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MLB managers usually give a leash the length of April to starting pitchers.
Sometimes it can take a starter four to five starts to find their groove after Spring Training. The weather is still relatively cool, and for that reason mechanics may be somewhat off. If May rolls around and the starter in question is still struggling, the manager will either shorten the leash even more, or take a look at other options.
With May just around the corner, here is a list of pitchers currently relegated to bullpen roles who could add some reasonable depth to your 2014 Fantasy Baseball rotation when their opportunity arises, if you’re stuck in a deeper league:
LHP Danny Duffy, Kansas City Royals
Duffy, a 2007 third-round draft pick, lost out on the fifth rotation spot in Spring Training to the electric Yordano Ventura. He was sent down to Triple-A where he boasts a career 2.88 ERA. It only took one start with the Omaha Storm Chasers for manager Ned Yost to request his services back in The Show.
Out of the pen so far for the Royals, he has yet to allow an earned run and offers a current K/9 of 11.88. Duffy’s heater has touched 98.2 MPH on the gun this year during a relief appearance. With Bruce Chen off to a terrible start and Jeremy Guthrie also lacking in quality starts, look for one of them to swap jobs with Duffy in the near future.
Greg Holland is cemented firmly in the closer role, and Yost should realize Duffy is a greater asset getting the ball once every five games than he is in a relief role setting up Holland.
RHP Todd Redmond, Toronto Blue Jays
Outside of Drew Hutchison and Mark Buehrle, manager John Gibbons really has not had a reliable starter to call upon this month. R.A. Dickey is the supposed “ace,” but Gibbons’ leash on Brandon Morrow is getting shorter by the week, and even more so with Dustin McGowan.
Both starters have ERAs north of 5.00, and combined have only pitched outside of the sixth inning once. Redmond currently holds an ERA of 2.60 through 17.1 IP. In 2013, he started 14 games for the Jays going 4-2 with a K/9 of 9.3. His ERA of 4.41 left something to be desired in those starts, but he plays in the AL East, where he also has the benefit of playing for a club prone to giving its starters solid run support.
With top prospect SP Marcus Stroman waiting in the wings for a probable June call up, it’s likely Redmond will get his shot to win a spot in the rotation in the month of May. He’s worth a flyer in deeper leagues.
LHP Chris Capuano, Boston Red Sox
With Felix Doubront struggling, John Farrell could opt to call up 24-year-old Allen Webster, but he may not be ready. In eight 2013 appearances for the Red Sox, seven of which were starts, he posted an ugly ERA of 8.60. And Webster is not exactly dominating the competition with the Class AAA Pawtucket Red Sox right now, posting a 3.08 ERA and a 16/13 K/BB ratio.
Instead, Farrell may choose to give the veteran Capuano a look. He currently is yet to allow an earned run through 14 IP in 2014, and his 14/2 ratio of K/BB is rather impressive. For a stretch from Jun. 19 – Aug. 3 in 2013 as a starter with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Capuano did not allow a single earned run in four of eight starts. He could be a better long term option than Doubront or Webster at this juncture in time.
Jordan Wevers is a Seattle Mariners writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @JordanWevers, “Like” him on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google.
