Oakland Athletics: Fight for the Fifth: Five Pitchers for the Fifth Starter Spot
Sunday February 27th marks the first "real" game of spring training for the Oakland athletics. The pitcher, at least for an inning or so, is likely to be Trevor Cahill. He is also likely to be on the mound against the Mariners on April 1st. Anderson, Braden, and Gonzalez are surely to follow in some order.
But who will follow them? Who will take the fifth starter spot. It is always pleasant to enter a season with the entire starting rotation locked down. Having a fifth starter a manager is confident with is always a plus albeit they don't cost eighteen million and get left off the playoff roster the previous season, cough, Barry Zito. Don't get me wrong I love Barry Zito but the fact the A's can field an entire rotation for less than half one year's salary makes me feel Beane did the right thing in letting Barry walk. Anyway,that's a different story.
The A's entered spring training with no less than five viable candidates to fill the fifth starter spot come opening day. Let's imagine what might happen down the line.
Bobby Cramer
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The stuff that make up Disney movies...
Bobby Cramer made his major league debut last year for the A's the young age of thirty. Just to clarify thirty is not old, just to be a rookie in the MLB.
He pitched well, if not outstanding. In four starts he went 2-1 with a 3.04 ERA and 13 strikeouts in 23.2 innings. While it is not a large sample size it shows he can pitch at the big league level. I find it unlikely he would be considered the favorite to win the starting job, but certainly he could suffice as a long reliever if the team needs it.
While he has a great story, being drafted in 2003, leaving the game, joining the A's in 2007, and tearing up the Mexican league in 2010 he will need an outstanding spring to make the team. I find it most likely he will begin the season in Sacramento and will be readied to be a spot starter given the inevitable injuries the A's are like to occur (don't knock on wood in this case)
Rich Harden
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He's sort of back...
After agreeing to a one year contract in the offseason, Rich Harden returned to the Athletics with the hope of being the fifth starter come April. Those plans were quickly derailed as he was reported to be suffering from lat stiffness and was promptly shut down for two weeks. As of the Thursday the 24th Harden reported no such pain and hoped to jump right back on the mound despite being out for less than a week.He is still yet to pitch and his history of injuries does not bode well given this early setback.
Yet for Billy Beane and Bob Geren hope springs eternal that he will be able to regain his 2008 mostly injury proof form where he delivered a 10-2 record and 2.07 ERA in 25 starts. If he is able to make any where near 20 starts for the Athletics in 2011 that would qualify as a god send.
My inkling is that he will probably be put in the bullpen to preserve him as long as possible (no he's not a mummy), and then will start if precipitated by poor performance by the other starters.
Brandon McCarthy
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He's here, no really he is.
Brandon McCarthy, possibly a long lost cousin or brother of Rich Harden, given his injury history, signed with the A's in the offseason, also possessing the hope of being the fifth starter. So far he's is ahead of Harden because he hasn't yet been injured. But no fear, this Southern California native has yet to pitch since 2009 and will likely be on a short leash given his history.
He has bounced from the White Sox to the Rangers and now to the A's looking to find some consistency and while he possesses a great deal of raw talent it is hard to overlook his history.
If he can avoid injuries in the preseason I would expect him to find his way into the rotation at some point during the season, though he may be kept at Sacramento in order to keep him ready to start should the A's require him.
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Josh Outman
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He's also back.
Josh Outman came to the A's Organization from the Phillies via the Joe Blanton trade. He made a few appearances in 2008 and twelve starts in 2009 before being shut down and undergoing Tommy John surgery,
His road to recovery has been smooth, but long and now he appears to be ready to be the A's fifth starter. So far he has thrown a few encouraging bullpen sessions problem free and their have been no reports of any such irritation due to his surgery.
If his numbers from 2009, 4-1 record 3.48 ERA and 53 strikeouts in 67 innings are any indication, he looks like he could be a very strong addition to the Athletics 2011 pitching staff.
Tyson Ross
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A former member of the soon to be, but hopefully not, defunct California Golden Bears baseball team, Tyson Ross took spring training by storm in 2010 ultimately giving himself a spot on the opening day roster.
His numbers were bright in April and early May posting a 3.32 ERA through his first eleven appearances. Unfortunately a rash of injuries and overworking of the bullpen forced Ross to become overused, which ultimately inflated his ERA to 5.49 and his demotion to triple A for the remainder of the season.In Sacramento rebounded with a 3.55 ERA in 25 innings which leads us to this spring training.
So far nothing but rave reviews have been heard for Ross' bullpen sessions and if that trend continues he will hard pressed to find himself anywhere but the major league roster. The single caveat with Ross is he need to work consistently as a starter would usually find himself. But if he does not win the fifth starter spot he would likely begin in Sacramento to keep fresh til needed by the big league club.
Who Will Be the Fifth Starter?
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Short Answer: I don't know, nobody knows, nobody ever will know, until April 1st at least.
Long Answer: Probably multiple people.
Even if all of the potential fifth starters remain healthy its likely what whomever is filling the spot won't completely dominate throughout the entire season. If I could say that Harden would put up Cy Young numbers while actually discovering the fountain of youth that would be another thing,but given the fact Harden, McCarthy and Outman are all coming of injuries, its probably the right thing to play it safe with them. On the flip side Cramer and Ross are inexperienced on the big league level and might not be able to cope with 30 starts against major league opposition.
The final call will come down to health, consistency and Geren/Beane depending on if they want another lefty (Outman/Cramer) or a righty (Harden, Ross, McCarthy). Its likely that multiple pitchers will see time at the fifth starter spot during the regular season. And whoever isn't will be giving Sacramento one the deepest minor league rotations in the county.
Opening Day will shortly be upon us, the only question is: Who will be on the roster?
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