Clay Buchholz might have gotten a bad reputation last year due to his association with Messrs. Lester, Lackey, and Beckett in the video-game-playing, beer-drinking culture that developed. But if the early parts of spring training are any indication, Buchholz has turned over a new leaf.
WEEI's Rob Bradford reports that Buchholz has dropped almost 15 lbs., down to 184.
“The weight came off so easy that it felt like it almost needed to come off,” Buchholz said Tuesday morning. “I feel better now just being able to move around. I feel lighter on my feet than I did last year, all year. It came off quick in a month. That’s sort of why I don’t mind it.”
As Bradford points out, back issues and extra weight aren't a good combination -- just ask Bobby Jenks. That said, we see these stories every year. Everybody is always in the best shape of their life. I've seen similar proclamations about Jim Thome's 75-year-old body, and Jed Lowrie, who has roughly a 0.00001% chance of playing more than 150 games in Houston.
But let's hope the weight loss is a good sign for Clay. He's already got his money, so the motivation must be performance, driven from within. Now let's see if his body can hold up to the wear and tear of 200 innings.
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