Why a Six-Man Rotation Could Make Sense for Pirates (+)
Spring training games have officially begun, so it’s not too early to start looking at the potential Opening Day roster.
Looking specifically at the Pittsburgh Pirates projected rotation, there are currently five players penciled in to fill out a traditional five-man starting rotation.
Mitch Keller is coming off of his best season as a big leaguer and could be in line to start the Pirates’ opener against the Reds in Cincinnati on March 30.
JT Brubaker is another returnee of the Pirates and is a capable back-end starter who could be due for an improved season just like Keller a year ago.
Roansy Contreras is expected to have his first full season in the big leagues after bouncing between Triple-A Indianapolis and Pittsburgh last season.
The Pirates also brought in a couple of reinforcements on free0agent deals to fill out their rotation.
Rich Hill and his 18 years of big league experience give the Pirates a left-handed option as a starting pitcher.
Vince Velasquez was also signed to a one-year deal and general manager Ben Cherington said he expected the right-hander to be used as a starting pitcher for the club.
While those five are in place, there is another seemingly deserving arm that could lead the Pirates to utilize an untraditional six-man starting rotation.
After coming over in a midseason trade from the St. Louis Cardinals, the Pirates were adamant about using Johan Oviedo as a starting pitcher, even though he had success out of the bullpen.
The Pirates’ faith in the big right-hander paid off as Oviedo went 2-2 with a 3.23 ERA in seven starts to end the season in Pittsburgh.
Sure, they could opt to send Oviedo to Triple-A to begin the season, but if he is one of your better arms on the roster, why not use him on the big league club to start the year and help you win?
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In addition to having six capable and available starting pitchers in the mix, giving pitchers an extra day of rest could be beneficial.
Hill is going to be 43 years old next month. While Hill still pitches as well as some players nearly half his age, the human body doesn’t react the same for a 40-year-old as it does for a 25-year-old.
Contreras has yet to amass a full season in the big leagues and he had some elbow/forearm issues that limited him in the 2021 season.
Keller and Brubaker are still relatively inexperienced arms in the grand scheme of things. Velasquez, meanwhile, hasn’t thrown 100+ innings in a year since 2019 and threw only 75.1 innings in 2022.
With all of that being said, spring performances and health will both still matter for the possibility of a six-man rotation to happen.
It’s fairly safe to say that four spots of the rotation are already locked up in Keller, Contreras, Brubaker and Hill.
While Velasquez was told he will be given an opportunity as a starter, he will still need to show he can be effective in spring.
Oviedo, meanwhile, will try and force the Pirates’ hand to crack the Opening Day roster if he’s able to have a strong spring.
Keep an eye on the starting pitching developments this spring. Maybe this is the year the Pirates opt to start the season with six arms in the rotation and one less in the bullpen.
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