To say that Mitchell Parker has struggled lately would be an understatement. After a very good April, Mitchell Parker has been the worst starter in baseball that continues to be handed the ball every fifth day. After a quality rookie year and a strong start, giving Parker a long leash made sense, but that rope has come to an end.
Parker was actually very good through three innings, but it all came crumbling in the 4th and 5th. In the first few innings, Parker’s velocity was noticeably up, consistently in the 95-96 MPH range. However, as the velo fell back to its normal range and the breaking balls were less sharp, the Phillies hammered Parker.
He gave up six runs in five innings. After the game, manager Miguel Cairo seemed very open to the idea of finding a new option in the rotation. He said that the team is trying to figure out who can do the job when asked about what was next for Parker.
It is clear that Parker cannot do the job. In his 21 starts, Parker has a 7.48 ERA. That is a large sample of just awful results. The underlying data doesn’t even really think he’s been that unlucky either. For the season, his ERA is at 6.01 and his xERA is right around that number at 5.78. Hitters expected average against him is over .300. Overall, this just does not paint a pretty picture.
So what do the Nationals do to replace him? That is the big question and why it has taken so long to get him out of the rotation. None of the options at AAA are very exciting.
One guy to look at is Andrew Alvarez. His ERA in AAA is a mediocre 4.15, but he has been throwing the ball quite well since the start of June. At 26 and without a ton of pedigree, he is not really a long term option. However, he has earned a shot over Parker.
Another guy to watch is Riley Cornelio. He ran through High-A and Double-A this season in a similar fashion to what Brad Lord did last year. However, Cornelio has not been great in his first three AAA starts. That would likely give Alvarez the upper hand.
Other than that, the AAA roster is mostly filled with journeyman and organizational depth. This is something the next GM will have to fix in the coming years. It should be pretty easy to find a guy who can replace a pitcher who has put up an ERA over 6. However, this is a tough challenge for the Nats.
If they want to go really crazy, the Nats have an ace up their sleeve. It is very unlikely to happen, but what if they brought Jarlin Susana straight from Double-A. He has been completely dominant lately and we know the stuff plays at the MLB level. His ability to throw consistent and quality strikes still is not amazing though.
If Mike DeBartolo wanted to excite the fans and the baseball world, Susana would be the guy to call up. However, the Nats want the 21 year old to develop at his own pace, so this is unlikely. A man can dream though.
I am not sure what the right option is, but I know it is not Mitchell Parker. He has gotten chance after chance, but he simply has not been good enough. Even on a bad team, you can’t afford to have a starter that is struggling this much. For the players who just had a huge win on Friday, it is probably demoralizing to know that you are probably going to have to chase the game due to Parker.
We know what we have with Parker at this point. He can sort of eat innings, but that is about it. It is time to give somebody else a shot and see what they can do. That seems like it will be happening too.
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