Braves pitching depth will help in shortened season
Imagine having a rotation with seven or eight starting pitchers.
Well, it could happen, especially if the season is as different as we think it could be in 2020.
The Braves have Mike Soroka, Max Fried, Mike Foltynewicz, Sean Newcomb and Cole Hamels. With the season starting late, Hamels now should be available when the season begins.
Then there is Felix Hernandez, who was outstanding in spring training.
Plus, Kyle Wright showed a lot in Florida. Wright tweaked his delivery and the results were outstanding. He may be ready to contribute right now to a MLB rotation.
That's seven starting pitchers. With Hamels and Hernandez being older, you wonder if the Braves could just put a young pitcher with them and have them piggyback starts.
For instance, what if Hamels, a left-hander, started a game and was then replaced by right-hander Wright.
Or what if Hernandez, a right-hander, started the game and was replaced by left-hander Sean Newcomb.
That's the kind of setup that might benefit the Braves in a truncated season. Their pitchers could be fresher once a postseason begins, and two veteran pitchers could simply be ready for more work in crucual games.
Not all organizations could do this, but the Braves are in a good position to use their strength to help them win more games in 2020.
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