 and a stress rating of 29.35. In 2008 he 103, 113, and 107 pitches. His PAP scores were 27, 2197, and 343 and his stress scores in each of those starts were .26, 19.44, and 3.21. So in two seasons Buchholz has registered two category-3 starts (between 110-122 pitches). This may not seem like much, but this could potentially have implications down the line for Clay.

It is vital the Red Sox continue to monitor their young pitching. If you can successfully limit the number of pitches per start then the prospects will be able to throw more innings and be more effective in the future.