Aaron Blair Should Have Been Called Up To Start This Weekend

After announcing that they have placed RHP Jeremy Hellickson on the 15 day D.L. and recalled RHP Chase Anderson, the Arizona Diamondbacks also updated their rotation for the four game series beginning tonight against the Reds.

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I have to be honest: I don’t know what in the world the Diamondbacks were thinking. I have been pretty pleased by the decisions that Dave Stewart and the rest of the front office along with Manager Chip Hale have made this season, but I am scratching my head about who the D-backs chose to start Saturday.

I can understand why Chase Anderson is back because he had just been in the rotation until yesterday when the D-backs sent him down to Triple-A Reno, but out of all the options the D-backs had to start in place of Hellickson, they chose Randall Delgado.

REALLY!!!!

First of all, Delgado has been used solely out of the bullpen this season. In 43 appearances he is 4-3 with a 2.70 ERA across 50 innings pitched striking out 48 and walking 22.

As you can see Delgado has been really effective in his role as a member of the pen, so why remove him from the role! We don’t need another guy like Josh Collmenter who bounces back in forth from the rotation to the pen. It only hurts the pitcher because he can’t have a consistent number of innings year in and year out.

Delgado hasn’t made a start for the Diamondbacks since September 11th of last season. Since then he hasn’t thrown more than 3 innings in a game.

So it’s clear that Delgado isn’t ready to start, and it doesn’t make any sense to start especially if the D-backs more than anything need innings from their starters.

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This is directed to Hale and Stewart: Aaron Blair should have been promoted immediately and have been slated to start for the D-backs this weekend.

Blair has raced through the Diamondbacks minor league system since being drafted by the team out of Marshall University in the first round of the 2013 draft.

In 13 starts with Double-A Mobile in 2014, Blair went 6-3 with a 2.70 ERA in 83.1 innings pitched. Since being promoted to Triple-A Reno, he has held his own against more advanced hitters.

In 9 starts for the Aces, he is 6-1 with a 3.33 ERA in 54 innings while striking out 48 and walking 20.

Just based on his performance alone, he deserves to start for the D-backs this season. Plus, the team would get a chance to look at him at the MLB level in preparation for 2016.

Blair will have a great chance to be in the starting rotation next season, so why not look at him. Delgado isn’t a long term fit for the rotation, and he is better in the pen anyway.

Even if the Diamondbacks had a good reason to not start Blair (service time isn’t a good reason because he doesn’t have to be protected this winter), Andrew Chafin who has thrown way more innings, and is the D-backs best reliever at the moment, would have been a better choice especially given the fact that he could be apart of next year’s rotation.

Overall all of this doesn’t make sense, and it’s unfortunate for Blair and his family because he deserves a chance to prove himself at the MLB level.