Hold My Log - 49.14 - Marable or Gomez as 5th Starter?

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Hold My Log - 49.14 - Marable or Gomez as 5th Starter?

Post by 7teen » Sat Dec 04, 2021 8:09 am

The debate over who should be Portland's 5th starter in the rotation rages on in Lumberjacks land. One of the key battles this spring for the front office to decide was over who should be the 5th starter between Randolph Marable and Rafael Gomez. And if spring training helped do anything it may have just muddied the waters even more.

Randolph Marable, a lefty, stepped into the rotation last season after the club traded Frank Walbourne to Vancouver. Marable made 16 of his 19 appearances last season in the rotation for Portland and performed extremely well. In fact, he exceeded expectations. "We have never been quite sure how effective Randolph could be for us" said Kate Fiscus, "but he performed extremely well last year and deserves another stint in the starting rotation." Marable went 6-6 last season with a 3.46 ERA and 2.3 WAR as a rookie in 2048.

But then there is Gomez, the budding star who essentially emerged out of nowhere to project as a top flight starting pitcher. Early last season, Gomez developed a third pitch, a changeup, that completely dazzled everyone within the organization. With the rotation already filled, Gomez was thrown in the bullpen where he excelled as the team's closer in 2048. He recorded 26 saves while striking out 103 batters over 69 innings. Good enough for a 1.7 WAR in that short span. But with that 3rd pitch, and the ratings that make you agree, Gomez has expressed his desire to test his hand as a starter. "Three solid pitches and the ratings and velocity to go with it" commented Fiscus, "he has every right to make those demands. On paper, he has the makings of an ace starter. However, he has to prove it on the mound."

And that's been the sticking point thus far in the battle between Marable and Gomez. Marable, though not as flashy, as proved his worth on the mound as indicated by his stats. Gomez, has yet to find his niche when starting games. Gomez started two contests late last season and neither yielded solid results. This spring, Gomez was used as a starter in his 5 appearances. He lost 4 of the 5 games, the 4 of which saw him allow 3 or more runs over his 4 innings pitched. Raising question marks as to whether he's ready to be a starter or if perhaps he wouldn't be more suited in the pen.

"It's hard to justify using him right now in the rotation when we know we have Marable who's been effective and Gomez can eat a lot of effective innings out of the pen for us" added Fiscus. "But at the moment, we've not made a decision on the 5th starter. It'll probably come down to opening day before we have a clear decision."

Like Gomez, Marable made 5 starts this spring and had performances like you'd expect. He too had some rough goes, allowing 4 runs on 7 hits in 2 of his 5 trips to the mound, but he also baffled hitters with his pitch repertoire in two other starts that saw him pitch 2-hit shutouts.

"In the end" concluded Fiscus, "it may come down to matchups for us all season. I wouldn't be surprised to see both make starts and spend time in the bullpen throughout the season. With Marable being a lefty and Gomez a righty, we may just utilize them as situational guys against certain opponents. We'll see."

Ken Sparks, Steve Warren, Felix Vidaca, and Chris Thompson have the other 4 spots locked up in the Portland rotation.
Chris Wilson

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