The Red Sox will need swingmen more than ever in 2021

Garrett Whitlock Photo by Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Something I’ve talked about a lot over the last few years and something that I’ve come to believe more and more as time as gone on is that we underrate versatility among pitchers. Obviously we recognize the value for position players who can play all over the diamond, but a pitcher who can bounce around between different roles is tougher than it seems and can open a lot of doors. It’s one of the reasons why Alfredo Aceves’s 2011 season in which he made four starts, finished 15 games, made multiple-inning relief appearances and ultimately pitched to a 2.61 ERA over 114 innings is among my favorite pitching seasons of all-time. Not everyone has to be that extreme, but even guys like Brian Johnson and Hector Velázquez jumping from the bullpen to the rotation in 2018 was a significant reason why that team was able to put together the best season in franchise history.

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