Hot prospect Daniel Bard gets called up!
For Immediate Release
May 10, 2009
RED SOX SELECT RIGHT-HANDED PITCHER DANIEL BARD TO ACTIVE ROSTER;
DESIGNATE LEFT-HANDED PITCHER JAVIER LOPEZ FOR ASSIGNMENT
BOSTON, MA—The Boston Red Sox today selected right-handed pitcher Daniel Bard to the active roster from Triple-A Pawtucket. To make room on the 40-man roster, left-handed pitcher Javier Lopez has been designated for assignment. Bard, who will wear number 60, will be active for tonight’s game against Tampa Bay.
The announcement was made by Executive Vice President/General Manager Theo Epstein.
For Bard, 23, it is his first stint at the Major League level. The reliever has gone 1-0 with a 1.13 ERA (2 ER/16.0 IP) in 11 appearances for the PawSox and is tied for the International League lead with six saves. The right-hander leads Pawtucket with 29 strikeouts compared to five walks and his ratio of 16.3 strikeouts per nine innings ranks second among all minor league relievers. Bard has held opponents to a .115 batting average (6-for-52) this season.
Selected by Boston in the first round (club’s second pick) of the 2006 First-Year Player Draft, Bard was named last season’s Red Sox Minor League Pitcher of the Year after combining for a 5-1 record with seven saves, a 1.51 ERA (13 ER/77.2 IP) and 107 strikeouts between Single-A Greenville and Double-A Portland. In nine relief appearances as a non-roster invitee this spring, Bard went 1-0 with one save, striking out 14 batters in 10.1 scoreless innings.
Lopez, 31, was 0-2 with a 9.26 ERA (12 ER/11.2 IP) in 14 relief appearances for Boston this season. Acquired by the Red Sox in a June 2006 trade from the Chicago White Sox, Lopez is 5-3 with one save and a 3.30 ERA (47 ER/128.1 IP) in 172 career games for Boston. He is 11-7 with four saves and a 4.62 ERA (125 ER/243.2 IP) in 343 career Major League appearances for Colorado (2003-05), Arizona (2005) and Boston (2006-09).
— RED SOX —
Red Sox Insider Blog 
Daniel Bard is a great young pitcher with a supersonic arm.I am slightly surprised to see Bowden and Buchholz skipped-over though.Soon Masterson will be back in the bull pen and Dice-K will be in his rotation spot again.Saito and Ramirez(Ramon) are golden.Wake is having a very good start this year,and Penny is getting better-he just needs to calm down…he’s too nervous/jittery on the mound.Poor Javy,he is not having the best start to his year,but it is only the first half of May,so he will improve.Lester needs to stay calm,and not let frustration cloud his performance on the mound!!Focus…and calm.Beckett was great last night.
Red Sox Nation was dancing with joy at the news of Bard being called up! Unlike Bowden and Buchholz, with Bard being a closer – or a setup man – he will be a great addition to our pen! Giving us more options if our starter pitchers have a hard time!
Julia
http://werbiefitz.mlblogs.com/
I agree he will be a fantastic closer or setup guy,but we seem to be loaded with great guys filling those positions,and are running out of fill-in defense.Saito and Ramirez,and even Okie are doing great at finishing-off our games when Pap is not playing,and Bard needs to play…not wait around for his turn out of the pen.He’s got a wicked rocket of an arm that needs to pitch-often.
This has nothing to do with Daniel Bard or Javier Lopez, but I don’t care. I am going to make this simple, ” Sign Jason Bay to a long term deal”, because if you don’t , I might turn( no explanation needed to say what turn I am talking about). The Boston Red Sox can’t rely on every player from their organization from the minor leagues to be a big star like Jacoby Ellsbury, Dustin Pedoria, Kevin Youkilis, Jon Lester, etc. Eventually it will bite you in the *** because you couldn’t. Stop, please with the excuses.
how long are we going to let ortiz kill us with the bases loaded. move him out of the three hole. he just can’t produce anymore. they are blowing him away every time. please for the good of the TEAM. he will under stand. he know he’s not doing the job.
Ian.. I have a question that I have not been able to get a response to on your Brownie Points Blog. I keep hearing how great the Tampa Bay Rays are, and I admit they ARE good. However, if you look at their season schedule so far, the only series that they have won outright are with the Sox and the Yankees. They’ve been to the west coast, played played Cleveland, Baltimore etc.. yet the only teams whose numbers they seem to have to this point in the season are Our Sox and The Yankees.. If they are so GREAT as I am continually told, why is it that the rest of the teams that they have played have beat them?? I would love to have any response to this.
Thanks…
Ellen
I saw him pitch in person if this kid can command his fastball and locate off speed pitchers hes gonna be something else. He topped out at 99 even though the batters could hit it around. He just needs time to blossom and the Red Sox have got themselves a stud.
To Redsoxinsider: Bard is the best, our answer to John Danks of the WhiteSox. (100 mph plus on the radar gun) Couple of observations, if you’ve read the mlb blogs alot of the fans are suggesting you deep six dice-k, and find a way to get rid of him, some said you can’t because of his contract, which would also include not being able to trade him, even in a multi-deal? This is my suggestion, Keep Penny in the rotation, demote dicek to bullpen or find a way to get rid of him, a couple of weeks ago the rumor was trade Penny for a bat? We don’t need any bats- keep penny with becket and smoltz along with Lester, find a way to promote buck, keep bard. Penny is great this year, we need to keep him beyond next year, and under no circumstances let Bay go? Answer his request with a good long lasting contract, he’s a great player and great for the Sox and so is Penny!!! Redsoxinsider comments welcome- diehardbostonfansince1969