Yesterday I looked at the position players, primarily focusing on the abominable outfield situation. Today I'm going to talk about Cleveland's relief pitchers and who can win jobs this March.
A Sigh Of Relief: The Bullpen
In 2015 the Indians bullpen posted a 3.12 ERA, the second lowest in the American League, only bested by the eventual champs Kansas City (a 2.72 ERA). The relief unit was a serious strength in Cleveland, led by Cody Allen (2.99 ERA and 34 saves), Bryan Shaw (2.94 ERA in 64 IP), Zach McAllister (3.00 ERA in 69 IP) and Jeff Manship, who was a revelation (0.92 ERA in 39.1 IP). Assuming these four men are locked in, that only leaves approximately 3-4 open spots, probably 4 given that manager Terry Francona is keen on carrying an extra reliever.
Let's look at the contenders, starting with the right-handers:
Austin Adams, Shawn Armstrong and Dan Otero are all on the 40 man roster at this time.
Adams spent most of 2015 with the big club and pitched well, compiling a 3.78 ERA over 33.1 innings. Adams attacks hitters with an upper 90s tailing fastball and has a slider that confuses hitters as it's more of a slurve. Unless he has a terrible Spring he should stand a good chance to be on the roster come Opening Day.
The same goes for Armstrong, who pitched just 8 innings at the MLB level in 2015, but performed well (a 2.25 ERA with a 12.38 K/9). He was even better at AAA, where over 49.2 innings he had an outstanding 14.50 K/9 and a 2.36 ERA with 16 saves. He'd need to be something awful this month not to be on the Opening Day roster.
That leaves Otero, who was picked up from the Phillies in December for cash and is coming off a poor 2015, pitching a sky-high 6.75 ERA over 46.2 innings. However Otero was untouchable as recently as 2014 when he was one of Oakland's top bullpen arms (a 2.28 ERA over 86.2 innings) and he's a groundball pitcher through and through, a factor possibly in his favor with our renewed infield defense. Otero will be looking to bounce back with the Tribe but he'll need an impressive Spring to get back on track.
On the outside looking in is a group of righties on minor league deals, and there might be a diamond in the rough among them. Joba Chamberlain, Felipe Paulino, Craig Stammen and Jarrett Grube will be looking to catch the club's eye this month (or catch on with someone else).
Chamberlain is on his fourth team in the last year, and he didn't pitch exceptionally well in 2015 (4.88 ERA in 27.2 major league innings). He did lose a bunch of weight over the winter but his chances of cracking the Indians roster are slim.
Paulino last pitched in the majors for the White Sox in 2014 and spent all of 2015 with the Cubs' AAA farm team in Iowa, starting 20 games and pitching to a 4.93 ERA over 104 innings with 83 strikeouts. He's aiming for a spot in the bullpen but like Chamberlain, he'll need a remarkable Spring to show the Indians staff that he can be a valuable reliever. He wasn't exactly lighting up AAA.
Stammen missed nearly all of 2015 due to a right flexor tendon tear but has been a stellar reliever in the past, and was a workhorse between 2012 and 2014 (if there is such a thing as a bullpen "workhorse"), leading MLB relievers with 242.2 innings pitched, with a 2.93 ERA over this stretch. He probably stands the best chance of upsetting the current group and winning a roster spot, provided he can prove his health.
Grube is 34 years-old and pitched half of 2015 in Mexico and the other half in AAA Columbus. He was very effective, especially with the Clippers, posting a 2.26 ERA over 79.2 innings, starting 13 games. However, despite showing he's still got some spark, Grube is most likely a depth arm at this stage in his career and will likely wind up back in Columbus as a mentor to the young arms on the farm. He'd need a phenomenal Spring to make the club but who knows, he could provide some value if he carries that AAA form to the MLB stage.
One right-handed pitcher I've neglected to mention who is almost guaranteed a spot is Tommy Hunter. The 29 year-old veteran signed with the club a few weeks ago, a one-year deal worth $2 million. He's recovering from surgery so will miss Spring Training but could be with the team by late April. With the money invested, he'll get a shot in the major league bullpen once he's healthy. The powerful Hunter pitched 60.1 innings between Baltimore and Chicago in 2015, posting a 4.18 ERA.
Now, let's look at the lefties:
The Tribe currently have Giovanni Soto and Kyle Crockett on the 40 man roster.
Soto made a brief stop in Cleveland in 2015, pitching 3.1 innings over 6 games and didn't allow a run. He spent the rest of the year in AAA Columbus, pitching 53.2 quality innings to a 2.68 ERA. I like Soto's chances to make the big club but I feel the 24 year-old could get overlooked in favor of a veteran. There's no harm in Soto earning more experience at AAA but he looks ready for MLB to my eyes.
Crockett on the other hand struggled in 2015, at both MLB and AAA levels. He had location issues and didn't look like the same pitcher as the impressive rookie in 2014. With the Tribe, Crockett threw 17.1 innings over 31 games, compiling a lackluster 4.08 ERA. In Columbus he was actually worse, a 5.97 ERA over 28.2 innings. Crockett's future is still bright but he needs a positive showing this Spring to make the big league roster. Otherwise he'll start the year in Columbus but will more than likely be back in Cleveland at some stage during the year.
A trio of veterans earned minor league deals this off-season and will compete for a lefty relief role with Crockett and Soto; Joe Thatcher, Ross Detwiler and Tom Gorzelanny will be looking to shine in Arizona.
Thatcher is 34 years-old and doesn't overpower hitters but outsmarts them instead. He split time between Houston and AAA Fresno, pitching relatively well at both stops. With the Astros he pitched 22.2 innings in 43 games to the tune of a 3.18 ERA. At this stage of his career you wonder if he'd settle for another year in Triple-A so if he doesn't break camp with Cleveland, expect Thatcher to catch on with someone else.
Detwiler, still just 29 years-old despite feeling like he's been around forever, didn't enjoy a great 2015. Split between Atlanta and Texas, Detwiler had a 7.25 ERA combined over 58.1 total innings in 41 games, including 7 starts. His days as a starter are likely over and he'll be considered strictly as a reliever by the Indians. He'll need to really turn things around if he harbors any hopes of staying long-term in Cleveland.
Last but not least is Tom Gorzelanny, the 33 year-old swingman who has been an effective arm since 2012 but took a step back last year. Gorzelanny spent most of 2015 in Detroit, throwing 39.1 innings in 48 games for a 5.95 ERA. He's another reclamation project that the Cleveland front office love so much but there's very little risk involved, as is the case with most of these guys. Hopefully his new arm slot will benefit him in his attempt to stay with the big league club.
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That's my look at the bullpen. It's a lot of guys for only a handful of spots but if I had to start the season today I'd take Allen, Shaw, Manship, McAllister, Adams, Armstrong, Stammen, and Soto. I'd possibly take Thatcher or Crockett instead of Stammen at this point because one lefty in Soto probably isn't enough.
Next up will be a look at the rotation because despite a strong core, there's some business at the back end to be taken care of before April begins.
Thanks for reading.
