Washington Nationals: A creative solution for the fifth starter

Several pitchers are currently competing to become the Washington Nationals’ fifth starter. Perhaps the role could be filled by a couple of them.

Despite having an elite pitching staff, the fifth spot in the Washington Nationals‘ starting rotation is currently vacant. A.J. Cole, Erick Fedde, Tommy Milone, and Edwin Jackson have been competing for the role throughout spring training with mixed results.

Cole entered the spring as the frontrunner, and, despite strong performances from Fedde and Milone, that is likely still the case. While the Nats could easily slot Cole into the fifth slot and be fine, there may be a better solution.

When taking a quick look at Cole’s stats from last year, it’s obvious that he was an effective pitcher during his brief stint in the bigs. He pitched to a 3.81 ERA in 52 major league innings.

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However, when you delve into his stats more deeply, a concerning trend takes center stage.

As a starting pitcher in 2017, Cole pitched to a 2.93 ERA in his first time through the order. He improved a little in his second time through the order, pitching to a 2.60 ERA, but hit a wall in his third time through the order.

In his third time through the order, Cole pitched to a 6.94 ERA.

While this trend is concerning, it is to be expected. The more an opposing lineup has seen a pitcher, the better they will fare. The pitcher is also fatiguing as the game progresses, so he is running on fumes in his third time through the lineup.

This should not keep Cole from making the team, but the Nats should consider a creative solution to their vacant rotation spot. This is where Fedde comes in.

After undergoing Tommy John Surgery a few years ago, Fedde has been on innings limits throughout his professional career. He only pitched 105 innings in 2017, so he should not be depended on for much more than 120-130 innings this year.

The Nats have a history of easing pitchers back from Tommy John Surgery, so Fedde will almost certainly be on an innings limit once again in 2018.

In order to limit Fedde’s innings and prevent Cole from making three trips through the lineup, the Nats should piggyback the two.

Last year, Astros manager A.J. Hinch used this strategy several times throughout the postseason. He piggybacked Charlie Morton and Justin Verlander in the ALDS, and did the same with Morton and Lance McCullers in the ALCS.

Like Hinch, Dave Martinez is a new-school manager and would likely be open to at least experimenting with unconventional managerial methods.

If Cole and Fedde are piggybacked, Fedde would likely be the starter. The Nats temporarily moved him to the bullpen in the minors last year, and it seemed to disturb his development.

In this case, Fedde could pitch the first three or four innings, before handing the ball to Cole for three or four innings. If all goes well, and the Nats have the lead after Fedde and Cole pitch, Martinez can hand the ball straight to “the law firm” of Brandon Kintzler, Ryan Madson, and Sean Doolittle.

Although this would be an unorthodox strategy, it could work well for the Nats. Fedde would get major league experience, while also limiting his innings, and Cole would be put in a better position to succeed.

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Piggybacking starters worked for the Astros throughout their World Series run last year, and it could help the Nats address the hole in their rotation in 2018.

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