Manager Phil Nevin says Angel’s sixth starter will be a swinger – Orange County Register

TEMPE, Ariz. — The Angels’ six-man rotation could be closer to a 5.5-man rotation, it turns out.

On the day the pitchers and catchers reported for spring training, manager Phil Nevin said Tuesday that the Angels’ current plan is “kind of a swing deal” for sixth place in the rotation, at least early in the season .

That means the Angels’ top five starters typically take five days off, which means they only need a sixth starter if there are no days off during a particular swing through the rotation.

Nevin had said at the winter meetings that the Angels would get five days off at Ohtani court as often as possible, but now he’s extended that to include starters Tyler Anderson, Patrick Sandoval, Reid Detmers and Jose Suarez.

“We like what we have in the starting rotation, where these guys have come from from last year and what they’re potentially getting into,” Nevin said. “We like where we are. You are really good.”

Angels starters finished sixth in the majors in ERA in 2022, and they’ve now added Anderson, an All-Star with the Dodgers last season. Using the swing strategy for sixth place would increase appearances for each of the other five starters.

Last season, the Angels typically used six starters each time during the rotation, although there was one day off as well. That meant Angels starters hung up 108 times on six or more rest days, which was double the frequency of the next closest team.

Turning sixth-place into a hybrid role could give right-hander Jaime Barria an edge in the contest for that spot, having enjoyed periods of success in the big leagues as both a starter and substitute.

Barria had a 2.61 ERA in 2022 and shot from the bullpen in 34 of his 35 games. He had a 3.41 ERA as a starter in 2018, although he has struggled as a starter lately.

The other leading candidates for the role are left-hander Tucker Davidson, who is out of options, and right-handers Griffin Canning and Chris Rodriguez. Canning and Rodriguez have missed most of the last season and a half through injury, but both are healthy now. Still, jumping between reels could be problematic for a pitcher with health concerns.

The sixth starter contest will be one of the more intriguing fights of the spring, but Nevin said Tuesday the Angels will also be keeping a close eye on the catchers.

Max Stassi, Logan O’Hoppe and Matt Thaiss are the three catchers in the 40-man squad and Nevin said there will be competition for game time.

“I’ll say that for every position, the best guys will play,” said Nevin. “We’re not here for charity events or anything like that. We want to win and our best guys will play. …Each one can show up and play a little bit more than the other, and I couldn’t tell you who that is. I mean, that’s certainly a bit of a competition this spring, for sure.”

Nevin also said he doesn’t start camp with any preconceived notions about how time will be allocated at the shortstop. David Fletcher and Luis Rengifo are the top contenders, with a handful of other players able to play there occasionally.

“Is it a set guy? I don’t necessarily think shortstop has to be a one-set man because of the position,” Nevin said. “We move around in other places in the field. To me there’s no reason why, as long as you get the production out of the spot, you can’t have other people act there when it matters most.”