Forget that Josh Collmenter had a 3.59 ERA in his 24 starts as a rookie last season. If many Diamondbacks fans had their way, he would have been demoted to the pen before 2012 even opened.
Those calls will only get louder now. Collmenter followed up a Cactus League season in which he went 0-4 with a 9.95 ERA by giving up six runs -- five earned -- in three innings Sunday against the Giants.
The case against Collmenter wasn’t personal, but Diamondbacks fans are undoubtedly excited to see what pitching prospects Patrick Corbin, Tyler Skaggs and, especially, Trevor Bauer can do. Much of Collmenter’s rookie success was credited to his deceptive windup, something that hitters figure to get more accustomed to this year. Collmenter throws just 86-89 mph and lacks a plus breaking ball to go along with his fine changeup, so if hitters start seeing the ball better against him, they’ll likely knock him around pretty good. The Giants certainly had his number today, with Buster Posey taking him deep and light-weights Gregor Blanco and Brandon Crawford picking up doubles.
It seems like only a matter of time before Collmenter is shifted to the pen. But the Diamondbacks will face an interesting decision when that happens. Corbin, Skaggs and Bauer are all in Double-A right now, and the team would likely prefer not to have to turn to any of them before June. Wade Miley might get the spot on a temporary basis. He relieved Collmenter today and pitched four hitless innings to get the Diamondbacks back into the game.
