With the first round of spring training starts just about in the books, it’s time to take a closer look at the numbers as players begin to emerge. While a few innings of work in February certainly don’t mean anything in terms of the season, it’s a big opportunity for prospects and forgotten players to break out and make an impression on the manager and coaches. Let’s take a look at which starting pitchers are already impressing in limited innings.
Jesse Chavez (OAK): 2-0, 4.2 IP, 3 K/1 BB, 0.00 ERA, 0.64 WHIP
A reliever by trade, Chavez is the only player to start more than one game coming into Monday. Chavez is battling for a spot starter role, a big part of the A’s since they are a team that has dealt with a lot of injuries to pitchers over the last few years. He’s off to a good start, holding opponents scoreless over his first 4.2 innings of the spring.
Chavez struggled throughout his career, posting a 5.99 ERA over 177 innings over his first four seasons, split between Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Kansas City, Toronto, and Oakland. He showed a bit more promise last season, posting a reasonable 3.92 ERA and 1.22 WHIP. If he can continue at this pace, he could certainly be in line to be the A’s go-to spot starter.
Kyle Lobstein (DET): 0-0, 3.0 IP, 4 K/1 BB, 0.00 ERA, 0.33 WHIP
Lobstein isn’t going to make the team out of spring training but the 24-year-old continues to develop into a decent looking starter. With three hitless innings to start the spring, the 2008 second-round pick is looking to build on his 2013 minor league campaign that saw him go 13-7 with a 3.27 ERA and 1.29 WHIP, his best season yet.
Jered Weaver (LAA): 1-0, 3.0 IP, 1 K/0 BB, 0.00 ERA, 0.33 WHIP
Injuries held Weaver to just 24 starts last season but the veteran still finished the season with a 3.27 ERA and 1.14 WHIP. While that’s great for most pitchers, it’s not good enough for Weaver, who had posted ERAs of 3.01 or lower in three straight seasons prior to 2013. He’s looking like his old self early in spring training and should be a force to be reckoned with once again in 2014 if he can stay healthy.
Chris Sale (CHW): 0-0, 2.2 IP, 4 K/0 BB, 0.00 ERA, 0.37 WHIP
Sale has not posted an ERA over 3.07 in any of his first four Major League seasons and has picked up right where he left off, plowing through opposing batters. He’s allowed just one hit while striking out four batters over his first 2.2 innings and is getting back into dominant mode quickly.
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Anthony Ranaudo (BOS): 0-0, 2.0 IP, 4 K/0 BB, 0.00 ERA, 0.00 WHIP
Ranaudo is starting to creep back into the minds of Red Sox management. Although two strong innings in spring training won’t elevate him to the promised land, his 2.96 ERA and 1.13 WHIP in 2013 (split between Double-A and Triple-A) is inching him back to prized prospect status.
In 2011, Ranaudo was dubbed the No. 67 top prospect in the country by Baseball America. His ascent to the Majors was quickly derailed, however, as the LSU product posted a 6.69 ERA in an injury-riddled 2012 campaign. He bounced back strong last season anCd will look to get back in the conversation with a strong campaign in his first full season in Triple-A.
Trevor Cahill (ARI): 1-0, 3.1 IP, 4 K/0 BB, 2.70 ERA, 0.90 WHIP
Cahill fell off in 2013, posting a 3.99 ERA and 1.42 WHIP over 25 starts. He’s looking to get back to form and is off to a solid start this spring. Working on control will be key for Cahill, he posted a career-high four walks per nine innings last season.
Yu Darvish (TEX): 1-0, 2.0 IP, 4 K/0 BB, 0.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP
After coming in second behind Max Scherzer in the American League Cy Young race, Darvish is looking to make his third Major League season even more impressive. He’s off to a quick start in the spring, which likely means he’ll be in mid-season form by Opening Day as he attempts to best his league-leading 277 strikeouts, 6.2 hits per nine, and 11.9 strikeouts per nine from a season ago.
