North Shore Nine

One inning pitched was all it took for fans to scream, “Why is this man in the rotation?” To go a step further, many asked, “Why is this man on the team at all?” Regardless of the fact the Pirates ended up winning the start, the fans’ ire remains. So, why is Bailey Falter on the team? The answer is actually quite simple.

Falter is a pre-packaged scapegoat, a sacrificial lamb to be, an opt-out clause waiting to be triggered. To be clear, he will be the first pitcher off the roster when the time comes for a call-up to occur. Whether that is Domingo German, Eric Lauer, or Quinn Priester (sorry Paul Skenes fans), one will be up to replace Falter very soon. The reason Luis Ortiz or possibly Quinn Priester did not make the rotation and Falter did is due to roster spots. Luis Ortiz obviously has a roster spot, but with German or Lauer soon to be up for the rotation, it was not fair to give him a rotation spot just to take it away a week or two into the season. Priester falls into the same category; while it is possible he is called up to fill the empty void that Falter currently fills, it is unlikely. German seems the most likely person to take the 4th starter position if he can manage to keep his personal demons under wraps. If he cannot, then it is possible that Lauer is the one to take the rotation spot instead. This all very much depends on two things: 1. how each performs in AAA and 2. whose personal issues keep them potentially off the field.

If all goes well, once German is ready, Falter will be DFA’ed. While Falter has shown flashes of being a good pitcher, he has not strung enough together to give anyone, outside of opposing fans, any confidence. If German is unable to be promoted, then look to Lauer or Priester as the options. If all of them fail to be ready for the call, then the outside chance is Brent Honeywell Jr. with Oritz moving to the rotation. Regardless of the direction, fear not, Falter is not long for the rotation.