Up until this point, the Atlanta Braves looked to be the most snake-bitten rotation in baseball as they might have to send both Kris Medlen and Brandon Beachy under the knife for Tommy John surgery, while Mike Minor will miss at least a turn through the rotation with shoulder issues. But the Oakland A’s are now hot on their heels. A.J. Griffin and Jarrod Parker are headed for the D.L. to start the season, both with arm injuries.
The news could be grim for both. Griffin is definitely dealing with an elbow issue. His status is up in the air, though he will be examined by doctors Saturday. Parker is headed to Dr. James Andrews with forearm problems, which have been an issue since the end of last season. You can almost hear the band playing “Taps” on his season.
That potentially opens two spots in the A’s rotation. It would appear the likeliest pitchers to fill those spots are Tommy Milone, Drew Pomeranz and Jesse Chavez.
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Milone threw 156.1 innings last year for the A’s, making 26 starts. He posted a 4.14 ERA, which is perfectly acceptable from a fifth starter, though not from a mixed-league pitcher. Milone hasn’t been good this spring, allowing six runs in nine innings, but the A’s probably know what they have in him at this point.
Pomeranz, a former top prospect, posted dominant strikeout numbers at Triple-A, whiffing 96 in 85.2 innings. But he was terrible for the Rockies at the major-league level, throwing 21.2 innings with a 1:1 K:BB ratio and posting a 6.23 ERA. He’s also been lousy this spring, allowing four runs, three earned, in 4.1 innings.
Chavez has bounced around for years. He was effective for the A’s last season with a 3.92 ERA and 8.63 K/9 overall. But it was in just 57.1 innings, all in relief. He has been quite good so far in spring training though, not allowing a run in 12.2 innings.
Pomeranz, based on his prior status as a top prospect, would be the most interesting. As a right-hander who is not a ground-ball pitcher, he would also have the added benefit of taking advantage of the O.co Coliseum's home run suppression. But given how poorly he’s performed so far, you couldn’t run him out there at the start of the year, even if he makes the team.
Despite his lack of a track record at his age (30), Chavez would also get the O.co advantage that righty fly-ball pitchers seem to get in Oakland. That wouldn’t make him mixed-league worthy, but seeing as the pickings in single leagues are slim, Chavez would at least be worth trying for his home starts.
Milone is a lefty and he may not get quite the same edge. He would be relegated to single-league duty unless he makes a break through with his strikeout rate. Given his average fastball velocity (87 mph) that seems unlikely.