57.8-Starting Pitcher Smorgasbord

[chicoruiz]

The great Branch Rickey once said, “out of quantity comes quality”. The 2057 Gamblers have got the quantity, but the quality…well, if spring training results are anything to go by, there’s still a long way to go in that area. Let’s take a look at the Atlantic City starting pitcher options, grouped by category:

Group 1- Eddie Armstrong- I complain about Eddie a lot, but he at least takes the ball every fifth day and gives you an outside chance to win. He hovers right around 2.0 WAR every season, and while that doesn’t make him a staff ace, he’s not a problem that demands immediate attention either.

Group 2- Eddie Armstrong Clones- Unable or unwilling to do what it takes to get a real front-of-the-rotation guy, I brought in a couple of free agents who profile as very similar to Eddie: Steve Anderton and Bruno Bigbie. Steve is a few years younger, and they’re both maybe 10 percent better than Eddie (I hope), but they’re all cut from the same basic cloth. If these are your 3, 4, and 5 starters you’re in pretty good shape; unfortunately they’re my 1, 2, and 3 starters.

Group 3- Maybe Starters If You Squint a Little- In other words, guys who have started in the past but have better records as relievers. I tried this with Franciso Ortiz last year, and it didn’t work at all, so being an idiot, I’m trying it again. Todd Schroeder hasn’t been a starter since 2053, and he wasn’t a good one then, but I’m going to try him anyway; maybe I have a death wish. Scott Bugbie can top that; he hasn’t started regularly since 2049. I’m using him in the pen; even I’m not that crazy. Yet…

Group 4- Soiled Prospects- Antonio Santiago came up in midseason and pitched well for a couple of months before running out of gas in September. James Robinson was a hot prospect heading into last year, then had a 2056 that we’d all like to forget. Jeffrey Flowers came over in a late-season waiver claim; he's got stuff but he hasn't really conquered AAA yet, so...

Group 5- Are They Still Hanging Around?- Franciso Ortiz, the aforementioned reliever turned bad starter, heads back to the pen with his tail between his legs. I’m going to try him as a closer because I have no one else, and heck, I have to pay him anyway. Tok Takahashi has back to back 5.33 ERAs; that's not the kind of consistency I'm looking for. I never actually want Leo Hill in the rotation, but somehow he keeps showing up there when I’m desperate, which is often. And Antonio Garcia- well, he started 20 games last season, which is 20 more than he’ll ever start for me again. This I promise you…

So…that’s what I’m looking at going into 2057. Those of you who have put pitchers on the trading block… well, now you know why you hear back from me so quickly.