Alfredo Aceves – Should he be in Boston?

If Alfredo Aceves is to be a part of the the Red Sox 2013 pitching plans, he has a lot of explaining to do.
 
In 2012, Aceves was handed the closer's role when Andrew Bailey went down. He seemed a logical choice, based on a 2011 campaign in which he both started and relieved and finished 10-2 with a 2,61 ERA, In 114 innings pitched, he surrendered only 84 hits. Aceves seemed to be perhaps the most versatile pitcher on the staff.
 
However, along with his teammates and manager, the past season was generally a nightmare for Aceves. Despite some positive outings, he would end up near the bottom of the pitching scale. His record nosedived to 2-10, his ERA to 5.36. Though he saved 25 games, he blew 8 others. But it was his off-the-field antics that made bigger headlines.
 
In late August, he was suspended by the Sox for "conduct detrimental to the team". In what would be a 10-9 loss to Kansas City, Aceves, apparently upset at being passed over for a save opportunity, stormed into Valentine's office. According to writer Gordon Edes of ESPN Boston, he demanded a meeting with GM Ben Cherington. The hurler was told this was impossible because of Cherington's negotiations concerning the blockbuster trade with the Dodgers. Aceves then left, slamming the door.
 
Valentine, who seemed to have been on the pitcher's side through his erratic season, had little to say, besides expressing disappointment. But the team had good reason to use Bailey that night. Aceves' August record had been 0-2 with a 10.24 ERA in 9 appearences, including 11 hits and 9 runs allowed, along with 4 homers. Mark Townsend of Yahoo Sports, in describing the incident, wrote that Aceves should have been told beforehand that he would not be the closer. Given Alfredo's record in the previous weeks, however, he should have been the last one to protest.
 
The problems did not end there, however. In a September game at Fenway, Aceves went out of his way to embarrass Bobby V. Removed from the contest by the manager, he handed the ball directly to catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia rather than Valentine. He then ran from the mound, indicating he wanted nothing to do with his manager.
 
Following the contest, Valentine tried, as he often did, to minimize the incident, though it was obvious he was angered. "Who cares if he showed me up?", Val stated. "If I have to explain Aceves' actions, I'll wind up going across the river and work for Harvard."
 
To my knowledge, Aceves has yet to apologize for any of his incidents, even with a new manager on the scene. From where I sit, he is fortunate to still have a job with the team- one of the reasons might be that the Sox are so short of pitching. He is one of the many symbols of what was wrong with the club during the 2012 campaign. Alfredo will have to show me a lot this spring to indicate he deserves a spot on the roster.