Cincinnati Reds: Who would grab the final spot in a six-man rotation?

Tejay Antone, Reds right-handed pitcher

Tejay Antone may not have to wait and see if the Reds go with six starting pitchers, as the right-hander is still in the mix if Cincinnati decides to go with the traditional five-man rotation. Last year’s rookie will be battling with Michael Lorenzen and Wade Miley over the next few weeks, trying to squeeze himself into the starting rotation.

Antone has the ability to go the distance. Last season, Antone started four of the 13 games he appeared in and was quite successful in those outings. The Texas native struck out 18 batters over 16.1 innings of work, posted a 3.86 ERA, and made it into at least the fifth inning in three of those four appearances.

I look for Tejay Antone to make a huge leap forward in 2021, but in order to do that, he’ll have to cut down on his walks. The right-hander’s walk-rate was 11.3%. Thankfully, his strikeout-rate (31.9% according to FanGraphs) was quite high as well. Antone’s WHIP of 1.019 was quite impressive, and he showed great promise during his rookie season.

For my money, Antone would be the first pitcher I’d turn to if the Cincinnati Reds were interested in trying a six-man rotation. If not, Antone will slot quite well into the team’s bullpen and could be deployed in any number of situations.