DJ Carrasco in action for the New York Mets. Photo / Getty Images
DJ Carrasco in action for the New York Mets. Photo / Getty Images
In the professional sporting realm, the 'next man up' philosophy is widely embraced.
It's a sign of faith in the roster; should a star player be unable to play due to injury or other unavailability, the team has to turn to the next best player in that position to stepup.
For the Auckland Tuatara, it's a philosophy that pitching coach DJ Carrasco has been quick to adopt.
Coming into their sophomore season in the Australian Baseball League, the Tuatara knew they would only have Kiwi starting pitcher Kyle Glogoski for five starts. Joining the Auckland franchise from Major league Baseball's Philadelphia Phillies organisation, Glogoski was on a five start limit so he would have time to freshen up before returning to the States for spring training.
What they weren't prepared for was fellow starting pitcher Jared Koenig to be unavailable for the second half of the year. The American Koenig joined the Tuatara after starring in an independent league in the States. He carried that form into his stint with the Tuatara, and was quickly signed by Major League Baseball's Oakland Athletics organization.
The Tuatara worked with the Athletics to determine how long Koenig could pitch after the club signed him, and the 26-year-old was shut down by the Auckland club after his sixth start of the campaign.
With two holes to fill in the rotation, Carrasco told the Herald it was simply a case of doing the best with the resources at hand.
"I don't know if you can necessarily replace those guys," Carrasco admitted. "Koenig was our number one front line guy and Kyle put in his work with us.
"What you've got to do is just find guys who will throw strikes, keep you in the ball game and rely on the rest of the team that is here so far to pick us up, and the hitters have been doing so.
"That's how you do it – just do make do with what you have and try to get the best out of them."
Junya Michihara has been a pleasant surprise for the Auckland Tuatara this season. Photo: SMP Images
The Tuatara have brought Kyohei Muranaka and Junya Michihara out of the bullpen to join local hurler Jimmy Boyce and former MLB starter Josh Collmenter in the rotation, and have so far been successful in their role of limiting the damage on the scoreboard.
Michihara is the ultimate example of calling on the next man up. He showed up out of the blue, but the Tuatara liked what they saw and brought him onboard. Working alongside Carrasco, an eight-year MLB veteran, Michihara has worked to develop a curveball to use alongside his splitter and fastball allowing him to better transition into a starting role, understanding how to pitch as a starter and using his arsenal to throw strikes and balls.
But it's not just the rotation who is doing their jobs. With players moving into different roles, other have taken the extended opportunity on the mound, such as local hurlers Elliot Johnstone and Mak Fox.
"A lot of the guys are getting better. It might be incrementally slower than other guys and some guys kind of leapfrog others, but they're keeping us in the games, they're keeping us competitive and they're giving us a chance to win. That's all you can ask for from your staff."
The Tuatara pitching staff will change welcome two need players this week, with former Chicago Cubs MLB player Jen-Ho Tseng and San Francisco Giants prospect Sandro Cabrera joining the team for their series against the Sydney Blue Sox in Sydney this weekend.
The additions come as the team prepares to farewell a trio of players, with Texas Rangers prospects Hever Bueno, Lucas Jacobsen and Josh Morgan all ending their time with the Auckland club.
Josh Morgan will play his last series for the Auckland Tuatara this weekend. Photo: SMP Images
Closing pitcher Bueno was shut down after his last performance against Geelong-Korea due to fatigue, with fellow closer Jacobsen and infielder Morgan will both return back to the States to attend weddings after this weekend's series.
"We knew Josh and Lucas were only ever going to be with us for the first eight weeks of the season," Tuatara chief executive Regan Wood said. "We had planned around that but that disruption has been magnified because of the other players we've had come and go from the roster.
"It will be hard for Josh and Lucas to say goodbye to the team given how well we've gone but we understand they have to put family first.
"Hever wants to stay but Mintzy [manager Stephen Mintz] is concerned with a recent drop in velocity on the back of a very long season and is not prepared to risk injury by asking more of him.
"While it is frustrating for us to lose quality players we know we have an obligation to make sure they are looked after while they are with us.
"I want to thank Josh, Lucas and Hever for helping us this far and we would welcome all three of them back in the future."
