Biographical

Portrait of Tim Wakefield

Tim Wakefield PRed Sox

Red Sox Player Cards | Red Sox Team Audit | Red Sox Depth Chart

Career Summary
Years G IP W L SV ERA WARP
19 627 3226.3 200 180 22 4.41 24.9
Birth Date8-2-1966
Height6' 2"
Weight210 lbs
Age57 years, 7 months, 27 days
BatsR
ThrowsR
WARP Summary

MLB Statistics

Historical (past-seasons) WARP is now based on DRA..
cFIP and DRA are not available on a by-team basis and display as zeroes(0). See TOT line for season totals of these stats.
Multiple stints are are currently shownClick to hide.
YEAR Team Lg G GS IP W L SV H BB SO HR PPF H/9 BB/9 HR/9 K/9 GB% BABIP WHIP FIP ERA cFIP DRA DRA- WARP
1992 PIT MLB 13 13 92.0 8 1 0 76 35 51 3 96 7.4 3.4 0.3 5.0 0% .258 1.21 3.26 2.15 99 3.81 92.3 1.3
1993 PIT MLB 24 20 128.3 6 11 0 145 75 59 14 103 10.2 5.3 1.0 4.1 0% .299 1.71 5.43 5.61 135 7.63 164.7 -2.9
1995 BOS MLB 27 27 195.3 16 8 0 163 68 119 22 103 7.5 3.1 1.0 5.5 0% .241 1.18 4.56 2.95 110 5.07 103.9 1.7
1996 BOS MLB 32 32 211.7 14 13 0 238 90 140 38 105 10.1 3.8 1.6 6.0 0% .293 1.55 5.70 5.14 123 7.14 140.9 -2.2
1997 BOS MLB 35 29 201.3 12 15 0 193 87 151 24 100 8.6 3.9 1.1 6.8 0% .287 1.39 4.72 4.25 111 5.62 117.0 0.4
1998 BOS MLB 36 33 216.0 17 8 0 211 79 146 30 101 8.8 3.3 1.3 6.1 0% .270 1.34 4.96 4.58 114 5.47 113.3 0.9
1999 BOS MLB 49 17 140.0 6 11 15 146 72 104 19 99 9.4 4.6 1.2 6.7 0% .292 1.56 5.12 5.08 109 5.20 101.2 1.3
2000 BOS MLB 51 17 159.3 6 10 0 170 65 102 31 85 9.6 3.7 1.8 5.8 0% .276 1.47 5.76 5.48 107 5.14 98.9 1.6
2001 BOS MLB 45 17 168.7 9 12 3 156 73 148 13 96 8.3 3.9 0.7 7.9 0% .298 1.36 3.96 3.90 92 3.73 77.4 3.6
2002 BOS MLB 45 15 163.3 11 5 3 121 51 134 15 97 6.7 2.8 0.8 7.4 0% .237 1.05 3.71 2.81 88 2.88 61.9 4.8
2003 BOS MLB 35 33 202.3 11 7 1 193 71 169 23 106 8.6 3.2 1.0 7.5 0% .285 1.30 4.13 4.09 94 3.96 83.0 4.0
2004 BOS MLB 32 30 188.3 12 10 0 197 63 116 29 112 9.4 3.0 1.4 5.5 0% .277 1.38 5.18 4.87 107 5.42 111.9 0.7
2005 BOS MLB 33 33 225.3 16 12 0 210 68 151 35 106 8.4 2.7 1.4 6.0 0% .258 1.23 4.77 4.15 107 4.96 106.7 1.4
2006 BOS MLB 23 23 140.0 7 11 0 135 51 90 19 107 8.7 3.3 1.2 5.8 0% .264 1.33 4.97 4.63 110 5.22 106.2 0.9
2007 BOS MLB 31 31 189.0 17 12 0 191 64 110 22 101 9.1 3.0 1.0 5.2 0% .282 1.35 4.73 4.76 111 5.28 109.2 0.9
2008 BOS MLB 30 30 181.0 10 11 0 154 60 117 25 108 7.7 3.0 1.2 5.8 0% .239 1.18 4.87 4.13 109 3.99 85.2 3.1
2009 BOS MLB 21 21 129.7 11 5 0 137 50 72 12 111 9.5 3.5 0.8 5.0 0% .292 1.44 4.61 4.58 110 4.83 103.6 1.1
2010 BOS MLB 32 19 140.0 4 10 0 153 36 84 19 112 9.8 2.3 1.2 5.4 0% .288 1.35 4.49 5.34 106 4.00 90.3 2.0
2011 BOS MLB 33 23 154.7 7 8 0 163 47 93 25 108 9.5 2.7 1.5 5.4 0% .274 1.36 5.02 5.12 117 4.78 111.2 0.4
CareerMLB6274633226.3200180223152120521564181038.83.41.26.040%.2741.354.774.411094.99104.424.9

Statistics for All Levels

'opp' stats - Quality of opponents faced - have been moved and are available only as OPP_QUAL in the Statistics reports now.
Minor league stats are currently shownClick to hide.
YEAR Team Lg LG G GS IP W L SV H BB SO HR PPF H/9 BB/9 HR/9 K/9 GB% BABIP WHIP FIP ERA cFIP DRA DRA-
1992 PIT MLB NL 13 13 92.0 8 1 0 76 35 51 3 96 7.4 3.4 0.3 5.0 0% .258 1.21 3.26 2.15 99 3.81 92.3
1993 PIT MLB NL 24 20 128.3 6 11 0 145 75 59 14 103 10.2 5.3 1.0 4.1 0% .299 1.71 5.43 5.61 135 7.63 164.7
1995 BOS MLB AL 27 27 195.3 16 8 0 163 68 119 22 103 7.5 3.1 1.0 5.5 0% .241 1.18 4.56 2.95 110 5.07 103.9
1996 BOS MLB AL 32 32 211.7 14 13 0 238 90 140 38 105 10.1 3.8 1.6 6.0 0% .293 1.55 5.70 5.14 123 7.14 140.9
1997 BOS MLB AL 35 29 201.3 12 15 0 193 87 151 24 100 8.6 3.9 1.1 6.8 0% .287 1.39 4.72 4.25 111 5.62 117.0
1998 BOS MLB AL 36 33 216.0 17 8 0 211 79 146 30 101 8.8 3.3 1.3 6.1 0% .270 1.34 4.96 4.58 114 5.47 113.3
1999 BOS MLB AL 49 17 140.0 6 11 15 146 72 104 19 99 9.4 4.6 1.2 6.7 0% .292 1.56 5.12 5.08 109 5.20 101.2
2000 BOS MLB AL 51 17 159.3 6 10 0 170 65 102 31 85 9.6 3.7 1.8 5.8 0% .276 1.47 5.76 5.48 107 5.14 98.9
2001 BOS MLB AL 45 17 168.7 9 12 3 156 73 148 13 96 8.3 3.9 0.7 7.9 0% .298 1.36 3.96 3.90 92 3.73 77.4
2002 BOS MLB AL 45 15 163.3 11 5 3 121 51 134 15 97 6.7 2.8 0.8 7.4 0% .237 1.05 3.71 2.81 88 2.88 61.9
2003 BOS MLB AL 35 33 202.3 11 7 1 193 71 169 23 106 8.6 3.2 1.0 7.5 0% .285 1.30 4.13 4.09 94 3.96 83.0
2004 BOS MLB AL 32 30 188.3 12 10 0 197 63 116 29 112 9.4 3.0 1.4 5.5 0% .277 1.38 5.18 4.87 107 5.42 111.9
2005 BOS MLB AL 33 33 225.3 16 12 0 210 68 151 35 106 8.4 2.7 1.4 6.0 0% .258 1.23 4.77 4.15 107 4.96 106.7
2006 BOS MLB AL 23 23 140.0 7 11 0 135 51 90 19 107 8.7 3.3 1.2 5.8 0% .264 1.33 4.97 4.63 110 5.22 106.2
2007 BOS MLB AL 31 31 189.0 17 12 0 191 64 110 22 101 9.1 3.0 1.0 5.2 0% .282 1.35 4.73 4.76 111 5.28 109.2
2008 BOS MLB AL 30 30 181.0 10 11 0 154 60 117 25 108 7.7 3.0 1.2 5.8 0% .239 1.18 4.87 4.13 109 3.99 85.2
2009 BOS MLB AL 21 21 129.7 11 5 0 137 50 72 12 111 9.5 3.5 0.8 5.0 0% .292 1.44 4.61 4.58 110 4.83 103.6
2010 BOS MLB AL 32 19 140.0 4 10 0 153 36 84 19 112 9.8 2.3 1.2 5.4 0% .288 1.35 4.49 5.34 106 4.00 90.3
2011 BOS MLB AL 33 23 154.7 7 8 0 163 47 93 25 108 9.5 2.7 1.5 5.4 0% .274 1.36 5.02 5.12 117 4.78 111.2

Plate Discipline

YEAR Pits Zone% Swing% Contact% Z-Swing% O-Swing% Z-Contact% O-Contact% SwStr%
2008 2645 0.5130 0.4552 0.8173 0.6212 0.2803 0.8292 0.7895 0.1827
2009 2010 0.5244 0.4348 0.8318 0.5930 0.2605 0.8544 0.7751 0.1682
2010 2136 0.5627 0.4789 0.8084 0.6181 0.2998 0.8331 0.7429 0.1916
2011 2389 0.4960 0.4738 0.7951 0.6236 0.3264 0.8146 0.7583 0.2049
Career91800.52260.46110.81260.61490.29250.83180.76740.1874

Injury History  —  No longer being updated

Last Update: 12/31/2014 23:59 ET

Date On Date Off Transaction Days Games Side Body Part Injury Severity Surgery Date Reaggravation
2009-10-21 2009-10-21 Off 0 0 Low Back Surgery Herniated Disc and Nerve Root Decompression 2009-10-21
2009-10-01 2009-10-11 DTD 10 4 Low Back Soreness -
2009-09-01 2009-09-05 DTD 4 4 Low Back Soreness -
2009-07-18 2009-08-26 15-DL 39 36 Left Low Back Strain -
2008-08-07 2008-08-26 15-DL 19 15 Right Shoulder Stiffness -
2007-09-30 2007-10-16 DTD 16 1 Right Shoulder Soreness -
2007-08-31 2007-09-06 DTD 6 6 Low Back Soreness -
2006-07-18 2006-09-13 15-DL 57 53 Trunk Stress Fracture Rib Cage -
2006-07-07 2006-07-17 DTD 10 7 Low Back Soreness -
2005-08-19 2005-08-26 DTD 7 6 Right Ankle Contusion Batted Ball -
2004-07-17 2004-07-17 DTD 0 0 Shoulder Contusion Batted Ball -
2004-06-12 2004-06-12 DTD 0 0 Right Thumb Sprain Thumb -
2003-06-23 2003-06-23 DTD 0 0 Low Back Soreness -
2003-06-06 2003-06-06 DTD 0 0 Right Ankle Contusion Batted Ball -
1997-04-15 1997-05-08 15-DL 23 19 Right Elbow Inflammation - -

Compensation

Year Team Salary
2011 BOS $1,500,000
2010 BOS $3,500,000
2009 BOS $4,000,000
2008 BOS $4,000,000
2007 BOS $4,000,000
2006 BOS $4,000,000
2005 BOS $4,640,000
2004 BOS $4,350,000
2003 BOS $4,030,000
2002 BOS $3,200,000
2001 BOS $3,000,000
2000 BOS $4,500,000
YearsDescriptionSalary
12 yrPrevious$44,720,000
12 yrTotal$44,720,000

 

Service TimeAgentContract Status
18 y 6 dBarry Meister2 years/$5M (2010-11)

Details
  • 2 years/$5M (2010-11). Signed extension with Boston 11/9/09. 10:$3.5M, 11:$1.5M. 2011 salary increases to $2M with 130 IP in 2010, $3.5M with 160 IP in 2010. $2M in performance bonus based on starts.
  • 1 year/$4M (2006), plus 2007 club option. Signed extension with Boston 4/05. 06:$4M, 07:$4M club option. Performance bonuses: $50,000 each for 11-20 starts, $75,000 each for 21 starts or more. $4M club option for 2008 added 10/06. Option recurs at $4M until it is not exercised. Boston exercised 2007 option 10/06. Boston exercised 2009 option 10/31/08.
  • 3 years/$13.02M (2003-05). Re-signed by Boston 11/02. 03:$4.03M, 04:$4.35M, 05:$4.64M.
  • 2 years/$6.5M (2001-02), plus 2003 club option. 01:$3M, 02:$3.2M, 03:$3.2M club option.
  • 98:$3.5M, 99:$4M, 00:$4.5M.
  • 1 year/$0.175M (1995).
  • Drafted by Pittsburgh 1988 (8-200) (Florida Institute of Technology).

2019 Preseason Forecast

Last Update: 1/27/2017 12:35 ET

PCT W L SV G GS IP H BB SO HR BABIP WHIP ERA DRA VORP WARP
Weighted Mean?????0.0?00?.0000.000.00?0.00.0

Comparable Players (Similarity Index )

Rank Score Name Year Run Average Trend

BP Annual Player Comments

YearComment
2012 Wakefield achieved three milestones in 2011. On July 24, he became one of 24 pitchers ever to record 2,000 strikeouts or more with the same team. He recorded career win 199 in the same game, but it took him a record-setting eight attempts to notch win 200, two more than fellow knuckler Charlie Hough, and one more than Steve Carlton. Some of them were hard-luck losses, but Wakefield, who has slowed down significantly the last two seasons, was also to blame. He gave up eight runs in win 199, and six in 200, but the Red Sox scored a combined 30 runs to nail down both W's. While Wakefield is on the record saying the fans deserve a chance to see him set the franchise record for wins–he is seven away from passing both Roger Clemens and Cy Young–the wait for 200 might have dampened the enthusiasm of everyone else.
2011 In his penultimate campaign, Wakefield took over the top spots on Boston's all-time leaderboards for innings and games pitched. The knuckler isn't about to erase Roger Clemens from Boston's history, but when he retires he will leave Red Sox Nation with far fuzzier memories, thanks to his 17 seasons in town. Wake had a part-time seat in the bullpen, but also made 19 starts when injuries to starters struck. His ERA was its highest relative to the league average since 1993, since his knuckler doesn't knuckle like it used to as a result of a recurring back injury. With R.A. Dickey taking up the knuckleball mantle, Wakefield can rest easy when his retirement begins this fall.
2010 All-Star Game selections are funny things. Wakefield made his first All-Star team last year at age 42 despite the fact that his season was largely indistinguishable from any of the six before it. Wakefield had a 4.31 ERA in mid-July, nearly a dead match for his career mark of 4.33. He also had an 11-3 record because he received 6.2 runs of support in his first 17 starts. Wakefield hit the DL with a herniated disc just before the break and made just one more start before September. Three poor outings upon his return weren’t encouraging, and after the knuckleballer’s October surgery, the Sox killed his perpetual option, bringing him back as rotation insurance on a front-loaded two-year deal with a base of just $5 million.
2009 In 2008 Wakefield was the same pitcher he has been in recent seasons, with enough butterfly-induced strikeouts to get by and lower walk totals than in his younger days. Though the arm of a knuckleballer may seem like it should last forever, shoulder tendonitis caused him problems in August. The Sox picked up his perpetual $4 million option for 2009—even with back and shoulder issues, Wake's contract makes him an inexpensive proposition to stock the back end of the rotation with. There have been whispers of a possible retirement this winter, but they have become nothing more than that as of press time.
2008 Wakefield opened the year with 26 decisions in 26 outings, posting a 4.16 ERA in 164.1 innings, before a bad start against the Orioles combined with the Orioles' forgiving pitching staff to yield a no-decision. That outing kicked off a brutal end to his season-an 8.76 ERA in 24 2/3 innings over five starts-that was blamed on a sore shoulder. He's expected back this year, although he's, at best, the team's number-six starter.
2007 Wakefield`s injury--a stress fracture at the attachment of a rib, an injury nowhere in BP`s database--reduced the rotation to Schilling, Beckett, Lester, Famine, and Pestilence; in this case, two horsemen were enough to herald the apocalypse in Boston. The Sox went 22-31 during Wakefield`s two-month absence, dropping 11 games in the standings. Wakefield`s the leading practitioner of a dying art, and the Sox hold a perpetual option on his services, but 2006 served as a warning that, now that he`s past 40, a big chunk of his innings could quickly disappear off the ledger.
2006 Wakefield was Boston`s best starter in 2005, which says more about the staff than it does about Wakefield, who had a fairly typical season, albeit with the better control than usual. He`s got a throwback contract that essentially gives the team a yearly option for as long as they want it. Wakefield remains very valuable pitcher and should have at least another decent year or two ahead of him. Hoyt Wilhelm posted a 2.16 ERA from age 39 through his retirement at age 48, but that`s not the norm; knuckleballers decline rapidly with age, just like everyone else.
2005 When talking about Wakefield, the conversation inevitably turns either to the fact that he's a knuckleballer or that one pitch from the 2003 ALCS instead of the fact that he's consistently been one of the league's top inning-eaters for a decade. Last year certainly wasn't one of Wakefield's best—his strikeouts were down, homers up—but he's established a history of being able to consistently contribute close to 200 innings of league-average pitching, a commodity not nearly as easy to find as it might seem. Signed for under $5 million for 2005, he'll be worth the dough.
2004 Two hundred innings of Wakefield is a bargain at just over $4 million per year. There are a lot of reasons to root for him, not least of which is that he is a joy to watch. In an era of relative sameness amongst the game's pitchers, Wakefield is the only good pitcher who regularly throws a knuckleball, one that is nearly unhittable when it's dancing. He is a better athlete than many of the knuckleballers of the 1970s, and pitches with a unique stiff, upright style. Hopefully there were thousands of teenagers watching him in the ALCS, who then headed outside to play catch. If he takes care of himself he could have several more productive years left.
2003 In 2001, Wakefield pitched like an All-Star for the first half of the season before losing his grip, but in 2002, he kept his grip on the entire year. His peripheral stats have noticeably improved, with his strikeout rate in each of the last two seasons topping his previous best. Frequent baserunners, the bane of knuckleball pitchers, have not been a problem for Wakefield as opposing batters hit only .204/.275/.333 (think Gary DiSarcina in an off year). Earlier in his career, Wakefield seemed to be successful only in his first season in each league. His current streak of dominance has broken a pattern of mediocrity, which bodes well for this season. After pitching as a swingman in each of the last four seasons (with 45 to 51 appearances, 15–17 starts, and 140–170 innings each year), he was signed to a bargain deal (three years and $13 million), and will begin the season in the rotation behind Martinez and Lowe. If Wakefield can approach this success in a full-time role, the Red Sox could have starting pitchers win, place, and show in the AL ERA race.
2002 Wakefield belonged on the All-Star team after a first half that put him among the AL’s top three pitchers, but he hit the skids in July and never recovered his early-season form. Wakefield still led the Sox in Adjusted Runs Prevented and was an above-average starter on the whole. Given regular work, he has usually been effective to very effective, which would seem to indicate that he should be placed in the rotation and left there. Jimy was never able to do that; perhaps the new manager will.
2001 He started just 17 games but ranked third on the team with nine stints of at least six innings. Nevertheless, the Sox sent him to the bullpen at every opportunity, and the inconsistent usage wore on him. Given regular work and the occasional Phil Niekro pep talk, Wakefield can be a league-average starter at worst and a good team’s #4 starter with a little luck. Despite all the fighting in 2000, he re-signed with the Sox for 2001.
2000 The knuckleball has given him a reputation for inconsistency, but look at those translated ERAs: he's been the model of consistency on a seasonal basis. His stint as a closer when Tom Gordon went down called to mind a time when just about all knuckleballers were relievers. Wakefield will make $4.5 million in 2000, and would be tradable if other teams realized the value of an average inning-eater who just happens not to be able to hit 80 mph on the fast gun.
1999 League average, inning chewing pitchers have a lot of value, and Wakefield should be able to continue doing just what he's done the past couple of years for another decade or two. My out-on-a-limb prediction: Tim will put up at least one more gem of a season like his Cy Young runner up performance in 1995 before he's through.
1998 Three years after nearly washing out of baseball, two years after nearly winning the Cy Young and just months after a temporary demotion to the pen, Wakefield may have found his niche: middle-of-the-rotation innings-eater. The flutterballer can throw 140 pitches in a game without the ill effects many others would see, although one 165+ pitch performance this season was not a wise move on Williams’ part. Much of his improvement over ’96 was a matter of keeping the ball in the ballpark, which is pretty much in the job description. Signed a three-year, $12 million extension.
1997 That’s more like it. Wakefield’s not a Cy Young threat in a normal year, but as an innings-munching #3 starter he could make some money. Knuckleball pitchers, in my opinion, are hurt more by the Incredible Shrinking Strike Zone [tm] because batters focus on a smaller and smaller hitting area. The threat of the knuckler being a strike is lessened, leading to more walks, more strikeouts, more cripple counts and more home runs. Recommended, but make sure he doesn’t end up in Detroit or Colorado or something.
1996  Collapsed late in the season. Not likely to ever maintain his success for a long period, but stranger things have happened. Has the virtue of health, and as long as you're not expecting him to pitch like he did last year, he can help a ballclub. He could pitch as well as he did in 1995 in 2005.

Might be a perfect "platoon" pitcher. That is, since he has the ability to pitch with varying amounts of rest, spot him only against teams full of free swingers. Let the Kirby Pucketts take their hacks at him, but don't let the Warren Newsons draw their walks. Just an idea.

BP Articles

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BP Chats

DateQuestionAnswer
2012-07-20 13:00:00 (link to chat)East Coast question from the midwest. Over the second half how far will R.A. Dickey and Johan Santana fall off from their first half performances?
(wauzer from Milwaukee)
Well, I don't think Santana will throw another no-hitter. And I doubt Dickey will throw another one-hitter.

Santana has posted a 5.67 ERA in seven starts since the no-no, and batters are hitting .291/.345/.544 against him over that period. He is better than that, but I think the real concern is workload. How many more innings can he pitch after sitting out all of 2011?

As for Dickey, sometimes knuckleballers have great years. Joe Niekro in 1982. Charlie Hough in 1985. Tim Wakefield in 1995 and 2002. Dickey seems to be having one of those years, as he did in 2010, but with a much higher (and more baffling) strikeout rate. How far will he fall? On the one hand, he has allowed five runs in three of his last four starts, so maybe it's already starting. On the other, he allowed eight in his third start of the year and then went 9-0 with a 1.21 ERA over his next 11. I don't know where his pitches are headed, I don't know where his season is headed. (Geoff Young)
2011-08-04 13:00:00 (link to chat)Your JAWS articles are one of my favorite parts of the site. Is Catfish Hunter the most underqualified member of the HOF in recent memory? The topic was brought up on a message board recently and the consensus was that I was an idiot for thinking Hunter isn't an obvious HOFer. I was surprised at how poorly Hunter measured via WARP. He seems to have benefited a lot via his home park, the pitching version of Jim Rice, if you will, and his career ERA+ is only 105, which puts him about on par with Tim Wakefield. Actually, my quick estimate of JAWS scores has Wakefield as only 2 points worse than Hunter.
(The Groovin' Mahoovin from Atlantic City, NJ)
Thanks for the kind words. Hunter fares poorly on the JAWS scale because of his middling run prevention, and while he's slightly further from the standard at starting pitching than Rice is in left field, he's slightly closer in terms of peak - he was washed up at 33 years old due to injuries that may have had something to do with the problems that felled him later in life. Furthermore, he dusts Rice when it comes to the postseason, having won five World Series rings. (Jay Jaffe)
2010-11-11 13:00:00 (link to chat)So if I'm done, who is the oldest player in MLB? (Like most people, I like the idea that there's at least one guy still in the bigs around my age.)
(Jamie Moyer from home, resting)
Pretty sure it's Tim Wakefield. August 2, 1966. Wow.

I wonder if we see more older pitchers in the coming years than before. Improved health could play a role on hand, but added competition from other countries could make it harder to stay around. (Matt Swartz)
2010-10-14 13:00:00 (link to chat)I felt old when I compiled this list in April. Tweleve 2010 MLB players were older than me. How many will be back next year? 1 Jamie Moyer -- Phillies --18-Nov-62 2 Tim Wakefield -- Red Sox --2-Aug-66 3 Omar Vizquel -- White Sox --24-Apr-67 4 Trevor Hoffman -- Brewers -- 13-Oct-67 5 Matt Stairs -- Padres -- 27-Feb-68 6 Brad Ausmus -- Dodgers -- 14-Apr-69 7 Arthur Rhodes -- Reds -- 24-Oct-69 8 Ken Griffey Jr. -- Mariners -- 21-Nov-69 9 Mariano Rivera-- Yankees -- 29-Nov-69 10 Takashi Saito -- Braves -- 14-Feb-70 11 Jim Edmonds -- Brewers -- 27-Jun-70 12 Mark Grudzielanek -- Indians -- 30-Jun-70
(ted from the cubicle)
Most of them, I think. Next year is Wakefield's last season though. Matt Stairs wants to come back for one more year, at least. Arthur Rhodes is a reliever, so he'll pitch until he can't. (Marc Normandin)
2009-12-15 14:00:00 (link to chat)Lackey to the Red Sox? I don't get it. Does this mean that Boston is going to try and trade some of its young pitching (Bowden, Tazawa, etc.) for a Cabrera or Gonzalez?
(PSIllini from Columbus, OH)
Maybe, but I think I like Joe's suggestion, that in this market, it means they might peddle from among their stock in veteran starters. Admittedly, that puts them up against the Braves, who are equally motivated to do something about their overstock, but Bowden and Tazawa have options (and could use time in Pawtucket), and it isn't like Tim Wakefield's retired just yet. The Sox could deal from among their new front five. Beckett's the logical guy to flip, although they cold also sell low on Dice-K to keep that fifth slot to Wakefield plus Bowden. (Christina Kahrl)
2009-12-01 13:00:00 (link to chat)Why don't more teams have a knuckleballer in the pen as a long man/change of pace guy? You have to believe that after seeing 90mph fastballs all game, a 60mph knuckler would make anyone look foolish
(jbuofm from Peoria)
I did love the days of Tim Wakefield: Closer, but I think part of the problem is just that there aren't a lot of guys who can throw a knuckleball consistently well. I'm sure there are plenty of pitchers that can toss one for kicks, but consistency is the key, especially when it looks like the pitcher doesn't even know where it's going sometimes.

I also wonder how effective the pitch would be if everyone in the league was used to seeing it often. (Marc Normandin)
2009-09-10 13:00:00 (link to chat)Thanks for the chat, Will. What do you think the chances are of Tim Wakefield being an effective pitcher (i.e. not a perennially injured one) next season. What I'm angling at: should the Red Sox pick up his $4 million option next season?
(mattymatty2000 from Philly)
This is more a question for Shawn Hoffman, but I think the question is one of value -- can they replace his production, even at a reduced level, for the same or less cost. PECOTA gives us a tool for assessing this, but it's career assessment for Wakefield is dumbfounding. Shifting to a partial reliever role, it expects him to throw MORE innings in the next two years but for his value to go down. The other question here is the value of the next option; with his odd contract, you're not just giving up one year, but the right to keep renewing. I think the Red Sox have options, but that the cheap option and loyalty gets him one more year. (Will Carroll)
2009-07-13 14:00:00 (link to chat)You said of Tim Wakefield going to the All-Star game, "the list of AL pitchers more qualified for the honor is very, very long." How many people on that list have been as good as Wakefield for as long? Isn't overlooking his track record, of years and years of being a very good if not great pitcher, equivalent to the one-half-year-itis in All-Star voting that you (and I) complain about?
(Bill from New Mexico)
You're overrating his career. He's been average to good, not very good to great. And the standard for making the All-Star team has to be higher than "22nd-best guy and a nice story." So many pitchers got cheated by that pick. All-Star pitching staffs have ALWAYS been about first-half performance, at least in my lifetime, so to change it for one guy is silly. Besides, let's be serious: if Wakefield had been 8-6, he wouldn't have been picked. This was innumeracy above all else.

Lightning round. (Joe Sheehan)
2008-11-03 13:30:00 (link to chat)What are your thoughts on Jamie Moyer and should the Phillies re-sign him? He is quoted as saying he'll be back what's he worth?
(gmchugh from Seattle,Wa)
On some level, Moyer's almost like the crafty lefty variant on Tim Wakefield--if you can get him for an affordable package that lets you write him in as your fourth starter, he's an asset. If he wants a three-year deal at market rates, wish him well. (Christina Kahrl)
2008-07-21 15:00:00 (link to chat)As the proud, expectant father of twin girls, any physical reason that a women could not pitch professionally? ( I am not sure Ira Borders counts) Thanks.
(cooper7d7 from CT)
I'll make my second tennis reference here and say it's extremely unlikely. Even the best women players can't stay on the court with mediocre male players, but more importantly to pitching, the fastest woman (Venus Williams) tops out around 125. The first woman pitcher will likely be a Jamie Moyer or maybe a Tim Wakefield type. (Will Carroll)


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PITCHf/x Pitcher Profile

A Collaboration between BrooksBaseball.net and Baseball Prospectus - Pitch classifications provided by Pitch Info LLC


Although he has not thrown an MLB pitch in 2023, Tim Wakefield threw 10,628 pitches that were tracked by the PITCHf/x system between 2007 and 2011, all of them occuring in Spring Training. In 2011, he relied primarily on his Knuckleball (66mph), also mixing in a Fourseam Fastball (73mph). He also rarely threw a Curve (61mph).