Tyler Wells is the closer?

[Sports Guy]

https://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2021/10/orioles-confident-in-wells-as-closer.html?fbclid=IwAR0_Yf6cYf1ivCoKxe2JHA2o32Xq5VeLkDNrqvndNdoWRmVV2UOH8iloqe0
 

For those of you who kept saying he would be given a chance to start, this news may not be good for you.

[Bahama O's Fan]

I mean, honestly, if you are losing close to 100 games, how important is your closer?

[Aristotelian]

With the injury history bullpen seems like the best option to maximize his value, plus "don't fix wait ain't broke".

[Matt Bennett]

Madness to not put him in the rotation. 

[LookinUp]

3 minutes ago, Aristotelian said:

With the injury history bullpen seems like the best option to maximize his value, plus "don't fix wait ain't broke".

Totally agree. Let him build up strength over time...

Quote

The pitcher who missed two full seasons and hadn’t thrown a ball above Double-A.
...
The only real disappointments were based on health, including the right shoulder inflammation that kept him from pitching after Sept. 24. He missed about three weeks earlier in the summer with right wrist tendinitis, but the Orioles wanted to control his innings and the break actually made it easier.

 

[Matt Bennett]

27 year old with a 4 pitch mix and been a starter his whole life. Absolutely no reason he could not handle 100 innings out of the rotation. Shut him down when you’re ready. We won’t be in contention anyway 

[Sports Guy]

8 minutes ago, Bahama O's Fan said:

I mean, honestly, if you are losing close to 100 games, how important is your closer?

Bullpens are extremely important and the long term bullpen is something they should start thinking about.  So, I think it’s very important.

[Sports Guy]

1 minute ago, Matt Bennett said:

27 year old with a 4 pitch mix and been a starter his whole life. Absolutely no reason he could not handle 100 innings out of the rotation. Shut him down when you’re ready. We won’t be in contention anyway 

They may think he can handle it but what he produces is less valuable than what he gives you out of the pen.  

They certainly may be right about that.

Just because you are a starter doesn’t mean you are more valuable.  

[wildcard]

I am hoping the O's add two FA relievers this off season.   They will sort out where Tyler Wells belongs in the spring.   I don't think anything is chiseled in stone at this point. 

[LookinUp]

31 minutes ago, Matt Bennett said:

27 year old with a 4 pitch mix and been a starter his whole life. Absolutely no reason he could not handle 100 innings out of the rotation. Shut him down when you’re ready. We won’t be in contention anyway 

I don't necessarily disagree with this. I guess I'm just saying that you really want to build arm strength and resilience over time. If he's a starter, he'd almost always have to be on a short leash. On the other hand, at least he'd be on a predictable schedule and given regular rest, which may not be possible in a bullpen role.

I'm just saying his health needs to be nurtured and they should pick the best role for that. 

[Sports Guy]

5 minutes ago, wildcard said:

I am hoping the O's add two FA relievers this off season.   They will sort out where Tyler Wells belongs in the spring.   I don't think anything is chiseled in stone at this point. 

I don’t disagree but I also think it’s been obvious for a while what they were going to do with him and that being a starter isnt the way they are going with him.

[wildcard]

3 minutes ago, Sports Guy said:

I don’t disagree but I also think it’s been obvious for a while what they were going to do with him and that being a starter isnt the way they are going with him.

Do  you think they know what they are going to do with Mike Baumann?    Is he a starter or a two pitch reliever?    Tyler may have more quality pitches than Baumann. That's one of the reasons I think they sort it out in the spring.

[Sports Guy]

Just now, wildcard said:

Do  you think they know what they are going to do with Mike Baumann?    Is he a starter or a two pitch reliever?    Tyler may have more quality pitches than Baumann. That's one of the reasons I think they sort it out in the spring.

I think they know right now that Baumann is likely to be a reliever but that they will try him as a starter.

You are ignoring too many things though:

1) They cut back on Wells' innings.  He was pitching multiple innings early on but they made him a 1 inning guy.  That isn't really an indication that they are going to extend him the next year.

2) He hasn't pitched starter innings since 2018.  That's a long time ago.  

3) Baumann, coming off an elbow injury, was still kept as a starter and was Brought up to the majors to start.  They didn't put him in the pen.  They didn't reduce his innings as the year went on.  

These are all signs that point to Wells as a reliever being close to set in stone.  I agree that he should be given a chance to start but the obviously the Os feel differently.  I mean, there is literally not one shred of evidence out there that says the O's believe in him as a starter.

[wildcard]

3 minutes ago, Sports Guy said:

I think they know right now that Baumann is likely to be a reliever but that they will try him as a starter.

You are ignoring too many things though:

1) They cut back on Wells' innings.  He was pitching multiple innings early on but they made him a 1 inning guy.  That isn't really an indication that they are going to extend him the next year.

2) He hasn't pitched starter innings since 2018.  That's a long time ago.  

3) Baumann, coming off an elbow injury, was still kept as a starter and was Brought up to the majors to start.  They didn't put him in the pen.  They didn't reduce his innings as the year went on.  

These are all signs that point to Wells as a reliever being close to set in stone.  I agree that he should be given a chance to start but the obviously the Os feel differently.  I mean, there is literally not one shred of evidence out there that says the O's believe in him as a starter.

All good points.  I guess we will see.

[waroriole]

I think it’s the right move. He excelled in this role until late in the season. They tried to force Lopez into being a SP for so long until they finally realized what he does best. But, that may have been more out of necessity.