It’s officially over.
After weeks of endless competition, the A’s have selected Brandon McCarthy to be the team’s No. 5 starter. He beat out guys like Josh Outman, Tyson Ross, and Bobby Cramer. McCarthy joins a talented rotation that includes the likes of Trevor Cahill, Gio Gonzalez, Brett Anderson, and Dallas Braden.
McCarthy, 27, had himself a rather solid spring going 1-1 with a 4.50 ERA in 26.0 innings this spring. The former 17th-round draft pick McCarthy has gone 20-24 in his career with a 4.56 ERA through 372.2 innings. Like some of his competition (Rich Harden, Outman), he came into A’s camp with a little question-mark next to his name due to his injury-filled past.
In the past three seasons, McCarthy has been limited to just 22 starts in the big-league level. Before signing on as a free-agent with the A’s this past offseason, however, McCarthy did pitch in Triple-A for the Rangers organization, going 4-2 with a 3.36 ERA in 11 appearances.
The A’s have had their own problems when it comes to staying healthy, but this season the team has a little more depth in place than recent years. Guys like Ross and Cramer who battled all spring for the No.5 starter job will likely compete now for a long-relief role in Oakland’s bolstered bullpen.
Ross, 23, owns a 0.59 ERA through 15.1 innings this spring, and his performance warrants some serious acknowledgement. Cramer has also performed well this spring, and both pitchers should be in the running for a long-relief role in Oakland’s ‘pen.
The news of McCarthy emerging victorious is somewhat surprising given his injury history, but he’s proved to be effective and healthy this spring. The A’s certainly have one heck of a rotation now that it’s finally complete.