The 6 man rotation. A fan's suggestion

Henry Shulman of the San Francisco Chronicle has stated in the past and reiterated today that both Bruce Bochy and Dave Righetti are against the idea of a 6 man rotation. With the team interested in bringing back Ryan Vogelsong after all, that would give the team possibly 7 capable starters.

 

Good question. Bochy, Rags not fans. RT @chriskieffer: @sfchronicle Any chance #sfgiants use 6-man rotation, mitigate wear on Bum, Cain?
— Henry Schulman (@hankschulman) January 22, 2015

•  One obvious drawback to the 6 man rotation is that Madison Bumgarner would get significantly less starts. 
• Also, It takes away the advantage of having starting pitching depth by using all of the depth we have. 
• If there were to be an injury, the Giants would be forced to change the rotation significantly. 
• Throwing pitchers off their regimen mid season in any way can impact a pitcher's performance dramatically. 

All that being said, I think there are some interesting circumstances in play with this particular staff and the possibilities and benefits that could come from a 6 man rotation.

1st - Bumgarner is the only pitcher in the rotation that is coming into the 2015 season where performance was not an issue at some point last season. An extra days rest for any of the other members of the staff could be beneficial.

2nd - Because of Bumgarner's 270 inning 2014 season, He may need extra rest at some point next season. Having a 6 man rotation in place could help with that.

3rd. I would suggest keeping Bumgarner on a 5 day regimen like normal, but still go with a 6 man rotation.

Game 1 - Bumgarner
Game 2 - Matt Cain
Game 3 - Jake Peavy
Game 4 - Tim Hudson
Game 5 - Ryan Vogelsong
Game 6 - Bumgarner
Game 7 - Tim Lincecum
Game 8 - Cain
Game 9 - Peavy
Game 10 - Hudson
Game 11 - Bumgarner
Game 12 - Vogelsong
Game 13 - Lincecum
Game 14 - Cain
Game 15 - Peavy
Game 16 - Bumgarner
Game 17 - Hudson
Game 18 - Vogelsong
Game 19 - Lincecum
Game 20 - Cain
Game 21 - Bumgarner

This would give Cain, Peavy, Hudson, Vogelsong and Lincecum 6 days between starts instead of 5, which will keep them all better rested throughout the season. All 5 of these pitchers have thrown so many innings in their careers, that spreading out their starts could have some great benefits.

4th - This also could give Bochy more options in a late inning game with a bullpen slot given to another starter since Yusmeiro Petit will make the squad as well.

5th - Speaking of Petit. If this 6 man rotation idea ends up happening and working, an injury to any of our starters would end up meaning Petit would just slide into the rotation. He was so good at doing that last season, and he should be even better this year, going into camp with a guaranteed contract and roster spot.

6th - I don't have a 6th reason, but if I am going to try and convince you that there should be a 6 man rotation, I shouldn't only have 5 reasons. How about a fantastic picture of Tim Lincecum? Or maybe a better one of Tim Hudson finally winning a World Series trophy after 16 seasons.