Rays Dirty Dozen: SP Depth Leads Rays into 2016

Sep 17, 2015; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Alex Colome (37) throws a pitch during the eighth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

RHP Alex Colome – 26 years old

Everyone seems to forget how important Colome was to the rotation in 2015. He reached the 1.8 WAR rating for a reason, as he pitched in with 13 starts. Despite this, Steamer only has him earning a 0.5 WAR rating in 2016, but that should be taken with a grain of salt as it’s anybody’s guess how many innings and starts he’ll get in 2016. The fact that at this point, we’ve gone through 6 starting options and only one is 27 years old is extremely impressive.

When you add in the quality of the starters, it even more impressive. In Colome’s case, the stats were much better as a reliever, so expect him to return to the pen in 2016. However, it’s important to note that he pitched at least 6 innings in 5 of his last 7 starts, likely earning the confidence of the Rays to use him in that role again if required. That kind of depth is important through a long season.

Next: Mid-season depth is next at #7