Bad behavior didn't help, but it was bad pitching that doomed him.
Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Alfredo Aceves had handed the ball to manager John Farrell for the last time in awhile. The demotion of Red Sox pitcher Alfredo Aceves to Pawtucket came for a reason nobody really considered when his erratic behavior was making all those headlines.
It came because he was not a good enough pitcher. End of story.
He has been and he could be, which makes this so maddening. Few pitchers in baseball have exhibited his versatility, though that is partly because in today's specialized age, few are given the chance.
But Aceves ran out of chances Tuesday, when his start against Oakland was of Little League caliber. From walks to balks, the peculiar right-hander was gone by the fourth inning of a 13-0 defeat.
In personality, Aceves is the polar opposite of the agreeable Daniel Bard, yet they have much in common. Both lost their places because of performance that may have stemmed from an attempt to juggle various roles.
Bard is back in Boston with a new chance. With Aceves, we will see.
At his best, Aceves has looked like a rare combination of starter and reliever, short man and long man. He did well at pitching multiple innings of relief, but faltered when tossed into a closer's role he eagerly accepted.
In 2012 spring training, Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine declared Aceves a "pitching savant,'' a master of his art. All of a sudden, a journeyman reliever was being viewed as indispensable.
His elevation to an elite (though undefined) role was either an exaggeration or premature. Aceves lurched into a 2-10 season with a 5.36 ERA, lost his closer's job and wound up getting suspended for ridiculous behavior.
His oddball act got a quick rebuke from John Farrell this spring, and all seemed well. What wasn't well was Aceves' performance, in part because his reputation as a spot starter has never been grounded in substance.
He has 12 career starts, including three this year, with flashes of promise. Success as a starter, though, was always based on presumption, not proven track record.
He still offered a uniquely appealing package. Entering 2012, Aceves had a major league record of 24-3.
Were he able to sustain the promise of his early years, it's a safe bet that he would have a place on the Red Sox staff. His 8.66 ERA this year instead suggested that 2012 was not a blip.
As for multiple innings, Clayton Mortensen can do that, too. Without the problems.
Maybe Aceves' moods contributed to his slippage, maybe not. It doesn't matter with a team that ultimately judged his pitching and not his act and said, "Who needs this?''
Aceves was not that he was over-indulged, simply overrated. It was unreliable pitching, not an unreliable personality, that doomed him in Boston.