LA Angels Should Employ a Six-Man Rotation in 2018

The LA Angels shocked all of the MLB when Billy Eppler and Co. landed Japanese phenom Shohei Ohtani. He is in line to be a front line starter, but maybe there should five guys behind him in the rotation rather than four.

Any LA Angels fan can tell you about all the injuries the starting rotation has seen in the past few years. Garrett Richards and his stem cell treatment. Tyler Skaggs‘ oblique strain. Andrew Heaney and his failed stem cell treatment and his subsequent Tommy John surgery. Matt Shoemaker and the nerve damage in his forearm that required surgery. JC Ramirez and Nick Tropeano both are looking to rebound from torn UCL’s.

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The only current Angels healthy starter in 2017 was Parker Bridwell. Shohei Ohtani has greatness attached to his name already, but the Angels need to be smart with how they deploy their rotation in 2018.

In Japan, pitchers make starts once every seven days. This is why we see many Japanese pitchers who make the jump struggle in the closing months of their first few seasons. The jump from seven days to five days is extreme on ligaments and recovery. On top of that, teams travel more and play longer seasons in the MLB than in Japan, so fatigue becomes a real problem with foreign stars.

The Angels utilizing a six man rotation would be beneficial to everyone. The Angels have eight guys who can be starters in this league (see above). Everyone but Bridwell has dealt with injuries as of late, and the extra day of rest between starts could pay dividends for the seemingly cursed rotation in Anaheim. For Ohtani, the extra day of rest will help in his acclimation to life as an MLB starting pitcher (and international superstar).

It will also help Ohtani at the plate. As everyone knows, he’ll be a two-way player for the Halos. A six man rotation would allow him to have three days of hitting opposed to two. It isn’t a secret that consecutive days with at-bats create better at-bats. Two games would make it difficult for Ohtani to get into any rhythm, However, three days of hitting in a row may give Ohtani momentum throughout those three games, and maybe even into his next stretch of hitting.

Next: What's next for Halos after Ohtani signing?

Six man rotations are generally used by playoff-bound teams towards the end of the season. It is used to keep pitchers fresh for the important games. However, every game is going to be important for the Angels this year as two countries will be watching them. Having their starters healthy, and Ohtani effective in both aspects of the game, will be huge for the Angels’ playoff hopes.