ADJUST ON THE FLY
A’s rotation will have to be ultra-flexible in 2020 — even more than in years past
It’s still unclear when Jesús Luzardo will be cleared to enter the Coliseum.
The state of his prized left arm comes to us in bits and pieces. We know Luzardo, who tested positive for the coronavirus before camp began, is locked away in isolation doing, what pitching coach Scott Emerson assumes, a lot of sock throws (a baseball inside of a sock taped to the forearm).
Luzardo’s role when he returns won’t be determined until ... he returns. At the very least, coaches will need to see Luzardo throw to hitters before the season begins on July 24. But Emerson and the coaching staff started laying out options to slot Luzardo in as a cog in an unorthodox pitcher deployment for the 2020 season.
With 13 pitchers likely taking up spots on the 30-man roster to start, expect a handful of typical bullpen arms to be stretched out for three-plus innings. Some swingmen may fall more heavily into tandem/piggybacking roles. The end product: games early on could see a lot of pitching changes, and regular members of the rotation could have shorter starts.
“Each game is worth between 2.6 and 3 wins. Every win is important,” Emerson said. “We’re
in a zone where we need guys to get stretched out. We always talk about tandems, and how many tandems you can have. Those are good for two to three days, but once you get to day four or five, your bullpen is worn out.”
Among the relievers expected to be stretched out to pitch three innings: LHP T.J. McFarland, RHP Yusmeiro Petit, RHP JB Wendelken and RHP Burch Smith.
Petit has not only experience, but also success as a starter and long-relief man. He’s a go-to for manager Bob Melvin in nearly any leverage scenario. Stretching Petit out for three-plus innings should be easy. Wendelken has the repertoire — 95 mph fastball, slider, curveball and changeup — to flip a lineup. Smith, who was traded across the Bay from the Giants in February, has impressed with an elevated fastball that’s touched 96 mph in camp and a changeup that “deserves more credit than others have given it,” Emerson said.
“You go right to Roger Clemens. Big, Texas guy,” Emerson said of Smith. “He can pitch in any part of the game. Middle, long or start. He has enough weapons to flip lineup at least twice.”
Daniel Mengden, who is currently on the 60-day injured list due to offseason arthroscopic elbow surgery, is expected to follow Chris Bassitt’s footsteps as another swingman.
Until Luzardo returns to starter form, Bassitt’s the most likely option to slide into the rotation — he will pitch in the second exhibition game against the Giants on Tuesday. But he is capable of transitioning back to a long-relief bullpen option. It took until the 2019 season for Bassitt to subscribe mentally and physically to the reality of an undefined job. Versatility, an ability to adapt to a rotating set of pitching roles, elevates Bassitt’s value in this
“You go right to Roger Clemens. Big, Texas guy. He can pitch in any part of the game. Middle, long or start. He has enough weapons to flip lineup at least twice.” — Scott Emerson, A’s pitching coach, on right-handed pitcher Burch Smith.
unorthodox season.
It took Bassitt a few years to accept his spot in the pitching nebulous.
It’ll take Mengden time, too.
“I’d much rather be a starter,” the right-hander said in a call on Thursday. “I think y’all know that.”
Between call-ups, options and four seasons with Oakland, Mengden has two complete games, a 4.78 ERA in 47 starts with nine relief appearances. With a beyond-crowded path toward a rotational spot, Mengden’s role on this A’s roster will need to be malleable. And, like Bassitt, he’s struggling to come to terms with that.
“Daniel will have to go through that, and you have to accept that if you want to excel,” Melvin said.
He accepts it as a sacrifice, though. And he’s talked with Bassitt about how he has to alter his routine to accommodate his new role.
“I always try to view it as, ‘How can I help my team win a championship this year?’” Mengden said “So, for me, it doesn’t matter what my role is. If I’m a starter, that’s great, I want to be a starter. But if my role is in the bullpen as a long guy, bridge guy, whatever you want to call it, that’s something I am willing to do, sacrifice for the team and eat innings.”
Mengden threw long toss with Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher and fellow Houston native Ross Stripling. He tailored his distinctive, toe-tapping and rocking windup to be shorter, easier on the elbow.
“No more double, triple pumps or big side steps,” Emerson said.
When Luzardo returns, he may be destined for a similar fate. To start the season off, at least.
“This guy has a bright future,” Emerson said. “You’re thinking big picture. You want him to make a start every fifth day for the next 20 years.”
Luzardo made his anticipated debut out of the bullpen. The 21-year-old’s first recoil off a big league mound came against the fearsome Astros lineup at Minute Maid Park. He went on to give up just two runs (one homer) in 12 innings with 16 strikeouts.
Emerson says the goal is to build Luzardo up starting at two innings, 35 pitches. Then add 15 after that. If the A’s don’t have time to build him toward starts out of the gate, they may stretch him out in high-leverage situations. As the season progresses and he stretches, he’ll fall back into the rotation.
Based on intel coaching staff could collect on their arms’ progress and workload during the hiatus, Luzardo was expected to be at the same level of readiness as Frankie Montas. Luzardo, 21, was throwing with right-handed starter Mike Fiers in Florida for three months.
“He’s in great shape, and he’s been doing a lot,” Emerson said of Luzardo. “The two weeks isn’t going to set him back much, because he’s athletic, he is young, he knows he’s in the right place. He’s stretching and limber and ready to go. I don’t expect him to miss too much time when he comes back.”