Bullpen Report: August 15, 2017

• With Tyler Clippard moving to Houston the White Sox bullpen is a bit of a mess. Juan Minaya, Jake Petricka and Gregory Infante could all see the ninth but I’m going to roll out Juan Minaya to start. As of now we haven’t quite heard enough out of White Sox camp to make an exact call but Minaya is probably the best of the bunch. In 27.1 innings pitched Minaya has a 6.61/4.31/3.94 ERA/FIP/xFIP line but also has a 3.26 SIERA and a 31.9% K% and 10.6% BB%. You would like to see fewer walks but beggars can’t quite be choosers. Petricka and Infante aren’t particularly exciting or even usable for that matter in fantasy and I would look to grab Minaya first.

• The Minnesota closing situation is looking a bit murky but it’s nice to see Glen Perkins on his way back. Perkins hasn’t been activated by the club but having missed 272 games but he could be in Minnesota soon. With all that time off after suffering a torn labrum, it is anyone’s guess as to what he might have left and how often he might be used, but with the way the Twins bullpen has gone, maybe he sees higher leverage innings before the year is over as a lefty in the pen.  As of now Perkins isn’t likely to be a factor and I’d expect the magnificent trio of Trevor Hildenberger, Matt Belisle, and Taylor Rogers to continue to see the next opportunities.

• After pumping up Bruce Rondon’s stock after a decent start to the month he struggled on Sunday and was sent to AAA. It’s hard to fully argue the move as relievers with double digit ERAs don’t stick around for long. In his place on the grid we have added Joe Jimenez who similarly has a double digit ERA but he’s exhibited better control in his career in both the majors and minors thus far and is coming off an impressive year in AAA with a 1.44/2.41/2.83 pitching line.  Shane Greene remains in the lead for saves and with the way he has been pitching (well) and the performance of those behind him (not so well) his hold on the job is strong and I have upgraded him to green.

• After pitching the last two days, David Robertson was given the day off and Tommy Kahnle threw a scoreless seventh inning for the Yankees leading to the Betances/Chapman duo at the end. Betances did his job striking out two with a walk and Aroldis, didn’t quite hold his end of the bargain. After blowing the save off of a Rafael Devers homer on Sunday, Chapman gave up another homer to a rookie this evening when Amed Rosario took him deep for a two-run shot. Chapman was spotted a three run lead and still held on for his 16th save, so technically he held his end of the bargain but it didn’t look pretty. Chapman was still hitting 102+ mph with his fastball so there aren’t any injury concerns likely but he simply hasn’t been that effective of late and it’s a slight cause for concern. Girardi has confirmed his commitment to Aroldis but we still made the Yankees yellow in the previous Bullpen Report. Chapman will have a long leash and be given more chances to right the sihp but if nights like Sunday and tonight keep occurring it’s not as if the Yankees don’t have a bevvy of useful options to choose from. Kahnle, Robertson, Betances, and even Chad Green are worth owning for strikeout and ratio help as is, Chapman’s struggles only improve their value whether its saves or more holds/higher leverage innings in their future.

Chapman did suffer some hamstring tightness which doesn’t sound major but could cause Betances and co. to see the next save opportunity.

Chris Devenski threw a scoreless seventh inning tonight and has transitioned from multi-inning reliever to standard setup. In fact, in five of his last eight appearances Devenski hasn’t even throw a full inning. The Astros could be manipulating his work load so that he’s fresh for the playoffs but either way, he’s not quite as valuable as he was earlier in the year. Replacing Devenski as a multi-inning reliever on Houston might be Joe Musgrove who has been quite effective since leaving the rotation. In 13.1 relief innings Musgrove has allowed one earned run and struck out 14 batters against one walk. In his last eight appearances, Musgrove has thrown three innings twice, two innings once and also recorded four outs in his most recent outing. His velocity is naturally playing up in the pen and although it’s hard to call him the next Devenski, he’s worth considering for owners looking for more volume.

Other noteworthy bullpen activity: 

  • Sean Doolittle threw a perfect ninth for his 12th save on the year, further cementing his role as sole closer in Washington.
  • Bud Norris entered the game trailing in the sixth inning and remains far from the grid.
  • Alex Colome notched his league leading 35th save in a perfect frame with two strikeouts for the Rays. Steve Cishek and Tommy Hunter pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth inning respectively with each picking up holds and showing their place in the pecking order.
  • Corey Knebel’s great season continues with his 23rd save. In classic Knebel fashion he both walked a batter and struck one out. It’s hard to argue with the results of a 2.65 SIERA with a 42.3% K% but I’m weary of Knebel remaining a top tier option into next year unless he improves upon his 13.7% BB%.

 

Closer Grid:

Closer First Second DL/Minors
ARI Fernando Rodney Archie Bradley David Hernandez
ATL Arodys Vizcaino Jim Johnson Jose Ramirez
BAL Zach Britton Mychal Givens Brad Brach
BOS Craig Kimbrel Addison Reed Matt Barnes Carson Smith
CHC Wade Davis Justin Wilson Carl Edwards Jr.
CWS Juan Minaya Gregory Infante Jake Petricka Nate Jones
CIN Raisel Iglesias Michael Lorenzen Drew Storen
CLE Cody Allen Joe Smith Bryan Shaw Andrew Miller
COL Greg Holland Pat Neshek Adam Ottavino
DET Shane Greene Alex Wilson Joe Jimenez
HOU Ken Giles Chris Devenski Luke Gregerson Will Harris
KC Kelvin Herrera Joakim Soria Brandon Maurer
LAA Cam Bedrosian Blake Parker Keynan Middleton Huston Street
LAD Kenley Jansen Luis Avilan Pedro Baez
MIA Brad Ziegler Junichi Tazawa Drew Steckenrider Kyle Barraclough
MIL Corey Knebel Anthony Swarzak Jacob Barnes
MIN Trevor Hildenberger Taylor Rogers Matt Belisle Glen Perkins
NYM A.J. Ramos Paul Sewald Jerry Blevins Jeurys Familia
NYY Aroldis Chapman Dellin Betances David Robertson
OAK Blake Treinen Ryan Dull Santiago Casilla
PHI Hector Neris Luis Garcia Jesen Therrien
PIT Felipe Rivero Juan Nicasio Joaquin Benoit
STL Trevor Rosenthal Seung Hwan Oh Tyler Lyons
SD Brad Hand Kirby Yates Phil Maton
SF Sam Dyson Hunter Strickland Mark Melancon
SEA Edwin Diaz Nick Vincent Tony Zych David Phelps
TB Alex Colome Tommy Hunter Steve Cishek
TEX Alex Claudio Jose Leclerc Matt Bush Keone Kela
TOR Roberto Osuna Ryan Tepera Dominic Leone
WSH Sean Doolittle Ryan Madson Brandon Kintzler Koda Glover

[Green light, yellow light, red light: the colors represent the volatility of the bullpen order.]





When he's not focusing on every team's bullpen situation, Ben can be found blogging at Ben's Baseball Bias and on Twitter @BensBias

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King Donko of Punchstaniamember
6 years ago

Free Nate Jones!