SPECULATOR: Spring Training "What if"s — AL Edition

In our 2012 debut this week, we kick off our pre-season coverage with a set of "What if..." questions from around the American League.

What if Daniel Bard (RHP, BOS) doesn't stick in the Boston rotation?

With a couple of openings in the back of their rotation, the Red Sox enter camp this month with the intent of stretching out Daniel Bard as a starting pitcher. But, as we saw with Neftali Feliz a year ago, stretching out in March does not necessarily preclude a return to the bullpen in April. If Bard does go back to the bullpen, what might his role be?

Newcomers Mark Melancon and Andrew Bailey are likely to handle the 8th- and 9th-inning roles, respectively, if Bard is in the rotation. If Bard comes back to the pen, that plan may...

Almost!

You’re just a few clicks away from accessing this feature and hundreds more throughout the year that have a singular goal in mind: Winning your league. Subscribe to BaseballHQ.com here!

Already a subscriber? Sign in here

More From Speculator

We speculate on what things might look like if we forget about one (and just one!) bad start.
May 15 2024 3:03am
We'll look at "Change Score" to see which pitchers have switched up their pitch mix the most vs. 2023... and whether or not it's working.
May 8 2024 3:05am
Something doesn't seem quite right with Corbin Carroll. We'll speculate on a number of slow starts that might have been caused by hidden injuries.
May 1 2024 3:07am
We filter part-time hitters with the best projected skills, plus several potential SP call-ups.
Apr 24 2024 3:06am
With 3-4 starts behind us, let's speculate on some early sub-indicator risers and fallers.
Apr 17 2024 3:03am

Tools