Bounce Back Season For John Lackey?

Having Tommy John surgery at the end of the 2011 season, John Lackey has been away from baseball for close to 18 months and for Red Sox fans, those 18 months were much needed.  Coming to Boston after signing a 5 year contract worth 75 million dollars in 2010, Lackey has not lived up to one cent of that lucrative contract.  In two years with the Sox he has pitched to a 5.26 ERA which led to his surgery at the end of the 2011 season.  A year away from the game, and a healthy John Lackey could pay off tremendously for not only himself, but the Red Sox rotation.

A healthy and affective Lackey, the one the Red Sox thought they were signing three years ago, will add depth to the rotation behind Jon Lester and Clay Bucholz.  Assuming Lester and Bucholz bounce back behind the leadership and knowledge of new manager and mentor, John Farrel, the Red Sox 1-3 starters could turn out to be the best in baseball.  When Lakcey was considered 100 percent in Anaheim he was a pitcher who won a lot of ball games while pitching to a low ERA.  In his last five years with the Angels Lackey went 69-38 with a 3.49 ERA. 

With Lackey feeling the best he has felt in at least two years, the hopes of him pitching like he did in Anaheim should be extremely high.  If he can bring forth the effort of taking the ball every fifth day and giving his team a chance to win, the Red Sox will be in tremendous shape.  Lackey has worked extremely hard over this past year to bounce back from surgery and to prove to Red Sox Nation that he is worth the money.  Look for Lackey to bounce back in a big way in 2013.