When the Cincinnati Bearcats were getting ready for the 2017 regular season, they were bullish on their pitching staff, or at least their top two starters. Andrew Zellner was coming off a first-team All-American Athletic Conference campaign and J.T. Perez had just thrown a career-high 91 innings while posting a 2.97 ERA.
As we inch ever closer to opening day, the Bearcats’ rotation looks much different. Zellner is gone and Perez didn’t have a great 2017. That will make for a major challenge for Scott Googins. Here’s how the starting staff will look and how the rest of the league will counter.