John Fay (and others) reported a comment from Jerry Narron today indicating that they might (emphasis on might) carry 11 pitchers rather than the typical 12. I talked previously about the lack of space on the active roster for position players, and carrying 11 pitchers would seem to be a way to allow someone like Josh Hamilton or Jeff Keppinger to make the team.
But if the Reds will carry 11 pitchers, how does that affect competition? By my reckoning, here's what we're looking at:
Rotation:
1. Harang
2. Arroyo
3. Lohse
4. Milton
5. One of Saarloos/Ramirez/Santos/Belisle/Livingston/Wilson/Bailey
Bullpen:
1. Weathers
2. Coffey
3. Stanton
4. Cormier
5. Bray
6. Majewski
...So while the 5th rotation slot is still up for competition, the bullpen looks locked if the Reds go with 11 pitchers. Of course, recent news about Majewski is not particularly good, and it wouldn't surprise me at all to see him start the season on the disabled list. So I guess that might mean that one of Belisle/Burton/Ligtenberg/Meadows/Shackelford might yet have a shot.
John Fay brought up the question the other day, and I think we all should consider the possibility that the 3-4-5 starters will come out of Milton, Lohse, Wilson, Bailey, Saarloos, Ramirez, Belisle, Livingston, etc. Milton and Lohse shouldn't be locks on the rotation if Saarloos and Wilson or any other combo outpitch them this spring.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I feel like Lohse could have a breakout year based on his stuff and Dick Pole and the change of leagues. However, I think Milton should sweat some and just because he has an outrageous contract doesn't mean he should automatically get a spot. I'd much rather have a healthy Wilson pitching in the third or fourth spots than Milton.
And then there's Homer. Not that he's going to make the club out of spring, but later in the year...conceivably both Lohse and Milton could be out of the rotation by the end of the year.
It's kind of nice to have something resembling depth.
Well, I'd certainly put Lohse as a lock in the rotation. He pitched reasonably well for the Reds, and in 2005 went 178.7 innings with a 4.18 ERA over 30 starts for the Twins in that difficult AL Central. He's only 28, and reportedly has outstanding stuff (as you mentioned), so he might still put it together and be a #2ish starter for us.
ReplyDeleteMilton, I'm fine with making him fight for his spot. Based on his performance last season, when his ERA shot up about 2 runs each progressive time he went through the opposing batting order, I think he might be a guy who could excel in a setup role. The issue, of course, is who is going to replace him, and obviously someone would need to step up in a big way. ... Honestly, I think EZ could probably do it, but I want to see how he's recovered from his injury last season. -B