MLB Postseason: 3 bounce-back starters who will make an impact
In 2020 there will be several teams banking on bounce-back starters to rekindle their MLB postseason hopes. Here are 3 such starting pitchers to watch for.
Weekends without baseball are officially a thing of the past. This coming weekend will kick off the spring training slate as every team will begin what their hope is a regular season that ends with an MLB postseason appearance.
While the most talented teams are usually the clubs that play beyond September, health usually plays a big part in determining which teams separate themselves from the pack.
In 2020, there will be three teams counting on bounce-back seasons from a starting pitcher to help fuel their postseason chances. One of those teams made the wild card game in 2019 and that is the Oakland Athletics.
The other two teams, the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Angels, will be looking to get back to the postseason to begin the new decade. The Padres have not made the postseason since 2006 and the Angels are looking to clinch a playoff berth for the first time since 2014.
Here is a look at which starting pitcher that is for the aforementioned clubs.
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Sean Manaea (1.21 ERA in 5 starts in 2019)
After undergoing labrum repair surgery in September of 2018, Sean Manaea made his return a year later in September of 2019 against the New York Yankees. Manaea made five starts in the 2019 regular season before starting the American League wild-card game against the Tampa Bay Rays. Manaea did not fare well as he pitched just two innings allowing four runs on three home runs.
The A’s will be counting on Sean Manaea to guide them back to the postseason in 2020, and despite being just 28 years old, Manaea is the second oldest starting pitcher in the A’s projected opening day rotation. The only starter that is older will be the veteran journeyman Mike Fiers. Despite never topping 200 innings in a season, Sean Manaea has averaged just over 25 starts a season when 2019 is excluded.
In 2020, the Athletics’ rotation will benefit greatly from a healthy Sean Manaea. While the A’s rotation features talented youngsters such as Jesus Lazardo, a stable veteran pitcher like Manaea could put the A’s over the top in their quest for another postseason berth. With the division-rival Astros losing Gerrit Cole in a quiet off-season, the A’s suddenly have a chance to win the American League West. If Manaea can pitch to his career average of a 3.77 ERA, the A’s are a good bet to make the MLB postseason in 2020.
MLB Postseason: 3 bounce-back starters who will make an impact
Garrett Richards (8.31 ERA in 3 starts in 2019)
In 2020, the San Diego Padres will look to accelerate their potential MLB postseason timeframe. Despite a failed run at a Mookie Betts trade, the Padres did add Tommy Pham and also created one of the league’s best bullpens with the additions of Drew Pomeranz and Emilio Pagan. The one area the Padres will be looking for more help in is their starting rotation.
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The Padres have top prospect Mackenzie Gore rising rapidly through the minors but he is unlikely to make his big league debut until the end of the 2020 season. The Padres do have an excellent young starter in Chris Paddack, but aside from him, the Padres lack a true top of the rotation option. One starting pitcher who could help solve that is the often injured Garrett Richards. Richards’ returned from Tommy John surgery in September of 2019 but struggled in three brief starts that spanned just 8 2/3 innings.
Garrett Richards first broke out for the Angels in 2014 as he went 13-4 with a 2.61 ERA in 26 starts. After making 32 starts in 2015, Garrett Richards has totaled just 31 starts over the last four seasons. The Padres signed Richards in December of 2018 knowing the second season of his two-year deal could provide them a top of the rotation starter for a bargain price. If Richards returns to form in 2020 and stays healthy (a big IF) the Padres may be a true contender for one of the two wild-card spots in the National League.
MLB Postseason: 3 bounce-back starters who will make an impact
Shohei Ohtani (0 games pitched in 2019)
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The Los Angeles Angels were the most active team in free agency when it comes to the American League West. Not only did the Angels add two veteran innings eaters in Dylan Bundy and Julio Teheran, but the Angels signed World Series champion and star third baseman Anthony Rendon to bolster their offense. Despite the additions of Bundy and Teheran, the Angels still lack an ace and a true top of the rotation starter.
The Angels lost 90 games in 2019 and in order to make a sudden jump into playoff contention, it will take much more on the pitching side. The Angels had the second-worst starting pitcher ERA last year at 5.64. The only team that had a worse starting pitcher ERA was the Colorado Rockies who pitch 81 games in a pitcher’s nightmare.
Shohei Ohtani will get back on the mound for the 2020 season and look to provide the Angels with an elite starting pitcher option. Ohtani underwent Tommy John surgery at the end of the 2018 season and did not take the mound during the 2019 season. Shohei did return to action in May and play out most of the season as a designated hitter but the Angels will look for a boost on the mound from Ohtani in 2020.
During his tenure with the Angels, Ohtani has made ten starts for the Angels which all came during the 2018 regular season. Ohtani pitched well as he allowed an opponent’s average of just .203 and struck out 63 batters in 51 plus innings. If Shohei can post an ERA of 3.31 as he did in 2018, he should finish with the best stats of any starting pitcher in the Angels’ rotation.
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The American League West is suddenly a competitive division with the Astros likely to take a step back due to losing Gerrit Cole and playing the game on an even playing field. The Oakland A’s will be a playoff contender and the Angels may finally make that jump into playoff contention in 2020 if Shohei Ohtani bolsters the top of the Angels’ rotation. Ohtani is one of the few two-way stars in MLB, and in 2020, the Angels will look to ride the arm of Ohtani into an MLB postseason appearance.