Bullpen Report: July 19, 2016
• Chris Sale can’t complain too much about his team’s bullpen with 14 wins on the season but David Robertson didn’t do him any favors last night. Entering the ninth with a 3-0 lead, Robertson allowed three base runners before Adam Lind capped it off with a walk off homer. After the outing, Robertson’s ERA/FIP/xFIP now stands at a pedestrian 4.14/3.53/4.15 with his career low 26.8% strikeout rate (although still above average) and his career high 12.8% walk rate being of some legitimate concern. I wouldn’t bet on Robertson to have a 4+ ERA all season and his job isn’t in danger but his spot among the elite relievers is certainly gone.
• As we all know, Aroldis Chapman throws hard. Last night he threw a pitch 105.1 mph and four pitches over 104 mph. However, the important thing over here at the Bullpen Report isn’t Chapman’s velocity but which jersey he will be throwing in a few weeks. There is a big “will they or won’t they” regarding the Yankees trading Andrew Miller but with Chapman being a free agent it’s highly likely that he is traded. All the usual suspects apply with Mark Feinsand noting that the Yankees were scouting the Indians Triple-A squad. With the Yankees ownership still holding on to a pipe dream of competing, specific deals and discussions haven’t been reported but they should start heating up very, very soon.
• After getting the win on Sunday, Francisco Rodriguez got the save last night, his 26th on the year. Early on this season Justin Wilson was a popular speculative add with K-Rod’s struggles but he’s been outstanding of late. Since June 1st, K-Rod has throw 15 innings with two earned runs and 16 strikeouts, holding batters to a .358 OPS against. On the year he’s supporting a 2.67/2.95/3.41 pitching line with a career high 52.3% groundball percentage. He’s no longer the flame thrower he was when he came up during the Angels World Series run but his ability to adjust as his velocity has fallen (88.8 mph this year) has really been something to watch. In his early years, K-Rod hardly ever threw a changeup and in 2016 he throws one 42% of the time. If any closer wants to extend their career with diminished velocity they would be smart to give K-Rod a ring, or at least text because nobody calls these days.
• Quick Hits: Wade Davis continued his return from the DL, only needing one out for his 20th save on the year. The Marlins successful season has really helped Ramos’ save totals as he now has 30 on the year, second in the league. Carlos Estevez nailed down his 6th save, and he’ll have to avoid trouble with Jake McGee and Adam Ottavino waiting in the wings.
Closer Grid:
[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
I wouldn’t put it past the Yankees to “re-calibrate” their radar gun when Chapman gets out there to increase trade value.
Not even worth a discussion that he peaked a new velocity at home near the trade deadline? It’s not the most outrageous sentiment.