SARASOTA, FLA. — There's no such thing as too much pitching depth.
But having six viable major league starters becomes problematic when you take a look at the Orioles' strange array of scheduled days off and realize that the club may only need to use a fifth starter five times between Opening Day and June 5.
"It's a little bit unusual," manager Buck Showalter said Tuesday, "but it's not that unusual."
It only will be an issue if everybody stays healthy, at which point some tough decisions will have to be made and a pitcher who would deserve to be in the rotation under normal circumstances could start the season at Triple-A Norfolk.
The big wild card is right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez, whose performance this spring could determine whether he ends up being among the top four starters. Right-hander Miguel Gonzalez almost certainly will be one of the flex guys because he has shown the ability to pitch effectively in just about any situation or timeframe.
"I just go along with the flow," Gonzalez said. "We had the same situation last year with six guys coming in. It's the same this year, so my mentality has got to be the same no matter what. Just have to go out there and wherever they put us, we've got to do our job."
Showalter isn't going to project anything yet, but right-handers Chris Tillman and Bud Norris and left-hander Wei-Yin Chen almost certainly will secure spots in the rotation. And the way this all shakes out will factor into whether this is the year top prospect Kevin Gausman settles into a full-time starting role and stays there.
Gausman also could end up bouncing back and forth between the rotation and the bullpen, but it's fair to question whether that's the best way to develop a pitcher with the potential to be the team's ace.
Showalter will enjoy the extra flexibility afforded by the early season schedule, but it may be too much of a good thing for a couple of potential members of the rotation.
peter.schmuck@baltsun.com
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