Joe Maddon wanted six-man rotation before pandemic, some candidates

As Los Angeles Angels manager Joe Maddon confirms he’s been thinking about a six-man rotation no matter how the schedule looks, who are some candidates to fill the role?

If baseball returns in 2020, the schedule is going to look a lot different than it does over a normal six-month season. Likely, there will be less days off, more double-headers, and a push to fit as many games as possible into a short timeframe.

It is expected that Major League Baseball will allow teams to expand their rosters to accommodate for a compressed season, as rest will be at a premium. To help compensate, teams will likely employ six or seven-man rotations to start the season, especially if a second Spring Training is abbreviated and pitchers need more time to stretch out their arms.

When asked if he had considered a six-man rotation given the compressed schedule, Angels manager Joe Maddon revealed it was something he thought about doing before all of this happened.

“That was something I wanted to do anyway, Billy [Eppler] and I had talked about. I think we have the personnel to do that,” Maddon said on the most recent episode of Maddon Mondays.

The Angels have two recovering arms to manage, independent of any new schedule. They were expected to limit Shohei Ohtani‘s return to the mound to starts only once per week, possibly on Wednesdays. And Griffin Canning could be on a strict innings watch after an injury scare during the spring.

If the Halos go to a six-man rotation, you can expect the top of the staff to include Andrew Heaney, Julio Teheran, Dylan Bundy, along with Ohtani and Canning, if both are healthy.

Who would be the best candidate for the sixth spot?

Patrick Sandoval

Had the season started on time, there’s a good chance Patrick Sandoval would have made the opening rotation. With Ohtani not ready to return until mid-May and Canning on the mend, the Angels would have needed to call on their starting depth in April.

The 23-year-old left-hander only made two appearances during the spring, one start, and he wasn’t spectacular (allowing 3 hits, 3 walks, and 2 runs, while striking out 5 over five innings). However, he appears ready to advance to the big leagues after a quick progression through the minor leagues.

He built a bit of a reputation for losing his cool on the mound, which he has been working on, hoping he can channel his competitive nature into productive energy on the hill. He was 0-4 with a 5.03 ERA in ten starts with the Halos last year, but it’s all in the growing pains of becoming a major league starter.

Sandoval has great strikeout ability, he K’d 9.6 batters per nine innings last season, and that number is often in the double digits in the minors. He will need to learn how to manage his command as to not let a high walk rate offset his ability to miss bats.

Sandoval has mostly been used as a starter during his time in the Halo system, so he makes for a good candidate as a sixth man in the rotation versus an added bullpen arm in long relief where his appearances would be less consistent.

Jaime Barria, Dillon Peters, Jose Suarez

There was some thought that Jaime Barria would find his way to the Angels rotation when Griffin Canning got hurt, but he was optioned to the minors just before everything shutdown. The 23-year-old right-hander has made 39 starts over the past two seasons in Anaheim, receiving starkly different results in 2019 versus the season before. As a 21-year-old rookie, he was 10-9 with a 3.41 ERA and 2.09 K/BB ratio. But last season, he struggled. He appeared in 19 games, 13 of which were starts, and his ERA ballooned close to seven runs (6.42). He didn’t help his case when he was roughed up this past spring, allowing three home runs in 12.1 innings. After shedding 14 pounds in the offseason, Barria hopes for a bounce back season whenever 2020 gets going, and he could find new life as a sixth man in the rotation.

Southpaw Dillon Peters was sidelined with a sprained ankle in the days before camp was shutdown. He reportedly injured it while walking down the stairs a few days earlier. Peters made 12 starts for the Halos in 2019, but only three would be considered quality starts. However, he looked good in Tempe this March, allowing only one earned run in three separate appearances. Peters has relied mostly on a four-seamer, curve ball, and changeup, but he is also looking to add a slider to his repertoire, which should help him against left-handed hitters.

Who would be the worst player to one day own the Angels?

And then there’s Jose Suarez. Angels fans will remember his struggles with the big club as a 21-year-old last season, but he was just getting his feet wet and possesses bat-missing stuff that was on full display during Spring Training where he struck out nine of the 29 batters he faced. If the short, left-hander can translate his swing-and-miss ability to the majors, he could be a promising up-and-comer for the Halos. Easing him into the majors as a sixth starter might be a good way to build his confidence and experience at the big league level.