Your 2018 Baltimore Orioles Preview - The Bullpen
We started off the 2018 preview yesterday with the starting pitchers, now we go to the strength of this club for the past few years. The bullpen has been one of the best in baseball since 2012, and it should continue to be very good this season. Even with All Star, Zach Britton sidelined due to his torn Achilles, this bullpen has several veterans who have been around the block, but it also has some new faces in it.
The elephant in the room is what I mentioned above. In December, Zach Britton ruptured his Achilles while working out. He was expected to miss at least 6 months so that puts him at the end of May, but I’m not expecting him back by then. He’s eligible to come off the DL on May 28th, but middle of June sounds more realistic if he doesn’t suffer any setbacks. As you saw in the video above, he is throwing, able to run and move, but its the cutting and stopping that is tough on the Achilles. Hopefully Britton doesn’t have any setbacks and is able to make his debut for the Orioles ahead of schedule. You hate to lose the most dominant closer of the last few years, but this bullpen was without him for a majority of last year too, so they know what it is like not to have Zach in the mix.
The guy who will likely be taking over for Zach in the closer’s role is Brad Brach. An All Star in 2016, Brach did struggle in 2017 when forced into the closers role when Britton went down. He finished the season going 4-5, had 18 saves, 6 blown saves, 3.18 ERA, and a 1.132 WHIP. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll take that ERA and WHIP any day of the week. The 6 blown saves seems like a lot, I guess that is because we’ve been spoiled by Britton and his AL record of saves in a row. Brach enters his walk year, so I expect big things out of him. He knows you get the big money by being a closer, not a setup guy. If he is lights out, or close to lights out until Zach gets back, he can get a nice deal this offseason.
A Baltimore fan favorite, Darren O’Day is back for another year, and boy is that mustache great. He’s been one of the most reliable relievers in the league since 2012 and has been absolutely awesome for the Birds since he got here. After he was limited to 34 games due to injuries in 2016, O’Day showed us he was good to go last year. 64 appearances, an ERA of 3.23, a microscopic WHIP of 1.077, and 76 Ks in 60.1 innings. We know what Darren brings to the table, he is the guy who can get you out of the bases loaded jams, he’ll help calm the guys down in the pen, and he’ll be his normal lights out self all year.
Maybe my favorite bullpen guy is Mychal Givens. I am expecting a big year out of the former shortstop. He was deemed “untouchable” at the Winter Meetings this year, and rightfully so. Givens is going to be a beast. He is notorious for scooping up wins from the pen, he’s 18-3 since 2015. Last year alone he went 8-1 with an ERA of 2.75 and a WHIP of 1.042 in 69 appearances. Givens makes most of his appearances in the 7th or 8th innings as a set up guy, but I don’t see why not try him at closer, a position I think he eventually ends up at. Givens has filthy stuff, and a wicked side-arm delivery that is hard to pick up on. He is very tough on righties, they are only hitting .209 off him, and he’s even more tough on lefties, they are hitting .184. I feel like Givens is the forgotten man in the bullpen. He isn’t the big name like O’Day or Britton, but he is just as clutch as those two guys. It wouldn’t shock me at all if he got some looks at closer while Britton is out, and it also wouldn’t surprise me to see him named as an All Star this season.
Mike Wright Jr will likely start out the year making a few starts while Alex Cobb is getting stretched out, but he also may see time in the bullpen. He’s out of options, and likely won’t be on the team in a few weeks. He’s just not very good. He had an unreal first career start against the Angels in 2015, but has been garbage since. They tried him as a starter, that didn’t work. He has the stuff to be a bullpen guy, but he doesn’t show it.
He pouts on the mound when he gives up hits, that is the shit you can’t do in the majors. He has the physical frame you want out of a pitcher, 6’6″, 215, but I think he needs a change of scenery. In 13 games out of the pen last year for the O’s, he had an ERA of 5.76, gave up 16 ER in 25 innings, and had a WHIP of 1.320. The Birds gave him all the chances to make some noise in spring and show he deserves a rotation spot, so what did he do in Sarasota? 0-2 with an ERA of 6.63, gave up 15 runs in 19 innings, and had a WHIP of 1.63. Way to make the most of your last shot, Mike.
Since he is out of options he has to make the club out of Spring Training, so like I said, we’ll see him up here until Cobb is ready, and then he’ll like be DFA’d and they will try and work something out with another team.
Richard Bleier was easily the biggest surprise of the pen last year. No one knew who the tall, lanky, lefty was before last year, now he’s the lefty long man. He impressed everyone last year in his time in the pen. 57 games he appeared in, and he threw up an ERA of 1.99. I don’t understand why he is good. He doesn’t have anything close to dominating stuff, he won’t strike you out, only 26 Ks in 63.1 IP, and he also doesn’t walk a ton of people, only 13 all year. I mean count me in for him being good, I’m just very confused on how you don’t really strike anyone out and make them swing and miss, but can have an insanely low ERA and WHIP. I’m hoping to see Bleier take another step forward and become a key part of the bullpen.
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Miguel Castro is a another guy who was new to the pen last year, and caught the attention of everyone. The 6’5″ righty ended the year going 3-3 with an ERA of 3.53 in 39 appearances, including 38 appearances out of the pen. Like Bleier, Castro isn’t a K machine, only 38 Ks in 66.1 IP last year, and he also had 28 walks for a WHIP of 1.221. He’ll be counted on to be the long man in the pen in 2018, and who knows, depending on the rotation and how they do, he may see a spot start or two. His name was thrown around before the Cashner and Cobb signings as being a candidate for a starter spot. I think he is much better suited for the bullpen for a few reasons. The main being before last year, he had never thrown more than 17 innings in any season in the league. He’s not starter material right now, maybe next year, but let him get stretched out in the pen this season, polish off his stuff, and see where he goes from there. Castro will definitely jump onto some people’s radar this year, he is an exciting guy who you should keep your eye on.
It looks like the Orioles will have 2 Rule-5 picks in the bullpen too, which isn’t great for a guy like Buck Showlater who loves his relievers to have options. These guys have to stay up on the roster all season, or be returned to the clubs where they came from. Pedro Araujo impressed people this spring with his numbers. 2-0 with an ERA of 3.72 and a WHIP of 0.83. Araujo has only pitched in 2 innings in AA, but now he finds himself on the 25 man roster for the Orioles. It will be interesting to see how he performs and if he can stay around the big leagues. Same goes for the other Rule-5 pick, Nester Cortes Jr.
Cortes Jr will be another lefty long guy in the pen for the Birds. The O’s had him out there for 17 innings this spring, so they really wanted to get a look at him. He didn’t have great numbers, 4.67 ERA, 0-1 in 6 appearances, 9 earned runs, 20 hits, and a WHIP of 1.38. The Orioles are keeping him on the roster based off of his potential. They’ll try and hide him in the pen in hopes that he turns into something in a few seasons. Very risky with 2 Rule-5 guys in the pen, because now you are very limited with who you can send down.
This will be a telling year for the bullpen. Very interested to see how they do without Britton early on, how they can manipulate the pen and their usage of guys with 2 Rule-5 guys in the mix, and if Brad Brach can grab ahold of the closer spot and show us that he can cut down on those blown saves.
Position player reviews coming tomorrow, that is where it gets fun.