Garrett Richards Can (And Should) Take His Time Coming Back

By Bobby DeMuro
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Updated: March 7, 2015

(Photo via @Sportsnet )

Angels starter Garrett Richards, who ruptured his left patellar tendon last August, wants to return for Opening Day. Halos manager Mike Scioscia, on the other hand, wants to go slower. Garrett: listen to your skipper.

Richards is a very good young pitcher who was wrapping up a breakout campaign last season when he went down in his 26^th start. He allowed a measly 124 hits in 168.2 innings, good enough for a 1.038 WHIP, 2.61 ERA, and 139 ERA+ in 2014. All three of those stats were good enough to lead a strong Angels pitching staff.

And while the Angels will need him for the bulk of 2015 if they want to compete, they don’t need him right now. The Halos have problems, for sure: second base is a black hole, and the outfield (besides Mike Trout) is now a question mark with the absence of Josh Hamilton. But pitching is not one of the Angels’ problems.

Jered Weaver, C.J. Wilson and Matt Shoemaker are the three guys besides Richards who will throw the majority of innings this year, and barring a spring injury, all three will man the rotation beginning Opening Day. So if Richards isn’t ready come April 6^th, what should the Angels do for the final two starting spots?

Well, for a few turns of the rotation, we’re probably only talking about one starting spot. Scheduling works out in the Angels’ favor: off days on the 9^th and 15^th of April would allow the club to use a four-man rotation for the first nine games.

Beginning April 17^th, though, the Angels play on ten straight days and the season begins in earnest; from there, the standard five-man rotation will take hold. But don’t underestimate the value those first two weeks have as Scioscia buys time for Richards’ return.

Weaver, Wilson, and Shoemaker will be fine from the get-go, and Hector Santiago – who started 24 games last season and threw well enough in 127.1 innings to be a trustworthy option – can fill in as the fourth starter. Should Richards need a little more time (and he might require a couple of weeks to get up to speed), mid-April is the perfect time to give Andrew Heaney an audition as fifth starter.

Heaney, a newcomer who went from the Marlins, to the Dodgers, to the Angels this winter, profiles as a quality left-handed starter. So what better time to showcase him than early April? If he succeeds, he might earn a rotation spot over Santiago after Garrett Richards returns. If Heaney falters, he can return to the bullpen or AAA, with less damage done than if he had been asked to start in, say, August.

Either way, Scioscia and Heaney know his leash will be short and pressure relatively low: Richards will soon return, and should Heaney falter, Santiago (or perhaps Nick Tropeano) can fill out the rotation.

For Richards, a quick return is important, since the Angels need him to helm the rotation this year if they hope to contend for a playoff spot. But at least for the first few weeks, considering their schedule and depth, the team has leeway in his return. They should take full advantage of that, audition Heaney, and allow Garrett Richards a sensible rehabilitation program, rather than rushing his recovery just to pitch him in early April.

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