Brandon Finnegan embraced the opportunity to start for the Cincinnati Reds last year. He started four games for the Reds in September and finished his 2015 time with the Reds with a 4.18 ERA in 23.2 total innings.
Now, Finnegan has the chance to show he can remain in the rotation for 2016.
Finnegan looked like a rotation lock early this spring. He started the Cactus League with a 3.60 ERA through 10 innings and four appearances.
Then the wheels fell off for Finnegan. He was shellacked in his last two starts in the Cactus League. In his final two appearances, he gave up 12 earned runs in 4.1 innings.
Had several Reds’ starting pitcher not turned up on the disabled list to start the season, Finnegan may have found that he had pitched his way out of the rotation.
Now he has the chance to wash away his collapse during the spring to prove he belongs as a starter.
Finnegan was one of three left-handed starting pitchers the Reds acquired in the Johnny Cueto trade. His brief career with the Kansas City Royals was limited to relief after he was drafted 17th overall in 2014.
Finnegan may find himself relegated back to the bullpen if he can’t deliver in his upcoming starts before starting pitchers on the disabled list like Jon Moscot, Michael Lorenzen and John Lamb return.
Finnegan is set to make his 2016 season debut Wednesday night against the Philadelphia Phillies. However, rain may either shorten or cancel his first start of the year.
The Reds called up pitching prospect Robert Stephenson to fill a rotation gap for the Reds’ third game of the season. If Finnegan’s planned start is a complete washout, he might find himself starting in place of Stephenson on Thursday unless a double-header is set.
Regardless of when Finnegan pitches, the soon-to-be, 23-year-old finds himself at the crossroads of career as a starting pitcher.
Robb Hoff writes about the Cincinnati Reds for OutsidePitch MLB. You can follow him on Twitter and Facebook.
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