D-backs president Hall excited about team’s surplus of starting pitching
May 31, 2013, 12:01 AM | Updated: 12:29 am
There was already plenty of talk about what the Arizona Diamondbacks’ starting rotation could look like over the next few years.
Really, it’s only natural when you look at the hurlers who are already at the Major League level as well as those progressing through the farm system.
But Tyler Skaggs’ six innings of shutout baseball Monday against the Texas Rangers gave everyone another glimpse of what could be, and it has team president Derrick Hall pretty excited about what’s to come.
“He’s going to be a fixture in our rotation, it’s a matter of when,” he told Arizona Sports 620’s Doug and Wolf Thursday.
Skaggs, 21, is really just the tip of the iceberg of what’s left, and only 1/5 of the D-backs’ rotation of the future.
“I get so excited watching him and thinking about, within the next year or two, we’re going to have a rotation that already has (Trevor) Cahill and (Daniel) Hudson, but you’re going to be talking about Archie Bradley, you’re going to be talking about Tyler Skaggs, Patrick Corbin, Wade Miley, Ian Kennedy.
“Where do you fit it all? It’s a great problem to have.”
Like most D-backs fans, Hall said he’s especially excited about the concept of seeing guys like Bradley, Skaggs and Corbin in the same rotation, and given that they are three of the team’s top young prospects, it makes sense.
However, each of those players will need a spot in the rotation, and right now there isn’t any room. So, what are the D-backs to do?
Hall said injuries happen and there are times where pitchers need time off or a trip to the minors, so you can’t really have too much pitching.
“We felt that we had enough pitching going into this season that we could move (Trevor) Bauer, and people thought we were crazy at the time,” he said, noting he’s hoping that trade continues to work out. “When you have a surplus you can take a chance like that, but you can’t take too many.”
Citing the idiom that says you can never have too much pitching, Hall said he knows the franchise has an abundance at the position.
“But you have to be careful because, just as quickly, you could blink and you don’t have enough pitching.”
