Is Dice-K Out of 5?

Is Daisuke Matsuzaka out of the rotation? I do not believe that is the case. I feel he will be the number five starter on this year’s team as does many others. It looks as if Dice-K would rather think that he is competing for this spot according to an article from WEEI.

"At this stage there is no promise to be in the rotation,” Matsuzaka said using his interpreter Kenta Yamada following his first spring training start today.

Dice-K gave up a solo homerun in today’s game against the Minnesota Twins in two innings of work. He is hoping that this spring will be improvement in the past. The past two seasons with the Red Sox have not been very good to him. In 2009 following the World Baseball Classic Matsuzaka was physically not where he needed to be for the season and he never really got there. His 2009 record with a poor 4-6 record in 12 starts. In 2010 he showed up to spring training in what looked to be his best shape he had ever been in during his tenure as a member of the Red Sox. Though he looked to be in shape he was sidelined from a neck strain injury from March until May. The 2010 campaign ended poorly again with a 9-6 record with 25 starts. Playing with these injuries has not worked out well for Dice-K, who was once looked at to be a front of the line starter for the Sox.

This season Matsuzaka feels he is in competition for the fifth spot even if this is not so. If he helps him prepare to have a better year than I am all for thinking that way as long as it works. It looks as if the right hander plays better when he has something to compete for and he feels he is competing with Alfredo Aceves for the final spot in the rotation.

“It’s actually very important for me to be in competition,” Dice-K said.

Matsuzaka has two years left with the Red Sox each of those seasons worth $10 million a piece that tells me he will be in the line up come hell or high water. Hopefully this season will be a flash back to his 2008 season when he went 18-3 and be able to live up to this contract he signed.