I was listening, but missed the leadup to the collapse because I had to run a quick errand. I tuned in just before he made things worse, and it sounded like there was some kind of mishap with a pickoff play, then two sort of fluky singles.
Still, very clear pattern of having some troubles staying composed and focused when difficulties flare up. This is not at all surprising for a young pitcher in general, especially one with a revamped delivery and entirely new pitch. I'm not concerned at all yet (that really needs to be bracketed until July/August at the absolute earliest), but it's definitely the case that he should start in AAA. Had he finished out his innings today relatively smoothly, I think he would have been back in the ambivalent status of maybe winning the #5 job, but even that would be a bit iffy.
Two real trouble spots/"collapses" in a row indicate that he should under no conditions be starting in MLB, especially when the #5 spot isn't even getting regular rotation initially, in all likelihood. He should go to AAA, work on mechanics and the walk rate, and then we'll re-assess.
The big rotation question to me now is clearly whether Brault makes his case to start in the rotation, which is coupled with 1) how Hutchison compares in general, and 2) the approach we will take to Hutchison overall. If we want to try him as a swing/long man, then it's conceivable that he could just be in that role out of camp, with Brault possibly starting in AAA and then being called up when the #5 starter is a permanent need. Conversely, if it's feasible that Hutchison could start based on his spring training performance, he could make the rotation as the swingman and slot into the #5 starter role when it's needed, and be in the rotation eventually on an earn-your-next-start basis.
If all things remain equal, and both Brault and Hutchison are giving fairly quality outings, I think the latter possibility is the most likely. I have no confidence in Hutchison in the long haul at all, but if he's solid enough in spring training, it makes some roster sense to start him out, and as long as the hook will be quick and this isn't some full month-long trial, I don't think it will hurt to see what he does as the #5 spot. In fact, it's reasonable to think that the competition will push him to do as well as possible, and also have a very ready replacement in Brault, assuming he can really be lights out in Indianapolis.
Hutchison as the initial swingman also makes sense in terms of taking an extra bench bat initially. I don't see it making a ton of sense that both Hutchison as swingman and Brault as #5 starter will make the team, but I suppose it would be possible if both would kind of get trial on the job type showcases, with the other being there as a piggyback option. Still, I think the best move is to identify whether Brault should start in the rotation or not, as well as what to do with Hutchison in the most general sense.
