Eight for 2018:
With Lively, his first three appearances were seven innings each, and he only accomplished seven frames twice for his other 12 outings. But in September! And he went 3-6 with a 4.66 ERA in those last 12 appearances.
On the other hand, Pivetta was dominant when he commanded his fastball and his secondary pitches. But he was only effective in five of his 26 performances.
Struggling with injuries in ’18, Eflin wasn’t ready for Opening Day, had elbow inflammation requiring a disabled-list stint with rehab, and ended the 162 in late August with a right shoulder strain. However, he had a 2.81 ERA for his first five starts over 32 MLB innings: three seven-frame outings.
In his eight starts, Thompson went 3-2 with a 3.27 ERA for 41 1/3 frames: roughly five innings per outing. Unfortunately, he walked 18, and his ERA estimators overall were 5.23 or over.
As for Mark Leiter and his six-pitch arsenal, he went 3-5 with a 5.19 ERA for 60 2/3 innings over 11 starts. But he might not make the team if the red pinstripes don’t carry a long man. So, he’ll probably open the campaign with the Allentown affiliate.
Regarding MiLB starters, major league hitters don’t miss pitches Triple-A batters do. But do these minor league hurlers have the mental toughness for the majors? That stated, Eshelman has excellent control, but is it 70 percent accurate?
Two flamethrowers who are second half options before September are right-handers Drew Anderson and Enyel De Los Santos, who was the return in the Galvis deal. In fact, either or both could be strong candidates for the five-man staff of Lehigh Valley.
To sum up, until the top free agents lower their asking prices and sign with contenders, the market for starting pitchers will continue to move slowly. Basically, the question is who won’t blink first? Klentak!