What Happened to Matt Clement
We all know how the story started out - the Red Sox tried to get Matt Clement from the Cubs all season in 2004. When it was announced that Nomar was heading to Chicago, I, along with many other Sox fans I’m sure, expected Clement to be coming here for the stretch run in 2004. But alas, we got defense instead of pitching, and the rest was history.
Pedro Martinez and Derek Lowe both pitched their last games in a Sox uniform in the World Series, and all seemed right with the world. In order to replace those two, Theo Epstein went out and signed one of the best players on the free agent market. He had posted great numbers the year before, winning 13 of his 30 starts with a 3.68 ERA and better than 1 strikeout per inning. Coming off a career year, it looked like Matt Clement would be a good replacement for Pedro/Lowe. And in fact, it was! He was getting ground ball outs, pitching well, and put together 13 quality starts out of 19, good for a 10-1 record and a trip to the all star game. Yes, in case you forgot, Matt Clement was at one time the Red Sox only all star pitcher on the staff!
But then, the Sox went to Tampa Bay on July 26. In the third inning, Clement took a line drive to the head and was removed from the game. (AP Photos - collage taken from Boston Dirt Dogs)
And that was pretty much that. Read his reactions in this ESPN article - Clement Discusses Scary Night
It seemed to look worse than it was, as he was back pitching on August 4, though he had one of the worst outings of the year, surrendering 6 runs in 5 innings to the Royals. He won 4 out of the next 5 games, but watching him, it was clear he was not the same pitcher. He sucked in his one playoff start against the White Sox, giving up 8 runs, unable to get out of the 4th inning, in a 14-2 blowout.
2006 was supposed to be a better year, but at that point, he was experiencing a lot of shoulder pain on the days after he pitched and ended up going on the disabled list after his last start (presumably) in a Red Sox uniform on June 14. He ended 2006 with a 5-5 record and a 6.61 ERA. This year is the last year of his contract, and the Sox are paying him just under $10 million dollars, apparently to run the fantasy football draft for the team.
He is close to returning, though it may not come in time to see the big league club. The minor league season is winding down, and without any rehab starts, it is highly unlikely he’ll be seen in Boston. It is possible that the Sox would try to get him in games to eat some innings at the end of the season while they get the rotation set for the playoffs, but that will only happen after the division is locked up.
Nick Cafardo has been talking to Clement, as he is with the team in Tampa for this series (he was rehabbing in Fort Myers).
Clement Feels He’s Getting Close
The article paints him in a positive light, as someone who is just trying to make it in this crazy mixed up world. But I don’t buy it. If the shoulder has been such a chronic issue, why did we pay him $27 million dollars? Did that problem just come up randomly after the contract was signed? Isn’t this what physicals are for?
Yes, he may have shoulder issues, but I still point to that line drive in the head that mixed him up. Perhaps after that, he was a little nervous on the mound and was making some sort of mechanical change to his throwing motion that messed with the shoulder. Who knows. What I do know is that Theo and the boys can’t wait to get this guys money off the books. That is $9 million dollars we could have given to JD Drew!
Clement has been working hard to get back in the game, and honestly, good for him. But I, for one, am still going to advocate that he start picking up trash and scanning tickets in order to get some value out of this contract. Cafardo does paint a picture of a nice guy with bad luck, though this is baseball and a pitcher of his caliber is an investment. Not just for the owners, but for the entire fan base. And with Clement, these guys were buying Enron stock the day before the scandal hit!
Stumble it!