Blue Jays: Arguing for a six-man rotation, and Nate Pearson

If Major League Baseball goes to a shortened schedule in 2020, the Blue Jays might find that a six-man rotation including Nate Pearson would work well.

Until we know if and when the 2020 MLB season is going to start, all anyone can really do is plan for “what if” scenarios, and wait. With that in mind, I’d like to discuss an idea that I think could work well for the Toronto Blue Jays this season.

The MLB office and the Player’s Association have been working hard to come up with a variety of solutions to save the 2020 campaign, and at this point they all include a shortened schedule of some kind. That said, I think it’s pretty universally understood that the more games they can have on the schedule, the better off everyone will be.

In order to maximize the number of games, it’s a near certainty that we’re going to be looking at a fair enough of double-headers. It’s hard to say how frequently they could be built into the schedule, but if the league ends up being quarantined in an area like Arizona, not having to travel allows for more time and energy spent on the field. For the sake of argument here, let’s pretend that teams are even playing one double-header a week.

More from Jays Journal

• Matt Chapman has been exactly what the Blue Jays needed
• Blue Jays: The goalposts are moving in the right direction
• Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays advance to the Championship Series
• Blue Jays: Comparisons for Alek Manoah’s Second Season
• Blue Jays: Adam Cimber, the unlikely decision King

If that’s the case, or if they were to play seven days a week for even a good chunk of the calendar, every team is going to need a lot of pitching. In fact, I would argue that a six-man rotation might serve every team well in a strange season like this one, and the Blue Jays might even benefit from such a scenario.

Assuming everyone is healthy, the Blue Jays have a starting group that includes Hyun-Jin Ryu, Tanner Roark, Matt Shoemaker, Chase Anderson, and a variety of talented young arms. Trent Thornton looked poised to earn the fifth spot in the rotation, but the Blue Jays also have capable starters in Anthony Kay, Ryan Borucki (if healthy), Jacob Waguespack, and possibly Shun Yamaguchi, if he’s not utilized in the bullpen. And yes, they also have Nate Pearson waiting to make his MLB debut.

A scenario like this might actually be ideal for someone like Pearson. Other than his service time, the biggest concern about starting the former first-round pick in the big leagues too early this season was his workload. The right-hander has only thrown 123.1 innings as a professional over the last two seasons, mostly due to a broken arm he sustained in his first start in 2018. After posting 101.2 innings last season, my assumption is the Blue Jays wouldn’t want him throwing more than around 130 frames this year. As things stand, it’s almost impossible for that to happen anyway.

Again, until we know if, when, and how long the MLB schedule is going to be in 2020, it’s very difficult for the front office and coaching staff to make concrete plans. However, the longer this goes on, the more likely it would seem that Pearson could and should be a factor this year, and it might even make the most sense in a six-man rotation.