Baseball Thoughts: That elusive 5th spot

Hey guys! This is my first real post, so bear with me. I guess I'm kinda bored and, with the MLB season pushed back, I have nothing to do. So I'll scratch my baseball itch by writing about it. Hopefully I'll publish a couple of these and that they will be slightly intriguing, but whatever happens happens.

Today I was thinking about the Nationals and the questions facing them right now. As I walk around wherever, taking my dog out or taking the trash out, I usually think about baseball, and the Nationals fifth starter spot intrigued me immediately. My opinion, since the end of last season, was that Joe Ross should and will hold the final slot in the rotation. Although is numbers through 2019 were not great (4-4, 5.48 ERA per Baseball Reference), his stats over the last 2 games were vastly improved (2 earned runs combined, 2-0, both wins), and manager Davey Martinez has repeatedly said that he is happy with Ross' progress. Ross has been a member of the Nationals organization for a long time, and I've always rooted for him to be the healthy, reliable end of the rotation option he has the potential to be. However, he hasn't turned out that way, hindered by injury or mechanical issues. He did make a World Series start (Game 3, which I attended) and while he did get hit around by the Astros, he put up a valiant effort in game he wasn't even supposed to start. Max Scherzer, who was going to start, was scratched after his neck seized up. Ross didn't know he was going on until the morning of the game, not allowing a lot of time to prepare for the biggest moment of his career to that point. Of course Nats fans don't really care that he lost that game anymore, but the experience he gained in that game, I believe, was invaluable. He showed remarkable poise, and I think that experience could easily translate into the 2020 season, whenever it starts.

However, Ross is hardly Washington's only option. The 2019 season also saw Austin Voth and Erick Fedde make a significant amount of starts, with mediocre results. Voth showed promise in a couple of starts, as did Fedde. Both have been used in the bullpen with limited success, and both still remain viable options for both the bullpen and the end of the rotation. Voth appeared in 9 games, starting 8 of them, and posted a 3.30 ERA. Fedde saw significantly more time at the big league level, starting 12 out of 21 appearances, but his ERA was significantly higher at 4.50.

While Fedde and Voth both made strong cases for the 5th spot, the suspension of Spring Training and the regular season make it difficult to determine who will take on that role. In my opinion, Joe Ross made a stronger case to start, both because of his numbers and his prior major league experience. Fedde and Voth would both make very solid options in the case of an injury to any of the starters, and both will likely see plenty of time on the field. They also remain in play to enter the season at some point in the season, especially later in the year when the regular bullpen arms begin to fatigue from the strain of a 162-game season. If none of this comes to fruition, one of them struggles, or one ascends to another level, the one who falters may become a trade chip come the trade deadline in July.

The fact that we have to debate this much about one spot in the rotation shows the depth of the Nationals, and although the shallowness of the farm system is evident, who cares? They won a Series title, and they still don't have many questions remaining before the beginning of the season. All said, they Nats look well-positioned to make a run at the deepest division in baseball and defend their title.