Forecasting the Buffalo Bisons Starting Rotation

Buffalo Bison, Coca-Cola Field. Mandatory Credit – Jsayre64 via WikiCommons

The Buffalo Bisons will open their season on April 9th versus the Rochester Red Wings. The Red Wings finished the season half a game behind the Bisons, 4.5 games back of the Syracuse Chiefs and the wildcard winning Pawtucket Red Sox.

The Bisons 2015 roster was completely overhauled, with a whole new set of outfielders, a few new infielders, and bunch of new arms. There will be some familiar faces that the Herd faithful will remember.

With the first couple of spring training games just getting under way, player movement is expected which will impact exactly what the Bisons roster look like on April 9th. Since I am an impatient fan. I want to forecast where the Blue Jays future stars will start the 2015 season.

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Today we start with the Buffalo Bisons starting five. Last season the Bisons lead all International teams with a 3.52 ERA, second with a 1.28 WHIP, and not surprising third in walks and hits. Good results from a bunch of AAAA players and some career minor leaguers. It was until later in the season the Bisons began getting contribution for the Blue Jays high ceiling prospects.

Gone from last season starters are LHP Sean Nolin and Kendall Graveman (traded to Oakland), Marcus Stroman (with Toronto), Brad Mills (with the A’s…again), Deck McGuire (also with the A’s), and veterans Shawn Hill, P.J. Walters, and Raul Valdes.

Let’s get started

Feb 25, 2015; Dunedin, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays catcher

(55) and starting pitcher

(31) arrive for spring training workouts at

Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Returning Arms

Liam Hendriks– de-facto Ace

The 26-year-old native of Perth Australia will be back with the Herd after finishing 2014 with the Kansas City Royals. His stellar play in 2014 earned him some very impressive accolades. He was added to the mid-season All-Star game and the Triple-A All-Star game, earned him a call to Toronto where he made 3 starts. It was his impressive minor league stats which increased his value enough to be shipped off to the Royals with Erik Kratz for Danny Valencia, where he made 3 starts and 3 relief appearances.

2015 Prognosis: Another dominate year in minors and would be the second arm called up when the need arises.

Austin Biben-Dirkx- Swingman

The 29-year-old Bibens-Dirkx split 2014 between the starting rotation and the bullpen with the Bisons and the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. Entering his 10th minor league season, Austin will give the Bisons quality veteran leadership, while contributing when and where he’s asked. There’s always room on the roster for a guy like this.

2015 Prognosis: Will spend the year moving in and out of the bullpen. Will see role decrease as younger arms force their way up the organization.

Feb 26, 2015; Dunedin, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays pitcher

catches a batted ball during spring training workouts at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

New Additions

Andrew Albers– Wildcard

The North Battleford native spent 2014 pitcher in the KBO (Korean Baseball Organization). Signed for $700K  with a $100K bonus, the former Minnesota Twins prospect will attempt to pitch his way back to the Major Leagues for the first time since making 10 starts in 2013. To get back to the show, Albers will need to find a way to get more swings and misses, as he owns a 3.8 K/9 rate at the Major League level. However, his stuff has played better in the minors, with a career 7.9 K/9 at Triple-A.

2015 Prognosis: Expect him to start in Buffalo, but he may need to accept that his road back to the majors is as a bullpen arm.

Michael Lee– Stretch

The 6’7″ native of Las Vegas was acquired near the end of 2014 and finished the season with the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats, where he produced a solid 2.25 ERA over 32 innings of work, while pitching in. Overall between Mobile and New Hampshire, he showed good control, low BB and K, and was tough against LHB.

2015 Prognosis: Will play the role of a yo-yo between the rotation and the bullpen and Triple-A and Double-A.

Feb 25, 2015; Sarasota, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays pitcher

throws pitches during spring training workouts at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

Dark Horses

Scott Copeland– Slow Climber

The former 21st round pick of the Baltimore Orioles spent most of 2014 with Toronto’s Double-A FisherCats, before getting his first taste of Triple-A at 26 years old. Copeland has thrown 647IP minor innings over 6 seasons. He a solid ground ball pitcher, generating 2.52 GO/AO and a decent career WHIP of 1.43. You’re not going to get a ton of strike outs from Copeland, but you will get a guy that can control his fastball and his secondary pitchers

2015 Prognosis: Scott will be a valuable member of the Bisons rotation. Likely the fifth starter and could bounce between New Hampshire and Buffalo.

Rickey Romero- last chance

Rickey Rickey Rickey. Not much to say about a guy that was once expected to be a mainstay in the Blue Jays rotation. His fall from grace has not been an easy. Left off the 40-man roster, unprotected and unclaimed in the past two Rule V drafts and not even receiving a non-roster invite to spring training. At the end of 2015 Romero will be without a contract and out of baseball, unless he can find a way to regain the form that helped him to win 51 games in the majors between 2009 and 2012.

2015 Prognosis: Rickey had surgery on his knees this off-season, so I am hopeful that he will be better than he was in 2014; unfortunately, it won’t be good enough. He will continue to struggle with his control and could find himself rotting in the Bisons bullpen.

Jeff Francis– soft tossing

Francis has bounced around the past few seasons and has found his way to Toronto. He’s attending camp as a non-roster invitee and still hold some intrigue. He’s got loads of experience, he’s a LHP, and he’s a Canadian. The later not really being a big deal with the current edition of the Blue Jays. Francis won’t make the Blue Jays rotation and he’s a long shot to be a LOOGY, but that will be the role he plays with the Herd.

2015 Prognosis: Unless a Francis has taken up the weighted ball program with Brett Cecil and Steve Delabar, and miraculously added a few mhp to his fastball, he’ll be relegated to the Bisons bullpen.

Feb 20, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; A baseball rest on the field as players and catchers arrive at George M. Steinbrenner FIeld. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Last Call

All the arms mentioned could see time with either the parent club and the Bisons in 2015, but there’s only room for 5. My starting 5 will be:

Daniel Norris

Liam Hendricks

Andrew Albers

Scott Copeland

Rickey Romero or Michael Lee

Once Norris get called up to Toronto and a decisions made on Albers and Romero, we can expect to see Casey Lawrence added to the Bisons rotation.

A Triple-A roster can best described dynamic. Dynamic in the sense that they never stand still. Last year, Alex Anthopoulos utilized the close proximity of his Triple-A team to his advantage, in his attempt to find the right mix of players for manage John Gibsons…..I don’t expect that to change in 2015.

Next: How much has the Blue Jays defense improved in 2015?