6 man rotation...is that the answer?

[JohnBriggs12]

Ever since the Brewers went to the 6 man rotation, the starters have been solid from 1 to 6.

 

Given that all 6, with the exception of Guerra perhaps, are 3-4 type starters, maybe the extra rest between starts is ideal for this team to maximize these guys abilities?

 

I believe the success of the 6 man rotation should make the Brewers strongly consider starting off the 2017 season in the same manner.

[brewmann04]

Find a #1 or 2 Solid #2 guys this team will be good INO

[MrTPlush]

I think it is a coincidence to be honest and not anything to do with an extra day of rest. It is something interesting that teams never really attempt in a full season, but seeing all of our pitchers are of similar talent level maybe an extra day of rest could help? I wouldn't be against such a move if they wanted to try it. The only thing that doesn't work is if you have an elite ace type pitcher and/or a good number two. At that point a six man rotation doesn't make a ton of sense.

 

Regardless this has been WAY too small of a sample size to connect it with the extra man/rest. One would have to do this for months and probably a whole year to see any potential effects. I always wonder if that extra rest will keep pitchers fresh down the stretch which could be huge in a race. The biggest issue is the fact you are losing a bullpen arm to insert an extra starter and that is probably why it isn't done outside of September. That is the only issue is see with it.

[MadScientist]

It probably helps this time of the season to give pitchers a little extra rest. However I don't think it is sustainable throughout the year. A couple of bad/long games in a row would chew through the smaller bullpen. No worries about the bullpen this time of year.

[tmwiese55]

The biggest issue is the fact you are losing a bullpen arm to insert an extra starter and that is probably why it isn't done outside of September. That is the only issue is see with it.

 

This is the biggest point to be made right here. You'd have to forfeit a bench offensive player and in the NL you just can't do it. in the AL it could probably be done though since they don't really need their bench.

[monty57]

Also, for the first month or so of the season, many teams rarely even use their 5th starter because of all the early days off. I don't see us starting 2017 with a six-man rotation.

 

Edit: Of course after I say that, I see that the Brewers only have two days off in April next year :-)

[Greenleaf1]

I think the roster spot it would eat up is just too difficult to deal with. You're either dealing with a 4-man bench or a 6-man bullpen, both seem like bad options when we have young players that could use that spot.

 

I think this is one of those things that resolves itself in the offseason though. Given the weak FA market for starting pitching, I'd be incredibly surprised if we don't deal one or more of Guerra/Garza/Anderson this offseason.

 

Assuming Jungmann gets a start at the end here (I think he will) and does well, you've got him and Suter getting looks in Spring Training for the rotation. Hader should be up at some point next year, probably midseason if he starts the year well, and if Ortiz/Woodruff have strong years next year they'll be knocking on the door by the end of the year. We need to start clearing space in the rotation anyways, so I'd expect a trade or two this offseason to clear up this issue.

[adambr2]

I guess it could work if you have pretty equally talented starters in your rotation, and I do believe in the importance of fresh arms, but that extra roster spot is problematic.

 

Personally I prefer shorter starts and an 8 man bullpen.

[1992casey]

I see the six-man rotation being useful if a team is up against innings limits or if it doesn't want to drop a starter from the rotation. I don't see the Brewers facing any significant innings issues, but I see a situation where it's beneficial to give opportunities the six pitchers who are currently starting.

 

The impact on rosters would be a reason not to do this all the time.

[bork]

The other problem is none of these guys pitch deep into games, so you need your bullpen to cover 3-4 innings every night. So you have to have a 7 man bullpen minimum.

[JohnBriggs12]

I guess it could work if you have pretty equally talented starters in your rotation, and I do believe in the importance of fresh arms, but that extra roster spot is problematic.

 

Personally I prefer shorter starts and an 8 man bullpen.

 

Virtually any starter who's had any success in the major leagues is better than the 4th thru 8th man in anyone's pen. And unless a "long man" gets regular work, he's not going to stay sharp. Yes it would shorten the bench, but having versatile bench players, it's possible even in the NL. You would need to have the flexibility in your roster to keep the "next day's starter" available for extra innings, and the ability to dip into the minors to replace him if used for one game.

[Thurston Fluff]

The brewers traditionally have a hard enough time finding 5 starters let alone 6. If we had 6 really good starters that pitch 7-8 innings on a regular basis then I would be all for it. As it is now I'd probably be more inclined to go with 4 starters who go 5-6 innings and add a reliever than the other way around.

[Never Outhustled]

Ever since the Brewers went to the 6 man rotation, the starters have been solid from 1 to 6.

 

Given that all 6, with the exception of Guerra perhaps, are 3-4 type starters, maybe the extra rest between starts is ideal for this team to maximize these guys abilities?

 

This isn't the only time the Brewers pitching has been good this year. They were 2nd in the Majors for July.

 

What we're seeing is the Derek Johnson effect. The longer he works with these pitchers the better they get. He's a special talent, a tremendous hire.

 

The teams ranking, by month, has been 30th, 14th, 10th, 2nd, then they slipped to 21st in August after 2 key relievers were dealt and injuries hit, but have rebounded to 4th in September.

 

For an organization with such a wretched history of pitching, this new direction is both exciting and relieving.

[DHonks]

I've always liked the idea of starters throwing relief innings rather than bullpen sessions. With a 6-man rotation, the starter could start day 1, be available for an inning of relief day 4 or possibly day 5 if not too many pitches.

[Outlander]

That would certainly help with the short bullpen if a starter is available to pitch in the bullpen every game. I just don't know how it would work in reality though since bullpen guys always seem to like defined rolls. Would the starter always be the 6 or 7th inning guy? Plus, what happens if they don't pitch, is a bullpen session the next day too late?

[NYChez]

The Brewers carried Wei-Chung Wang on a team that was in first place for 150 days two years ago. I don't think the roster spot would be a reason not to do this if there was evidence this plan would increase the performance of the starters.

[DHonks]

Outlander, a bullpen session could occur in the late innings or simply following the game. The way I think of it is that sometimes guys need to get their work in to simply work on things. But for pitchers trying to stay sharp, what could be better than in-game outings.