Kyle Lobstein, Juan Nicasio, and Jeff Locke are all battling it out for a chance to be the fifth starter in the Pittsburgh Pirates rotation. Each has shown signs of success and it has made for a heated battle so far in spring training.
For the Pittsburgh Pirates, four fifths of the 2016 starting rotation have been set. Francisco Liriano will start things off on Opening Day followed by Gerrit Cole, John Niese, and Ryan Vogelsong. The one question that remains is who will round out the starting five for the Pirates. As Spring Training has moved forward, there are three candidates who are currently the front runners for the position.
Kyle Lobstein, Juan Nicasio, and Jeff Locke have been battling it out to earn the right to be the fifth starter in the rotation. Each has shown signs that they can handle the role, making for a heated battle. Last season, Locke was the fifth starter and struggled mightily going 9-11 with a 4.59 ERA. The Pirates will be looking for a more dependable option going into 2016.
The key to being a fifth starter is keeping your team in the ball game and throwing as many innings as you can. The Pirates have one of the best bullpens in Major League Baseball, but it means nothing if they are forced to work more than they have to during the course of the regular season. The fifth starter needs to be someone who can throw a lot of innings and keep the Pirates in the ball game when they are on the mound.
As stated before, Locke was the fifth starter for the Bucs last season and struggled mightily. So far in his first three spring training starts, the numbers have not been too kind to him either. He has a record of 0-1 and is pitching to a 6.00 ERA giving up six earned runs in 9.0 innings pitched. He has also struck out six batters and walked two over the course of those 9.0 innings.
The positive that sticks out for Locke is the strikeout to walk ratio. He is currently sitting at six strikeouts to only two walks giving him a 3.00 Strikeout per walk ratio. This is a pretty good number for Locke considering last season that ratio was down to 2.16. It will be key for Locke to be able to keep his strikeout numbers up while keeping his walk numbers low.
The thing I dont like from Locke is the number of hits he has given up so far. In those 9.0 innings of work, he has given up eight hits. For a starting pitcher, you have to limit the number of hits you give up so that your pitch count doesnt get too high. Pitch count is everything now a days and if you are giving up a bunch of hits, it doesnt allow you to be able to go deep into ball games, which is something the Pirates need from their fifth starter this year.
Last time out, Locke had a pretty strong showing against the Detroit Tigers throwing 4.0 innings giving up only two runs on two hits while striking out five and walking one. It was nice too see Locke only giving up those two hits in four innings of work and seeing the five strikeouts. Locke has been known for his inconsistency in the past, so we will see if those demons come back to bite him as spring training starts to wrap up.
Nicasio, who came over in free agency from the Los Angeles Dodgers, has been very impressive so far in spring training. He has appeared in three games and he has no record throwing 6.0 innings and giving up no runs while striking out six and walking three batters. He has yet to give up his first earned run in Spring Training which is a good sign moving forward.
It is nice to see the strikeout numbers being at one per inning for Nicasio. Not really known as a strikeout pitcher over the course of his career, only striking out 100 or more batters once, Nicasio has been getting a lot of swings and misses early on in spring training. His six strikeouts to three walks ratio sits exactly where Locke's sits at the nice 3.00.
Again a problem with Nicasio is the number of hits he has given up. He has given up four hits in his 6.0 innings of work. While not as bad as Locke, that number needs to greatly improve. Pitchers will start to fatigue if they give up too many hits and that is something the Pirates fifth starter cannot do. If Nicasio can limit his hits to about 6.0/2 ratio rather than a 6.0/4 ratio he could be set for a successful 2016 campaign.
Nicasio's last start was a strong one as well against the Tampa Bay Rays when he threw 3.0 innings giving up no runs while walking one and striking out three. Again he gave up the three hits in the three innings of work, but overall it was a good performance. Nicasio has the most experience out of the three hopefuls and that could play a factor in the selection process.
Lobstein rounds out the group of hopefuls, and like Nicasio, has yet to give up a run during the 2016 spring training. He has pitched to a 1-0 record with a 0.00 ERA while striking out four while walking three. Lobstein is the youngest of the group of hopefuls and hopes that his inexperience doesnt get in the way of his chance to be the fifth starter.
Lobstein has shown the ability to work out of trouble early on in spring training. He has been faced with many situations with runners on base in close ball games and has been able to get out of them uscaved. While you do not want to be in these situations as a starter, it is a plus to be able to get out of them. He has allowed six people to reach base so far this spring in 4.0 innings of work and has been able to strand all of them. This will be key if things start to look bad for Lobstein in a game.
One thing I do not like about Lobstein is the number of batters he has walked. In his 4.0 innings of work this spring, he has walked 3 batters. When your walks start to get up to the number of innings you throw that is not very good. Lobstein has some control issues he needs to work out, but if he can contain those issues he could be a big pick up for the Pirates in 2016.
Lobstein's last time out was yesterday against the Boston Red Sox when he came in relief of starting pitcher Ryan Vogelsong. In that game he threw 1.0 inning giving up two hits while walking one and striking out two. His only start of the spring thus far has been in the first spring training game against the Detroit Tigers when he went 2.0 innings giving up no runs, striking out one and walking two.
Out of the three candidates for that fifth starter job, I feel Nicasio should be the guy this season. He has the most experience out of the three and is having the best spring training to this point. Nicasio has impressed me with his strikeout ability and the ability to keep his walks down. While he still needs to work on the amount of hits he gives up, that can work itself out as the season progresses.
I feel that both Lobstein and Locke will still make the Pirates roster and will both be available out of the bullpen in a long relief role. It is always good to have a multitude of lefties in the bullpen and with both Lobstein and Locke being lefties, it offers the Pirates many options out of their bullpen to face the tough left handed batters.
The battle for this fifth spot will rage on tomorrow as Nicasio takes the mound for the Pirates as they take on Kevin Gausman and the Baltimore Orioles in a game that has first pitch scheduled for 1:05 p.m.
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