The old saying warns that too much of a good thing may not be good after all. Just ask any child who couldn’t resist following up a hearty dinner with a plentiful bowl of ice cream.
After close competition throughout spring training, 29 year-old Jeff Niemann will begin the season as a starting pitcher for the Tampa Bay Rays
Jeff Briscoe
The brain-trust of the Tampa Bay Rays, however, has chosen to defy this wisdom. In spite of weaknesses at other positions, the club clung to its chips and entered spring training with 6 worthy starting pitchers for 5 available spots.
Though all received a month of evaluation, the decision essentially became a competition between Jeff Niemann and Wade Davis for the final place in the rotation.
Rookie Matt Moore may be less experienced, but the Rays already revealed their substantial faith in the 22 year-old when he surprisingly earned the game 1 start in last year’s ALDS against a formidable Texas Rangers lineup.
With spring training reaching its final days, Manager Joe Maddon ended the suspense earlier this week by announcing the victor of this informal pitching battle.
5th year hurler Jeff Niemann will be assigned the last spot amongst the club’s talented array of starting pitchers. In coming up short, Tampa Bay further announced that 4th year player Wade Davis will head to the bullpen.
Both pitchers received similar playing time during the spring and produced comparable results. During the Grapefruit League schedule, Niemann has started 4 games for 13.1 innings and given up 16 hits for a 4.05 ERA with 11 strikeouts. Meanwhile, Davis has earned 5 starts for 18.1 innings and yielded 22 hits for a 4.91 ERA with 13 strikeouts.
Based on those numbers, perhaps a slight edge could be given to the 29 year-old Niemann. However, the decisive factors likely included that the Texas native is more experienced, possesses better control, and serves as an intimidating presence on the mound at 6’9″.
While Davis has handled the demotion nobly, this will be his first stint in the bullpen during his major league career. Though the Floridian worked from the pen in last year’s playoffs, each of Davis’ 64 appearances since 2009 has been starts.
Being used in shorter increments, The Rays may hope that Davis improves the inconsistent velocity on his fastball. His loss of speed became an issue in 2011 and is viewed as an impediment to maturing into an elite pitcher.
If a skeptic, one could consider the team’s recent rash of injuries, as well as the past offensive black holes at catcher and shortstop, and wonder if this excess of pitching could be better employed. Additionally, prospects Alex Cobb and Alex Torres both impressed at camp and will undoubtedly knock on the big leagues’ doors from Triple A.
In the Rays’ defense, this is a decision that many teams would execute. In his opening press conference of the spring, number crunching General Manager Andrew Friedman pointed out the inevitably of injuries, which typically mandate 7-9 starting pitchers over the course of 162 games.
Furthermore, nothing is more coveted in baseball than strong starting pitching. Given the game’s recent preference for small ball, superior pitching tends to overcome equally capable offense, especially in the middle of a pennant chase.
For these reasons, the Rays have resisted the temptation to deal the excess of starting pitching. As the team prepares for Opening Day, Jeff Niemann will remain in the rotation, while Wade Davis adds depth to the bullpen.
Yet, if the lengthy baseball season has taught us anything, expect this to remain a fluid situation.
Sources:
Yahoo! Sports, Rays.com, Draysbay.com, Rays press conference of 2/20/12
More by Jeff Briscoe from Yahoo! Contributor Network:
Competition at Shortstop Continues in Tampa Bay
Jeff Briscoe is a regular contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network and a follower of the Tampa Bay Rays. He co-hosts The Sports Train radio show on 1580am WCCF in Southwest Florida.
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Patricia Shaughnessy was a devoted Boston Red Sox fan. In 1946, at age 12, she was glued to the radio listening to a baseball game, heart pounding, when she asked her mother: “If I say the rosary, will Ted Williams hit a home run?”
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