The Bucs put together a pretty competent bullpen last season, and according to recent formula: a couple of proven arms, a pick up or two, and a sprinkling of minor league two-pitch guys. In fact, the Buc bullpens have been traditionally fairly solid, and this year's edition should be no different in either composition or results.
Last year's pen was a lot like the rotation - strong for four months, and then AWOL during the dog days. Through July, the relief corps was called on to cover 328 innings over 343 appearances (86 games-82 innings/month), and did so to the tune of a 3.05 ERA. In August and September, the firemen were waved in 206 times to mop up 198 frames (103 games-99 innings/month). They were scorched, putting together a 4.95 ERA.
Some of it was the workload. The Bucs led the NL in relief innings worked, and the number of innings and outings they absorbed in the last two months was telling. The bullpen had been rated in the upper-mid pack for much of the season until the August/September meltdown, when it drifted slowly into the bottom third.
A big part of the parcel was the rotation, which left too many innings to be worked by the long guys, generally the weakest link of any pitching staff, especially as the season wore on.
Still, they did OK statistically, posting a 23-29-43/3.76 ERA line with a .256 opponent BA. But it wasn't a lock-down game until Joel Hanrahan stepped on the hill. Hanny
converted 91% of his save chances, going 40-for-44, and put up a brilliant 1.83 ERA, earning himself a $4M deal during the winter in the process.
But overall, the Pirates were 43-of-65 in save opportunities, converting just 66% of their chances, and that's not so good. Jose Veras and Chris Resop went a combined 2-for-14 as closers. That's probably as good a reason as any for the Bucs to have hung on to Hanny during the off-season, although his value on the market (and contract) will continue to keep him front and center in any trade rumors involving Pittsburgh.
Most of the back-end bullpen returns. Three right-handers, Jason Grilli, Chris Resop and Evan Meek, are considered close to locks, along with Hanny. The hope is that Meek claims the set-up spot, much like Hanrahan did in 2010, and uses it as a launching pad toward becoming the man. But he's had problems regaining his mid-nineties velocity post-injury after losing much of 2011 to shoulder tendinitis. His heater so far in the spring is sitting at 92 instead of 95-96, and that margin could cost him the eighth inning set up role.
That leaves six pitchers fighting for the final three spots. They are RHPs Daniel McCutchen, Chris Leroux and Juan Cruz, a non-roster signee, and LHPs Tony Watson, Daniel Moskos and Doug Slaten, inked on a minor league deal during the off-season. Clint Hurdle has often said that his preference is to have a pair of lefties in the pen, but in the Bucs case, that may be problematic.
None of the LHPs are particularly late inning, high leverage guys, and Watson (.193/.297) & Moskos (.250/.364) both had reverse splits, getting lit up by left handed hitters. Slaten during his career has a .297/.241 split, so at least he's somewhat effective against lefties. Moskos has held his own this spring, while Watson and Slaten have had a tough start, though none of the three has worked more than six innings yet.
Cruz has been pretty effective so far, and Hurdle has used him in late inning roles this spring. Often described as the Jose Veras of 2012, the 33-year-old went 5-0 with a 3.88 ERA in 56 appearances for Tampa Bay last season. The 11 year vet has a career line of 37-35-3/4.13 ERA while playing for the Cubs, Braves, Athletics,
Diamondbacks, Royals and Rays. He's the frontrunner to date for the set-up spot if Meek continues to struggle while trying to regain his form.
McCutchen replaced Jeff Karstens as the long man last year, and went 5-3/3.72 in 73 outings. Leroux joined the staff during the season, and went 1-1/2.88 with 24 K in 25 innings.But with two weeks to go until opening day, the FO is waiting on guys to step up and claim their spots. Resop, Meek, Leroux, Watson and Slaten all have 6+ ERAs.
We know that spring numbers aren't worth the pixels used to generate them, but with open spots for the taking, the players aren't making roster decisions any easier on Hurdle and the FO. Pittsburgh used 20 guys out of the pen in 2011, and they may end up going through more than a few arms again this year until the players sort things out.
The bullpen outlook is the same as last year's was - strong enough to close out a game in the final three innings, but lacking in mid-game depth and glaringly short on lefties. Its biggest improvement would be for the starters to get into the seventh inning more often and play to the strength of the relievers.
The Neal Huntington bullpen blueprint is to cobble together a strong back end
and fill in the bridge guys cheaply through the system and secondary market, and that's the route
they've taken again this year.
They do seem to have a pretty fair eye for useful free agents, Joe Beimel not withstanding, having brought in Octavio Dotel, Jose Veras and Cruz in the past three seasons to shore up the back end. Not only did these pick-ups fill a need, but the FO turned Dotel and Veras into James McDonald and Casey McGehee, helping to build the team talent pool, too.
They're grooming a couple of power closing arms with Indy's Bryan Morris and Altoona's Duke Welker, plus possibly Justin Wilson, to finish games in the future. The FO thought highly enough of them to ship fireballing Diego Moreno to New York as part of the deal for AJ Burnett. With a boatload of potential mid-inning guys in the system to go along with the closers, they can ride their template into the near term.
Showing posts with label pirate bullpen 2012. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pirate bullpen 2012. Show all posts
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Pirate Bullpen
Last year's Bucco bullpen was one busy place. They led the MLB in appearances, as Clint Hurdle waved them in 549 times, an average of 10 outings for every three game series. And they hung in pretty well. Eight of the top ten ERAs on the team last year belonged to relievers, led by Joel Hanrahan's 1.83 mark.
Hanny notched 40 saves, joining Mike Williams (2002 - 46) and Jose Mesa (2004 - 43) in the Pirate 40 save club, and earned an All-Star berth. He blew just four save opportunities and had a strong 1.05 WHIP. Unlike last year, there's no debate regarding the closer's job in 2012.
Which isn't to say there may not be in the near future. Hanrahan, 30, was a popular hot stove topic during the off season, and signed a $4.1M deal for this season. He still has another season of arb, so the Pirates control him through next season - if they're willing to foot the bill. Given his salary and the FO's philosophical reluctance to invest major dollars in the bullpen, the odds are heavily weighed toward Hanny being gone before he gets to walk in 2014. Enjoy him while he's here.
Assuming Hanny can repeat last year's performance, the biggest question mark regarding a pretty strong pen will be the set up man. Evan Meek was supposed to hold down that job last year, but injuries took him out of the season and Jose Veras picked up the slack. Veras did the job by and large, and appeared a team high 79 times, but was sent to the Brewers for Casey McGehee during the off season.
Meek will try to reclaim the eighth inning role. In 2010, he was 5-4 with a 2.14 ERA. He made 70 appearances and worked 80 frames, picking up 70 Ks and holding opponents a 1.05 WHIP and .183 BA on his way to the All-Star game. Last year was a different tale.
The righty was limited to just 24 relief appearances and 20-2/3 IP due to a shoulder injury diagnosed as tendonitis. He tried to pitch through it early in the year, but by June was placed on the DL, not to return until September. The 28 year old was arbitration-eligible for the first time, and signed an $875K deal.
If he can't can't nail down the job, the Bucs have a couple of guys lined up for the position in Chris Resop and Jason Grilli.
Resop, 29, answered the bell 76 times last year. His 4.39 ERA is misleading. He suffered through a horrible July (6.50 ERA) but was at 3.67 or lower every other month of the season. The righty collected 76 Ks in 69-2/3 frames, so he has the swing-and-miss stuff that a late inning guy needs. He signed for $850K in his first arbitration year.
Jason Grilli, 35, was signed from the Phillies farm system in late July, and the nine year vet pitched 32-1/3 innings with a 1.19 WHIP and 37 whiffs. He's best suited to be used as he was in 2011, as a bridge reliever rather than set up man. He inked a $1.1M contract in his final arbitration year, and will be eligible for free agency in 2013.
The Pirate pen competition is so intense that those three are the locks. The other four positions will be hotly contested, especially if Clint Hurdle decides to carry two lefties.
The returning righties are Daniel McCutchen and Chris Leroux, and they'll be pushed by non-roster invitee Juan Cruz.
McCutchen slid into Jeff Karstens' multi-purpose role last year, and he tied Resop for bullpen wins with five. The 29 year old Texan had a 3.72 ERA and worked 84-2/3 innings, a bullpen high, while making 73 appearances. He's not arbitration eligible yet, and still has a pair of minor league options remaining.
Chris Leroux also had a strong season. He finished the year with a 2.88 ERA and 24 Ks in 25 innings after getting the call from Indy. He added to his value by starting this winter in the Dominican League, where he put up a 1.14 ERA in 23+ innings, an opponent BA of .179 and WHIP of 0.85. The 27 year old isn't arbitration eligible yet, and is out of options.
In most situations, that pair would be secure heading into camp. But the Bucs signed Cruz, 33, who worked for Tampa last season, his 11th in the show. He's worked both as a bridge and set up man, and is still a strikeout per inning guy. His curse is his control. Cruz has walked an average of 5/nine innings, and that limits the situations he can be used in. But his power arm puts him in the mix to head north.
Backing those arms up on the 40 man roster are Duke Welker, Bryan Morris and Jared Hughes, all who will start the year in the minors barring injury or meltdown. Other non-roster invitees are Mike Crotta, Ryota Igarashi, Logan Kensing and Tim Wood, who should provide added depth. The Pirates look pretty solid from the right side, both at the MLB and minor league levels.
The returning lefties are Tony Watson and Daniel Moskos, with Doug Slaten, Brian Tallet and the well-traveled Jo-Jo Reyes as camp invitees.
Watson, 26, was a pleasant surprise last season. Converted from a starting role, he had a 3.95 ERA in 41 IP with 37 K. His control is a problem, with 20 walks during that time. Opponents hit just .228 against him, but he had a reverse split, being more effective against righties (.279-.193) in a limited sample of at bats. That and control will be his issues in camp, although he has a good shot to leave Florida with the club in April.
Moskos, the first round pick of 2007, had a 2.89 ERA in 24-1/3 IP. But his K rate of 4.1 per nine, opponent BA of .302 and 1.56 WHIP are more indicative of his pitching than his ERA in 2011. Like Watson, the 25 year old has a big reverse split (.364-.250), again with not many at bats in the sample.
Slaten, 32, pitched for the Nats last year, and had a 4.41 ERA. In six seasons, he's worked 137-2/3 innings with a 3.60 ERA. The curveballer has a positive split against lefties (.241-.279), although hardly a LOOGY. And he has the added benefit of being a catcher's best friend. No one has tried to steal against him in 36 straight appearances, dating back to 2010.
Tallet, 34, has pitched for three other teams. He has a career ERA of 4.79 with fairly even splits. He's a depth acquisition rather than a challenger for a spot right out of camp. Tallet is a swing man who's made 36 starts during his time in the show.
Reyes, 27, has primarily started in his five seasons, and none too successfully, with a career 6.06 ERA . The Pirates will use him as a spot starter/long man, and he's just a veteran insurance policy they'll stash at Indy.
A wildcard will be Justin Wilson, 24, who was drafted in 2008. Last year, he was used as a reliever late in the season at Indy, and he seems to have found a home in the pen. He features a fastball with lots of movement, making it a swing and miss pitch. Unfortunately, it also misses the plate quite often.
Whether the Bucs decide to keep him as a short man in 2012 hasn't been announced yet. With the dearth of lefty bullpen arms, he well may remain a reliever and could be on a fast track to Pittsburgh if he finds the strike zone a little more often.
As a group, the lefties aren't strong or deep in the system. The FO has probably made all its 2012 roster moves, but if they have another one up its sleeve, it's likely to try to strengthen this area.
Overall, the Pirate bullpen should be strong in the last three innings, but is noticeably lacking from the left side. The team could opt to break camp with six righties again, although they may keep Watson and Slaten on the roster, with Wilson a possibility later in the summer.
The pen's depth is contingent on Evan Meek rebounding to claim the set up role; it falls together nicely if he can. The FO has built a nice collection of power arms in a short time. But the best thing that could happen is for the starters to eat a few more innings and to keep the arms loose instead of limp in 2012.
Hanny notched 40 saves, joining Mike Williams (2002 - 46) and Jose Mesa (2004 - 43) in the Pirate 40 save club, and earned an All-Star berth. He blew just four save opportunities and had a strong 1.05 WHIP. Unlike last year, there's no debate regarding the closer's job in 2012.
Which isn't to say there may not be in the near future. Hanrahan, 30, was a popular hot stove topic during the off season, and signed a $4.1M deal for this season. He still has another season of arb, so the Pirates control him through next season - if they're willing to foot the bill. Given his salary and the FO's philosophical reluctance to invest major dollars in the bullpen, the odds are heavily weighed toward Hanny being gone before he gets to walk in 2014. Enjoy him while he's here.
Assuming Hanny can repeat last year's performance, the biggest question mark regarding a pretty strong pen will be the set up man. Evan Meek was supposed to hold down that job last year, but injuries took him out of the season and Jose Veras picked up the slack. Veras did the job by and large, and appeared a team high 79 times, but was sent to the Brewers for Casey McGehee during the off season.
Meek will try to reclaim the eighth inning role. In 2010, he was 5-4 with a 2.14 ERA. He made 70 appearances and worked 80 frames, picking up 70 Ks and holding opponents a 1.05 WHIP and .183 BA on his way to the All-Star game. Last year was a different tale.
The righty was limited to just 24 relief appearances and 20-2/3 IP due to a shoulder injury diagnosed as tendonitis. He tried to pitch through it early in the year, but by June was placed on the DL, not to return until September. The 28 year old was arbitration-eligible for the first time, and signed an $875K deal.
If he can't can't nail down the job, the Bucs have a couple of guys lined up for the position in Chris Resop and Jason Grilli.
Resop, 29, answered the bell 76 times last year. His 4.39 ERA is misleading. He suffered through a horrible July (6.50 ERA) but was at 3.67 or lower every other month of the season. The righty collected 76 Ks in 69-2/3 frames, so he has the swing-and-miss stuff that a late inning guy needs. He signed for $850K in his first arbitration year.
Jason Grilli, 35, was signed from the Phillies farm system in late July, and the nine year vet pitched 32-1/3 innings with a 1.19 WHIP and 37 whiffs. He's best suited to be used as he was in 2011, as a bridge reliever rather than set up man. He inked a $1.1M contract in his final arbitration year, and will be eligible for free agency in 2013.
The Pirate pen competition is so intense that those three are the locks. The other four positions will be hotly contested, especially if Clint Hurdle decides to carry two lefties.
The returning righties are Daniel McCutchen and Chris Leroux, and they'll be pushed by non-roster invitee Juan Cruz.
McCutchen slid into Jeff Karstens' multi-purpose role last year, and he tied Resop for bullpen wins with five. The 29 year old Texan had a 3.72 ERA and worked 84-2/3 innings, a bullpen high, while making 73 appearances. He's not arbitration eligible yet, and still has a pair of minor league options remaining.
Chris Leroux also had a strong season. He finished the year with a 2.88 ERA and 24 Ks in 25 innings after getting the call from Indy. He added to his value by starting this winter in the Dominican League, where he put up a 1.14 ERA in 23+ innings, an opponent BA of .179 and WHIP of 0.85. The 27 year old isn't arbitration eligible yet, and is out of options.
In most situations, that pair would be secure heading into camp. But the Bucs signed Cruz, 33, who worked for Tampa last season, his 11th in the show. He's worked both as a bridge and set up man, and is still a strikeout per inning guy. His curse is his control. Cruz has walked an average of 5/nine innings, and that limits the situations he can be used in. But his power arm puts him in the mix to head north.
Backing those arms up on the 40 man roster are Duke Welker, Bryan Morris and Jared Hughes, all who will start the year in the minors barring injury or meltdown. Other non-roster invitees are Mike Crotta, Ryota Igarashi, Logan Kensing and Tim Wood, who should provide added depth. The Pirates look pretty solid from the right side, both at the MLB and minor league levels.
The returning lefties are Tony Watson and Daniel Moskos, with Doug Slaten, Brian Tallet and the well-traveled Jo-Jo Reyes as camp invitees.
Watson, 26, was a pleasant surprise last season. Converted from a starting role, he had a 3.95 ERA in 41 IP with 37 K. His control is a problem, with 20 walks during that time. Opponents hit just .228 against him, but he had a reverse split, being more effective against righties (.279-.193) in a limited sample of at bats. That and control will be his issues in camp, although he has a good shot to leave Florida with the club in April.
Moskos, the first round pick of 2007, had a 2.89 ERA in 24-1/3 IP. But his K rate of 4.1 per nine, opponent BA of .302 and 1.56 WHIP are more indicative of his pitching than his ERA in 2011. Like Watson, the 25 year old has a big reverse split (.364-.250), again with not many at bats in the sample.
Slaten, 32, pitched for the Nats last year, and had a 4.41 ERA. In six seasons, he's worked 137-2/3 innings with a 3.60 ERA. The curveballer has a positive split against lefties (.241-.279), although hardly a LOOGY. And he has the added benefit of being a catcher's best friend. No one has tried to steal against him in 36 straight appearances, dating back to 2010.
Tallet, 34, has pitched for three other teams. He has a career ERA of 4.79 with fairly even splits. He's a depth acquisition rather than a challenger for a spot right out of camp. Tallet is a swing man who's made 36 starts during his time in the show.
Reyes, 27, has primarily started in his five seasons, and none too successfully, with a career 6.06 ERA . The Pirates will use him as a spot starter/long man, and he's just a veteran insurance policy they'll stash at Indy.
A wildcard will be Justin Wilson, 24, who was drafted in 2008. Last year, he was used as a reliever late in the season at Indy, and he seems to have found a home in the pen. He features a fastball with lots of movement, making it a swing and miss pitch. Unfortunately, it also misses the plate quite often.
Whether the Bucs decide to keep him as a short man in 2012 hasn't been announced yet. With the dearth of lefty bullpen arms, he well may remain a reliever and could be on a fast track to Pittsburgh if he finds the strike zone a little more often.
As a group, the lefties aren't strong or deep in the system. The FO has probably made all its 2012 roster moves, but if they have another one up its sleeve, it's likely to try to strengthen this area.
Overall, the Pirate bullpen should be strong in the last three innings, but is noticeably lacking from the left side. The team could opt to break camp with six righties again, although they may keep Watson and Slaten on the roster, with Wilson a possibility later in the summer.
The pen's depth is contingent on Evan Meek rebounding to claim the set up role; it falls together nicely if he can. The FO has built a nice collection of power arms in a short time. But the best thing that could happen is for the starters to eat a few more innings and to keep the arms loose instead of limp in 2012.
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