Mound Musings: Checking in on the Bullpens – AL

I feel like pitching has become the favorite experiment of baseball, and bullpens are the chemistry sets of my youth. Mix a little of this with a lot of that and a pinch of something else, pop on the goggles and see if it explodes. The Rays have Sergio Romo in their "rotation," while a collection of arms try to pitch the innings between the start and some point in the end game generally reserved for a closer. That may or may not work for them, but on those days, there won't be a quality start, and predicting wins is still difficult, negating much pitching fantasy value other than a possible save. Then there's the ongoing rise of the "super reliever" as teams turn to a top-shelf relief pitcher to bridge between short leash starters and the more traditional set-up guys and closers. Pitchers like Andrew Miller, Chris Devenski and Archie Bradley generally have some fantasy value, but their contributions can be erratic and hard to predict.

Playing musical chairs out in the bullpen

Already this season, we have seen closer scenarios changing or at least potentially changing. Relief pitching has become an ever-increasing part of success in major league baseball. Very few teams have five reliable starters. In fact, there are teams that would be hard-pressed to pencil in more than a couple of regular starting pitchers who can be expected to generate positive innings on a consistent basis. True quality relievers are becoming more important, but it's becoming increasingly difficult to "save" that best guy for the ninth inning. Let's take a look at some closer assignments in the AL and see where they may be headed:

Here are some AL closer scenarios on which to keep an eye:

• Chicago White Sox – The White Sox have a very promising young team that's probably a year or two away from being competitive. However, while they develop their kids, they have to try to cobble together a team for this season. The bullpen has been a struggle so far. Joakim Soria opened the year as the ninth-inning guy, but he's not the pitcher he was in the days when he was one of the most dominant closers in the game. When that went south, they even handed the ball to Bruce Rondon who collected a save, but he's not the answer. They spent the first few weeks of 2018 trying to avoid using their best bet, Nate Jones, to close, thereby helping protect his fragile arm, but it appears they have relented and will now give him the ball whenever he's available. He has great stuff, but he can be Fernando Rodney at times, so keep the Rolaids handy. Jones is unlikely to pitch many days in a row, so he'll miss occasional chances, but he'll be the primary guy as long as he gets it done and his arm stays attached.

• Los Angeles Angels – The Angels are a West Coast version of the National League's St. Louis Cardinals. They have a very talented, young starting rotation, but their bullpen is a recurring headache. They opened the season with last year's defacto closer Blake Parker working the ninth. Cam Bedrosian was the presumed caddy, but when Parker struggled to get guys out, and the fragile Bedrosian didn't fare much better, the auditions began. It looked like they might have found the answer – at least marginally – with Keynan Middleton, but he spent a short stint on the disabled list, came back for one outing, then went under the knife for Tommy John surgery and is out until at least mid-2019. Back to the auditions. Justin Anderson clearly has the best stuff of any of the bullpen arms, but he hasn't displayed enough command to be trusted. If he finds his release point, he probably takes the gig, but until that happens Parker (and occasionally set-up veteran, Jim Johnson), will likely keep getting the ball as long as he can avoid any prolonged meltdowns. They probably wish Shohei Ohtani could start games, DH and close games. I don't think they can make that happen.

• Toronto Blue Jays – Just a couple of weeks ago, there wasn't much to discuss regarding the Jays bullpen, but that was before premiere closer Roberto Osuna was arrested on an assault charge and subsequently put on administrative leave. The duration of his absence is still up in the air but they need him back and so do his fantasy owners. In the interim, the team is blessed with a handful of capable relievers with closing experience. Not surprisingly, they jumped over top setup man Ryan Tepera, who has remained in his eighth inning role, and have turned to Tyler Clippard (19 saves as recently as 2015), and they still have Seung Hwan Oh (39 saves for St. Louis in 2016-17) in reserve should Clippard stumble. Osuna's "leave" was recently extended through May 28, but the hearing on the charges is not until mid-June, and at least the possibility of an actual suspension looms. Clippard is no lock to hold the job, so Oh is a good handcuff, but the Jays need to get whomever it is some leads to protect.

• Baltimore Orioles – Brad Brach has logged four saves while not allowing a run in his last six outings, but his days as a closer are likely coming to an end. The O's have struggled in the late innings while they await the return of their regular closer, Zach Britton. After experiencing an up and down season last year, often dogged by various injuries, Britton ruptured his Achilles tendon in the offseason and is working his way back. Baltimore has tried a handful of arms as their closer for a day including Brach, Darren O'Day (also currently on the disabled list) and Mychal Givens, but Britton is virtually assured of taking his job back as soon as he's deemed ready. He's expected back later this month or early in June, and it's possible he could pitch in a handful of lower leverage situations as he gets back up to speed, but expect the domino effect to begin fairly soon with Brach sharing primary set-up duties with lefty Richard Bleier, while Givens and O'Day handle most of the earlier innings for a starting staff that often struggles to get deep into games. If he's available, now is the time to grab Britton.

• Houston Astros – Early in the season, roles in the Houston bullpen seemed to be a bit muddled. Presumed closer Ken Giles was often bypassed, while others like super reliever Chris Devenski and swingman Brad Peacock logged saves. A month into the year, Giles had just one save, and fantasy owners were getting nervous. It's likely he was dealing with a minor injury, or, even more likely, had developed a glitch in his mechanics leading to the need for some adjustments before he was again handling the ninth inning on a regular basis. Since April 25, he has appeared in nine games, all but one a save situation, and he is eight-for-eight in converting those chances. I'm still mildly concerned that his fastball velocity is down a tick, and he has experienced a sharp drop in strikeout rate, but the Astros clearly feel he's back in the swing, and they have a great team, with exceptional starting pitchers that can provide him with a lot of opportunities going forward. Devenski could still pick up an occasional save, as the Astros appear reluctant to use Giles too frequently (he has appeared in back-to-back games just twice this season), but Giles should get the lion's share.
  

• Okay, I do have to admit I was rather surprised while watching the start of the Diamondbacks' Clay Buchholz. He was released by the Royals and surfaced with Arizona as they try to patch up their injury-plagued rotation. He pitched well, but there was some luck involved, as he left several pitches up. I'm skeptical.

• Another guy who has caught my eye a couple of times this season is Detroit's Matt Boyd. However, his velocity is down almost three miles per hour (89 mph), and while his command has improved somewhat, I'm not convinced he can keep the walk rate or homeruns in line. I'm staying away.

• The Braves are gradually integrating their young starting pitchers into the rotation, but don't overlook a guy who has been around a couple of seasons. I've always liked Mike Foltynewicz, even though he was inconsistent at times early on. He's in rhythm more often than not these days, as he continues to evolve.

• I hate shoulder issues, and I hate having to wait for a pitcher to shake off the rust after an extended stay on the disabled list, but I love Carlos Rodon. The White Sox southpaw is getting close to an early June return and reports have been very encouraging. If he's been forgotten on your waiver wire, now's your chance.

• On the Matt Harvey watch, he made his third start for the Reds last Tuesday, and it was an encouraging outing. His velocity was up a tick and after a shaky first inning, he did a pretty fair job of hitting his spots (and he showed poise in escaping a jam in that inning). He's not all the way back, but he looks better.

• I'm often asked what keeps me sold on a pitcher like Kevin Gausman. Earlier this week, in the sixth inning, with Baltimore holding a 2-0 lead, Gausman allowed a scratch single and a double to put the tying run on second with no outs. He struck out the next three hitters on 10 pitches. Turn it up a notch.