Seattle Mariners’ Chris Young might be getting bounced from the rotation. The 6’10 right-hander has pitched poorly recently and could be facing the hook from Manager Lloyd McClendon.
The comeback-player of the year candidate has fallen on hard times. On Tuesday, Young didn’t get out of the first inning against the Oakland Athletics. In fact, Young hasn’t reached the seventh inning since July 26th, when he pitched seven against the Baltimore Orioles.
This year has been a tale of two seasons for Young. The oft-injured right-hander has pitched well for the majority of the year; he has a 12-7 record with a 3.46 ERA. He surpassed the 150-inning mark for the first time since 2007, when he pitched 173 innings for the San Diego Padres. Young started the season strong but has showed signs of fatigue since the All-Star break.
With Young, the Mariners are playing with house money. With the emergence of James Paxton and Roenis Elias, it’s doubtful the Mariners are going to offer Young, who’s on a one year contract, market value in free-agency. They have bigger needs to fill such as a corner outfield and a veteran catcher.
On Tuesday, Young threw a bullpen session and is waiting for Lloyd McClendon’s decision. Young will be on a short leash if McClendon decides to go with him. McClendon said, “He had a good bullpen. I just wanted to make sure he was healthy. That’s the only factor that really comes into play.”
Luckily for the Mariners they have super-prospect Taijuan Walker ready to take the mound. Walker was recently called up from Tacoma when the rosters expanded. He was poised to make the team out of Spring Training but under performed and eventually landed on the disabled list.
Walker relieved Young when he was bounced in the first inning against the Oakland Athletics. He pitched six solid innings of one run ball giving up six hits while striking out five.
Walker has a fresh arm; he’s pitched 103 innings this season including the Minors and the Mariners. Walker’s stuff is electric and he has a handful of starts in the majors under his belt. If Walker gets hot, watch out. Felix Hernandez, Hisashi Iwakuma and Walker could be a formidable rotation in the post-season.
If Walker replaces Young it might not be for the whole season. It’s possible that McClendon uses a six-man rotation. Currently the rotation is composed of Hernandez, Iwakuma, Paxton, Elias and Young. McClendon has been masterful this year with substituting pitchers, making the right moves, giving his staff extra days off and lining up his rotation for big series.
If Young is replaced in the rotation for the season (doubtful), that leaves the Mariners with two veterans (Hernandez and Iwakuma) and three rookies (Paxton, Walker and Elias). That’s not an ideal situation in late September. It’s tough to say how a rookie will react to high-pressure situations late in the season. If Young starts to pitch well he could replace Elias for the home stretch.
If I were a betting man, I’d say that McClendon would stick with Young for one more start to see if Young regains his form. The rosters are expanded so having enough arms in the bullpen is not an issue.
There are many variables, options and questions for the Mariners to ponder. Is Young healthy enough to pitch? Can a team with three rookie pitchers go far in the post-season? Can the Mariners go with three starters and lean on a bullpen that has been lights out this season. Thank goodness the Mariners are playing winning baseball so that these questions matter.
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