Indians Bullpen: The Next Wade Davis?

As of this mid-February day, the Indians possess a coherent bullpen. They feature all the things you want from a relief corps – an elite fireman, lefty specialists, ground ball guys, and a long man with upside. There’s only one reason to worry. What happens if their best hurlers hit the disabled list?

Before we get down to details, let’s take a quick look at the rotation. Danny Salazar, T.J. House, Zach McAllister, and Josh Tomlin are expected to battle for the final rotation spot. All but McAllister have options. Salazar and House are the definite front runners for a regular turn. If injuries affect any of the starting four, then they’ll have to dip deeper into their pool of starters. This is potentially important because one of those back-of-the-roster candidates could possess a closer’s skill set.

The Firemen

Cody Allen
Bryan Shaw

Prior to the 2014 season, Allen was a popular sleeper. Until the inevitable happened, he was in line behind John Axford. Once Allen earned a shot, he melted the competition with a 95 mph fastball, 11.76 K/9, and 3.36 BB/9. He has an extremely effective curve. The pitch generates whiffs on half of all swings, which is comparable to Craig Kimbrel’s bender. Feel comfortable expecting big things from Allen.

Shaw was the other guy to receive ninth inning consideration, but he simply doesn’t have the same quality of stuff. He features a 93 mph cutter with solid but unspectacular peripherals (7.55 K/9, 2.59 BB/9). In 2014, all but 21 of his pitches were classified as a cutter or slider. He appeared 80 times, which makes him a logical candidate to pile up holds.

Middle Innings

Scott Atchison
Marc Rzepczynski
Kyle Crockett
Nick Hagadone

Nobody from this group is on the fantasy radar, but they’re all solid real world relievers. Atchison is a soon-to-be 39-year-old veteran who is familiar with manager Terry Francona from their time in Boston. He’s a command and control type rather than a strikeout artist.

Rzepczynski is one of three lefties in this tier, which could cause matchup problems for the Indians. He’s been limited to specialist work over the last several seasons, as evidenced by his 46 innings in 73 appearances. He’s hell on lefties – they posted a meager .180/.241/.200 line against him last season (.207 wOBA). Righties had a .402 wOBA.

Crockett, a 2013 draft pick, sprinted through the minors. He’s never allowed an ERA higher than 2.00 at any level including the majors. Despite his quick ascension, an 89 mph fastball indicates a limit to his ceiling. He threw 30 innings for Cleveland and showed a substantial platoon split (.352 wOBA vs. RHB, .246 wOBA vs. LHB).

Hagadone was also used situationally last season, but he appears to have grown into a full inning reliever. He actually showed slight reverse platoon splits in 2014. Don’t read into that, it’s usually just an indication that a pitcher is equally tough to both types of hitter. With 95 mph velocity, 10.41 K/9, 2.31 BB/9, and a 11.4 percent swinging strike rate, Hagadone has the talent necessary to pitch in the late innings. Fantasy owners should keep an eye on his walk rate. He’s not far removed from an ugly 6.03 BB/9.

Long Men

Zach McAllister
Josh Tomlin

The losers of the rotation game will land in the bullpen or the minors. I’m rooting for McAllister to “win” the relief job. Although he wasn’t the most celebrated starter-to-reliever conversion (that honor belongs to Carlos Carrasco), he quietly showed excellent stuff in the bullpen. His fastball, which usually sits between 91 to 92 mph, jumped to 97 mph. In 13 relief innings, he posted a 2.77 ERA with over a strikeout per inning.

As a starter, he throws five pitches. Out of the bullpen, he whittled his repertoire down to fastballs and sliders. Focusing on his best pitches should help him in short burst relief. With the newly discovered velocity added to the equation, we might have our next converted relief ace. Keep an eye on him.

Tomlin’s stuff does not play up in the bullpen, but he’s actually better suited to a long relief role. The 30-year-old is coming off a season in which he posted 8.13 K/9, 1.21 BB/9, and a 4.76 ERA. A high HR/FB rate and low strand rate account for the high ERA. I’d like to see him get a chance to improve upon his breakout 2014 season, but there is a lot of depth between him and the rotation.

Also Consider

Austin Adams

Keep an eye on Adams. The righty’s 97 mph heater might win him a job out of spring training – especially if the club doesn’t want to carry three lefties in middle relief roles.