Alexi Ogando to skip winter ball

The Texas Rangers announced today that Alexi Ogando will not be participating in winter ball this offseason. He was placed on the disabled list back in July with elbow inflammation. He didn’t have surgery, which is good. But, there are still questions about the conditions of his elbow.

Also Alexi Ogando has decided not to pitch winter ball. That's not a great sign.
— Evan Grant (@Evan_P_Grant) November 20, 2014

He attempted to make the starting rotation during spring training for the 2014 season, but he wasn’t able to prove he could do the job and ended up in the bullpen. Prior to him becoming a starting pitcher Ogando did very well in that role, but he hasn’t been the same since the Rangers tried to convert him out of the pen.

Last season he made 27 relief appearances pitching 25.0 innings and had a 6.84 ERA. That’s a way down from 3.27 ERA he had in 2012 when he was primarily in the bullpen. Ogando has stated several times he wants to be a starter, but clearly he’s best suited in the pen.