Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
This spring has been about change for the Arizona Diamondbacks. One thing that has changed are the positions in the pitching rotation. The fifth starter job has been a battle since before Spring Training began. When Randall Delgado came over from the Atlanta Braves in the Justin Upton trade, he became the third man up for the spot. Delgado, Tyler Skaggs and Patrick Corbin are those three pitchers.
Skaggs looked to be impressive early on and Delgado came in with a little more buzz than the other two. Almost half way through March, however it looks like Corbin is in the driver’s seat to win the job. He has pitched well though certainly not lights out. The main thing he has done is impress his manager in a few key areas. Kirk Gibson says that Corbin has spotted the ball well and that his slider looks good this year. Most importantly though Corbin has shown the ability to keep his composure and work through tight innings.
His ERA isn’t great but the double digit mark that Delgado and Skaggs have put up make him look like Greg Maddux. That is probably going to be a factor as well. Sure, numbers aren’t supposed to matter in the spring but if one guy has a 5.00 ERA and two other pitchers are pushing 15.00 or 20.00, the numbers half to matter a little bit. Corbin made a lot of starts last season so he does have experience. With an improved slider and improved location, this season could be much better for him.
David Miller is a Senior Writer for RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @davidmillerrant, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google+.
