Friday night could not have gone more perfectly for Clemson baseball.
It went beyond a 10-5 win over eighth-ranked N.C. State. It went beyond a six-run inning early in the game—the second, to be precise—that erased an early lead and put the Tigers in control.
It was more than the 30th win of the season, or the 12th in the Atlantic Coast Conference. It was more than three Seth Beer runs batted in or a breakout game at the dish for Robert Jolly or yet another stat-sheet-stuffing performance at the top of the lineup for Chase Pinder.
Friday’s win went beyond Friday, because Friday was also about Saturday, and Sunday, and all five games next week. Monte Lee used only two pitchers to salt away the series-opening victory against the Wolfpack: starter Charlie Barnes and reliever Alex Eubanks.
Now, Lee has the rest of his pitching staff available to fill the to-be-announced slots in the rotation for the next two days. That means he also has every opportunity to use Pat Krall as he sees fit.
Krall is arguably the most valuable pitcher in the country. Some might find that notion ridiculous, especially for a player with no starts and only two saves. But for those familiar with Clemson baseball, it makes perfect sense.
Out of 200 qualifying pitchers, Krall ranks second in the nation with a 0.68 earned run average. In fact, he is only one out away from being tied with the leader. He has allowed just more than a baserunner per inning in 20 appearances spanning 33 innings. He pitches to contact, averaging only 6.3 strikeouts per nine innings, but he only allows singles. Krall has only given up three extra-base hits—all doubles—this season.
A fairly new trend for Krall has been closing out games. After finishing only one of his first ten appearances—an 11-out save against South Carolina—Krall has closed nine of the past ten times he has gone to the mound. During those games, he is 6-1 with one save. Six of those appearances have spanned more than one inning, including a seven-inning stint in relief against Florida State on Monday that earned him a victory.
Krall has settled into his role in the bullpen, but many have suggested he needs to be in the starting rotation. After all, Clemson’s starting staff hasn’t exactly been setting the world on fire. In 25 conference games counting Friday night, Tiger starters have only pitched through six or more innings ten times. Only five of those have been quality starts.
Needless to say, this has put a particular strain on the bullpen. It has also meant Lee has been forced to go to Krall earlier and earlier as the season has worn onward.
Lee and the staff have seemingly warmed to the idea of Krall joining the rotation with each passing week. It seems inevitable that Krall will make a start at some point down the stretch. But as people see the gaudy ERA and wonder why the best pitcher on staff still isn’t starting, it seems relevant to point out why a coach would not put Krall in his weekend rotation.
Sometimes guys respond best in certain situations. In basketball, there are more than a few players that can give starter-level production off the bench, but they struggle actually starting games. Those individuals are actually more valuable in roles many would consider reserved for less talented or less valuable players.
As good as Krall has been, there’s always a possibility his brilliance as a pitcher is attached to his role. In other words, he may not be able to necessarily duplicate his effectiveness as a starter. That’s something Lee and the coaching staff must consider.
There’s also the notion that every good bullpen has a shutdown guy that can—for lack of a better term—rescue a team in a game it needs to win. If Krall moves into the pen, there is no one else that has reliably proven capable of filling that very important role. Also, Krall could potentially impact multiple games within the same series from the bullpen, something he won’t be able to do as a starter.
For these reasons, I don’t believe it would be wise to start Krall this weekend—but I’m not willing to punt the idea entirely. These ACC series are too important to make dramatic changes to the most reliable parts of the team.
We now know Ryley Gilliam will start on Saturday. That leaves Clate Schmidt—who graduates Saturday—to start on Sunday, or another pitcher like Alex Schnell with limited starting experience on weekends. Krall is available in either game as a long arm, a shutdown guy with the ability to add length to effectiveness in his stints should either starter falter early.
If the staff decides to put Krall on the mound as a starter, the best place to experiment would be Statesboro, Georgia, where the Tigers will take on Georgia Southern next weekend. That greatly expands the margin for error since the results don’t impact the ACC standings and a single loss to the Eagles likely won’t make or break the Tigers in the NCAA Tournament picture.
Whatever happens can inform the staff about what to do down the stretch. If it works, keep him in the rotation. If it doesn’t, move him back to the bullpen. Regardless, the stakes aren’t quite as high in that series as they are this weekend.
One thing is clear about Lee: More often that not, he knows which buttons to push with his team. The moves he’s made have traditionally worked out for the better, but no move so far has as much potential to direct the trajectory of Clemson baseball heading into postseason play as what he decides to do with Pat Krall.