Innings limits disappear with shortened season
If a 162-game season is a marathon, what’s a 60-game season?
By any name, it will be interesting. Heavy with COVID-19 fears and precautions, yes. But also exciting. Playoff implications ride on every game. Every at-bat, and every pitch carrying more weight.
The A’s open training camp 2.0 today at the Coliseum. The answers to questions they brought to training camp in February in Arizona might no longer apply. So much has changed.
For instance, here’s a question the A’s brought to Arizona in February: Will there be an innings limit for prized pitchers Jesus Luzardo, Sean Manaea and A.J. Puk?
Luzardo is coming off a rotator cuff and lat strain. Manaea had shoulder surgery that sidelined him for all but the last month of last season. Puk had Tommy John surgery in 2018.
The A’s would be closely monitoring those guys during a 162-game season. Their workload would be designed to reduce the risk of re-injury.
The 60-game season won’t require such close monitoring. The schedule will limit innings for all pitchers — not just start
ers. In a 60-game season, a starter won’t get more than 10-12 starts. That isn’t likely to amount to more than 70 innings for any of them. Could be as few as 50 innings for some.
Here are some more questions heading into summer camp:
HOW WILL THE A’S USE THEIR PITCHING STAFF? >>
Even with a pool of six or seven possible starters — Luzardo, Puk, Manaea, Frankie Montas, Mike Fiers, Chris Bassitt and now recovered Daniel Mengden — the A’s are expecting to deploy a fiveman rotation, according to pitching coach Scott Emerson.
Nothing is set in stone, though.
“With the expanded roster, it gives you more opportunities,” general manager David Forst said on a Zoom call with reporters. “Split games or tandems, we wouldn’t rule anything out.”
Emerson offered elaboration.
“You might see starters
not going as long as you thought because there might be strategy to mix and match a little early,” the pitching coach said. “You might see the game played a little different, pitchers are getting pulled earlier. We’re talking in general, not specific to us, because we really haven’t had those big internal discussions as of yet.”
Could the A’s find a competitive advantage with more frequent mixing and matching?
They experimented with “piggybacking” at the end of last season when rosters were expanded. A memorable success occurred when Brett Anderson made a three-inning start against the Houston Astros. Anderson threw some of his “best stuff,” he said, because he knew Luzardo would be coming with the heat in the fourth inning.
Imagine how imposing a Luzardo-Puk tandem might be every fifth day. Or having Bassitt and Yusmeiro Petit picking up some bulk innings so the starter doesn’t need to face the lineup a third time.
WHO’S ON SECOND? >>
Clear of any glaring personnel gaps, most of the positions
shored up with key prospects finally breaking into the big league mix, spring training’s main focus zeroed in on a crowded second base.
The Jorge Mateo and Franklin Barreto dilemma — both out of options and major league ready, one could win a job platooning with Tony Kemp — was on replay.
Mateo was traded to the San Diego Padres for a player to be named later, unclogging the middle infield and relieving us of the overhyped situation. Mateo fits the Padres prototype, and could have a better shot at cracking the roster for a rebuilding team. But, with that speed he would have been a perfect candidate to put on second for the new extra-inning rule this season.
HOW WILL THE A’S PLATOON THEIR MIDDLE INFIELDERS? >>
Expect a pretty basic platoon with Kemp and Barreto — with Rule 5 pick Vimael Machin in the mix. The A’s got Kemp to face right-handed pitching. Barreto could use more consistent at bats to lift out of his big league slump, but he should be getting the lion’s
share of at-bats against lefthanded pitching, at least.
WHO WILL BE THE BACKUP CATCHER? >>
Jonah Heim, a 25-year-old catcher, emerged on the scene this spring following an eyeopening 2019 season with the Midland RockHounds and Las Vegas Aviators in which he batted .310 with a .385 OBP in 85 games. A catcher known for his defensive capabilities first, Heim’s offensive breakout had him as strong consideration to be Sean Murphy’s backup.
But, the A’s had acquired left-handed catcher Austin Allen from the Padres in the Jurickson Profar trade, and he seemed to have the edge with some big league experience despite some catching up to do defensively.
WILL WE SEE HEIM OR ANY OTHER NEW FACES ON THE BIG LEAGUE TEAM? >>
The30man roster might allow the A’s to carry three catchers — perhaps, if they want extra cushion for Murphy in the wake of his knee surgery in October.
If not, either Allen or Heim will be close by at the alternate training site. Allen has two minor league options and Heim has three.