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| Bard At His Peak |
His 79 holds in the 2009-2011 period were the most
ever by a pitcher in the first 192 career appearances. That's how dominant Daniel Bard was for the Red Sox. In his eighth-inning set-up role, he routinely mowed down hitters with a 100+-MPH fastball that was delivered with a deceptive ease. The kid was the closer-in-waiting when Papelbon (as we all knew) would flee for cash. Then, Boston tried to convert him into a starter. Dumb and dumber. Even though Bard was "nominally" on board with the conversion, he clearly was not comfortable in the new role. He was bad. He got worse. In the process, he lost his confidence. And yesterday,
the organization that groomed him designated him for assignment. If no other team claims him, he could be back with the Red Sox. But we will likely never again see the brilliance that gave us so much hope for the future. What a shame.
