Well, as of Wednesday morning, the Boston Red Sox had played 81 games. That's half of their season.
So we're at the point where we can start talking about trends, patterns, paces, stats and all of that stuff. Whether or not it is cool is up for debate. But it's real. And that's why we need to talk about Brandon Workman and the season he is having.
With the regular season 50 percent of the way finished, The guy had made 40 appearances in relief already. Think about it: that's on pace to make 80 appearances and the way the team's bullpen looks, they'll probably have to use him a lot later in the season too if they want to compete.
Is It THAT out of the ordinary? No. Not really. Nowadays it's a bit less common. It would be the first time since 2005 that the Red Sox had a reliever make at least 80 appearances, assuming he reaches the threshold. Mike Timlin (81 outings) was the last guy to reach that feat.
Granted, no one will ever touch the 106 appearances Mike Marshall made in one season in the 70s, this is actually quite impressive.
And the team is using Workman because he is an effective pitcher. So far this year, he has a 1.70 ERA with 53 strikeouts in 37 innings pitched. That's excellent.
As for the rest of the Red Sox bullpen, let's just put it this way: an addition at the trade deadline this year would certainly be welcomed.
If only the team signed Craig Kimbrel but hey, that's a thing of the past. He is with the Cubs now and that can't be dwelled on too much.
Ultimately, what this comes down to is the Workman should've been on the 2014 Red Sox as a reliever instead of the org screwing with him and trying to make him a starter.