Red Sox's Andrew Bailey Dishes On Expectations For $21M Star: 'Untapped Potential'

The Red Sox need this decorated vet to bounce back

Oct 28, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Walker Buehler (21) pitches during the first inning against the New York Yankees in game three of the 2024 MLB World Series at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

In many ways, the Boston Red Sox's starting rotation is the key to their 2025 success.

Second-year Red Sox pitching coach Andrew Bailey oversaw a starting staff that came out of the gates dominant in 2024, but gradually lost steam as the season went along. This winter, he's watched as the front office has largely overhauled the group he gets to work with.

Bringing in Garrett Crochet to be the ace should solve many of the Red Sox's problems, assuming he can keep up his torrid strikeout pace from 2024 over a larger workload. But Boston is also counting on two-time World Series champion Walker Buehler for a major bounceback.

Buehler, 30, signed a one-year, $21.05 million contract with the Red Sox after a rough walk year with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He finished strong in the postseason, helping lock down his second World Series ring, but he'll have to prove his 5.38 regular season ERA was an aberration.

In a recent interview, Bailey talked about his expectations for Buehler in 2025, noting how huge it would be for Boston if the two-time All-Star could reach his full potential.

“It means a lot,” Bailey said, per Sean McAdam of MassLive. “Coming from a winning culture, and having a guy who’s experienced the highs and lows of his career, is important. He’s got that veteran presence that, as a coach, I can lean into to help share insight with others along the way.

"But also, he’s a guy we’re counting on and helping optimize and reach his ceiling, which was ace-caliber just a handful of seasons ago. He’s a guy with pitchability, with multiple pitches. We’ll see where the velo is over 30-plus starts. But in a vacuum, this is a guy with untapped potential."

Buehler missed all of 2023 recovering from his second Tommy John surgery and made just 14 starts last season. His career numbers are still sparkling, though: a 47-22 record, 3.27 ERA, and 754 strikeouts in 713 2/3 innings.

The Red Sox are banking on the fact that Buehler found his command in the playoffs translating to the following campaign. If he can be a top-three starter in a big-league rotation again, their postseason odds will skyrocket.

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