Clay Feat Due?

Clay Buchholz deserves a promotion. I'm not saying that he belongs on the Red Sox, but Buchholz has simply overmatched Double A hitters and needs the challenge of the next level, the amalgam of Major League hasbeens and wannabes. Triple A hitters will have more patience and experience and help develop Buchholz sooner than allowing him to toy with the AA product.

AAA will afford Buchholz a bigger challenge while he continues to develop his command and control, particularly of both sides of the plate with his fastball, and better location of his 12 to 6 breaking ball.

For the season at Portland, Buchholz sports a 1.69 ERA, allowing only 53 hits and 21 walks in 85 innings, a sub-one whip ratio and a strikeout to walk ratio of almost six.

In his last three starts (17.1 innings), the 22 year-old righthander has yielded only 10 hits, one earned run, walked four and fanned twenty-one. In his last ten starts, with limited pitch counts and innings, he has exceeded ten strikeouts four times and had at least eight strikeouts six times. For the season, opponents hit .177 against Buchholz.

Theo, it's time. Take him to the next level.