FanShot

Let's stack some starters

20

We've already heard the story that Dayton is not confident in the starting pitchers currently available, so he's trying to set up a killer bullpen in order to give as few innings as possible to the weak rotation. I've suggested it before, but let's have stacked starters. You keep thirteen pitchers and twelve field players; all our field players are young and not likely to get hurt, so all we need is the starting nine plus a backup catcher, a backup IF, and a backup OF. If somebody actually gets hurt for more than one game then we bring up C-Rob or Dyson from Omaha. You pitch your frontline starters every four days, but only about four innings, 60 or so pitches. Then the four second-line starters come in and give you about three innings, 45 or so pitches. Then you have four relievers to close down the last two innings, plus one mop-up man for when this plan doesn't work. This plan would suck if you had good starting pitchers, because it would take innings out of their hands and give them to weaker pitchers, but the Röyals don't. I'd try to have the first-line and second-line guys be opposite-handed. Suggested rotation: 1) Sanchez L, Holland R 2) Paulino R, Duffy L 3) Chen L, Crow R 4) Hochevar R, Montgomery L Now, if we actually sort five competent starting pitchers out of this mess, we go back to the standard five-man rotation. If not, at least hitters don't get to see a pitcher more than twice, and will have to adjust to a very different pitcher mid-game. The relief corps is Soria R and Broxton R, along with some combination of three of Collins L, Teaford L, Hottovy L, Coleman R, Adcock R, and Wood R. Note the absence of Boom Boom, SOS, and their ilk.