The Opener came into vogue last season. You know, the reliever that starts a game who might face just the first couple of batters or even pitch into the second inning, and then is relieved by a guy who goes on to pitch roughly the same number of innings as a backend starter (4-5 innings ideally). How often was The Opener used last season? Who will use The Opener this season? That’s the purpose of this article.
NOTE: I spoke to The Opener and how to handle the spot in fantasy leagues, and yes you should have a plan, in Pitcher Qualifications.
USED LAST YEAR
Here is how The Opener was applied last season.
55: Rays (they went 32-23 in those games)
9: Athletics
8: Twins
5: Rangers
2: Blue Jays, Mariners, Astros
1: Dodgers, Brewers, Yankees
WHO WON’T USE OPENER?
Some teams that seem highly unlikely to use The Opener except in a rare instance (it should be noted that tons of teams might dip their toes into the pool. Maybe in a double-header. Maybe after a long road trip. Maybe if the starter is injured in warm ups etc.). These teams seem unlikely to use The Opener because of the strength of their rotations.
Astros, Braves, Cardinals, Cubs, Dodgers, Indians, Mets, Phillies, Red Sox, Nationals.
I’d also toss in the Rockies, Twins and White Sox as teams that are unlikely to do it often (there’s more on the Twins below).
The Brewers don’t have much lefty depth in the pen, so it would be surprising if they committed anything significant to the strategy of trying to play matchups in the first inning versus saving those arms for later game matchups. Check if they add any more left-handed relief help as a potential key signaling a willingness to make that move. Still, seems unlikely as of this writing.
Madison Bumgarner, Jeff Samardzija, Gerrit Cole and Justin Verlander all spoke out in an extremely negative manner against The Opener (here’s a quote from Cole and some video discussion).
WHO WILL USE THE OPENER IN 2019?
A video on the general trend.
I will freely admit, that we’re not completely certain here. Here are some of the best guesses that can be made based upon the info we have at our disposal.
I would also put out the thought that this strategy is more likely to be used by teams that either (A) don’t have big payrolls or (B) aren’t likely to win a ton of games. Of course, these are just generalizations.
ANGELS: Tyler Skaggs and Andrew Heaney are already dealing with health woes. Matt Harvey last threw 160 innings in 2015. Trevor Cahill last three 125-innings in 2013. It sure seems like the Angels could dip their toe into the pond.
ATHLETICS: The A’s, who always cry poor, will apparently continue to explore using The Opener. “I think depending on who we identify as guys we need to get innings from and then maybe if there’s some vulnerability with some other guys, maybe that’s the route we go as far as the opener,” manager Bob Melvin said.
BLUE JAYS: Jays’ manager Charlie Montoyo said the team would consider using it, though it’s not an ideal solution. “If you don’t have the right pitching — at the end of the day, you’ve got to have good pitching. You can use the opener all you want, but if we have guys throwing 98 to open the game, that works pretty good,” said Montoyo.
GAINTS: It’s not like the Giants have a ton of starting pitching depth, and GM Farhan Zaidi suggested the Giants might use The Opener.
ORIOLES: Their fourth and fifth starters are David Hess and Mike Wright, and it’s not like Alex Cobb and Andrew Cashner are workhorses.
PIRATES: GM Neal Huntington said the club could use the role.
RANGERS: Beat writer T.R. Sullivan said the following. “…this whole idea of “openers” is still in the experimental stage, so there is no telling yet if it will become standard operating procedure or a passing fad.” Sullivan went on to note that Manger Chris Woodword “… supports the idea that many pitchers are effective for no more than two times through the lineup…” so it certainly sounds like the idea is still a potential yes.
RAYS: “I know we’re going to do it,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “We are convinced that different looks through an order, challenging lineups, gives us a good chance. We are confident that this is going to help us win games.” Not only will they use it, but they are all-in going with just three starters and two Opener days each turn through the rotation. Their starters appear to be Blake Snell, Charlie Morton and Tyler Glasnow (Player Profile).
TIGERS: Manager Ron Gardenhire had this to say about using The Opener. ““I’ve watched it, and I don’t have a problem with it,” he said. “I saw the Twins do it to us seemed like every game. They got through it. Tampa Bay made it an art form… if you don’t feel you can do that and compete, then it makes sense to try something different.” Can Matt Moore and Tyson Ross stay healthy and effective for the Tigers? Seems unlikely, right?
TWINS: The Twins may not be planning on using The Opener, but they might have a curtailed rotation early in April.
YANKEES: Luis Severino is likely out until May, and CC Sabathia is a few weeks behind too. Manager Aaron Boone had this to say about using The Opener. “I could see it being something we consider from time to time,” Boone said. “I don’t see it a lot, but yeah, I could see it coming into play on certain occasions… In a long stretch of games and you wanted to give a guy an extra day. [Or] you felt like it’s a little softer landing for some guys to let them start from the back end of the lineup and give them a time and a half through.”
