According to manager Kevin Cash, the Tampa Bay Rays will only use a four-man rotation in the 2018 season, but will not interfere with the regular rhythm of the starting pitcher. This is where Bullpen comes in.
At a time when other teams are thinking aloud about setting up a six-pitched pitching rotation like Japan’s, the Rays go in a completely different direction – back to a rotation consisting of only four starting pitchers.
Our plan is that we won’t be betting on five starters,”said Cash:” We’ll try to stay with four. We’ll have a couple of bull pen days with us. We will try to do this over a longer period of time. We’ll learn a lot in the first six weeks of the season.”
Already weeks ago, Cash had said that it was thought that in the first six weeks, during which the Rays will have many free days, they would only count on four starters. While Chris Archer, Blake Snell, Jake Faria and Nathan Eovaldi would start, Matt Andriese would be a candidate for the Bullpen.
“If we used a five-man rotation, we’d have an extra day or two every time we went through the rotation,”Cash calculated in February:”I think every starting pitcher would say that’s not ideal for him. So let’s just shorten these breaks and occasionally add a spot starter or make a bullpen day.”
Other teams such as the Texas Rangers, for example, had plans to use six starters. But after clear criticism from Pitching Ace Cole Hamels it was rejected again “It is not part of baseball. I know this is the new analytical side of reinventing the wheel, but I’ve come up through the Minor Leagues with a five-man rotation and that’s what I’m set to do.”
The Angels also had this discussion to help the Japanese Shohei Ohtani, who is accustomed to a six-man rotation, adapt. The Giants and Cubs even tried it last year, but quickly returned to the tried and tested.
This article was published without prior view by the Major League Baseball.