Tyler Wells is the closer?

[HowAboutThat]

If they want him to be reliever, that’s fine, I have always said that I disagree with the concept of a specific closer, use your best guy in the highest leverage situation but if Wells is that best guy, that’s fine.

[LookinUp]

1 hour ago, OsFanSinceThe80s said:

I really think this will be the future of MLB bullpens. Why waste your best reliever waiting for the ninth inning if there is seventh inning rally that you need to kill to hold a lead. 

 

Not that I disagree, but a closer is typically used in the last inning ahead by 3 or (usually) less. That's also high leverage. You really need several high leverage capable people in the bullpen. From there you pick the best match-up among your guys.

[sportsfan8703]

Closer talk is nice. Is this dude even healthy?  Can this dude even stay healthy?  He’s essentially Hunter Harvey 2.0.  

[Frobby]

1 hour ago, sportsfan8703 said:

Closer talk is nice. Is this dude even healthy?  Can this dude even stay healthy?  He’s essentially Hunter Harvey 2.0.  

That’s not really fair.   Harvey has only thrown 35+ innings once since 2014.   Wells missed 2019 having surgery but was healthy in 2016-18 before his surgery and threw 57 innings of relief this year.  

[Tony-OH]

22 hours 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.

I'm not sure how they used him this year is any indication how they plan to use him in the future. Elias made it clear after he drafted Wells and Sceroler that he saw them as starters potentially down the road.

Wells has the mix and build to be a starter with the only yellow flag this year was how often he was injured. I believe the Orioles used him delicately this year at first because he hadn't pitched since his TJ surgery. Perhaps the wrist and other injuries were because he was pitching more often and not every pitcher can recover when pitching on back to back days or every other day. 

I believe the Orioles would be doing themselves and Wells a disfavor unless they try him as a starter in 2022. Why not see what they have? Is the bullpen a mess right now? Sure. But a pen can be put together and there are lots of candidates like Baumann, Bautista and Bradish that could fill innings out there in 2022 along with Tate and potentially Harvey though you can never count on Harvey unfortunately. 

Plus, this article sounds like Roch's thoughts more than anything coming from Elias, which is the only voice that really counts when discussing roles of players.

[Sports Guy]

31 minutes ago, Tony-OH said:

I'm not sure how they used him this year is any indication how they plan to use him in the future. Elias made it clear after he drafted Wells and Sceroler that he saw them as starters potentially down the road.

Wells has the mix and build to be a starter with the only yellow flag this year was how often he was injured. I believe the Orioles used him delicately this year at first because he hadn't pitched since his TJ surgery. Perhaps the wrist and other injuries were because he was pitching more often and not every pitcher can recover when pitching on back to back days or every other day. 

I believe the Orioles would be doing themselves and Wells a disfavor unless they try him as a starter in 2022. Why not see what they have? Is the bullpen a mess right now? Sure. But a pen can be put together and there are lots of candidates like Baumann, Bautista and Bradish that could fill innings out there in 2022 along with Tate and potentially Harvey though you can never count on Harvey unfortunately. 

Plus, this article sounds like Roch's thoughts more than anything coming from Elias, which is the only voice that really counts when discussing roles of players.

I can tell you that when Roch writes like that, he is doing it based off of what he has been told.  I know that for a fact.

And I don’t think pitching him less innings is a good indication that they want to stretch him out.

Had he stayed in a roll where he was pitching multiple innings at a time, I could see them using him as a starter right now.  I just can’t see them Doing that now.  
 

I agree they should but it’s not happening.

[Tony-OH]

1 minute ago, Sports Guy said:

I can tell you that when Roch writes like that, he is doing it based off of what he has been told.  I know that for a fact.

And I don’t think pitching him less innings is a good indication that they want to stretch him out.

Had he stayed in a roll where he was pitching multiple innings at a time, I could see them using him as a starter right now.  I just can’t see them Doing that now.  
 

I agree they should but it’s not happening.

Perhaps, but we'll see. If they don't, there is something in the medicals that have them concerned because the stuff and build is there and he's only 27.

Saying that, I have concerns about the amount of home runs he gave up in Camden Yards last year (9 in 33.1 IP) when it comes to him being a closer. He'll need to cut down on that if they are considering him in that role.

Personally, I'd be going into 2022 with him penciled into my rotation. He can always move back out to the pen if it doesn't work out, but he's got better overall stuff than Baumann and Bradish.

 

[Sports Guy]

1 minute ago, Tony-OH said:

Perhaps, but we'll see. If they don't, there is something in the medicals that have them concerned because the stuff and build is there and he's only 27.

Saying that, I have concerns about the amount of home runs he gave up in Camden Yards last year (9 in 33.1 IP) when it comes to him being a closer. He'll need to cut down on that if they are considering him in that role.

Personally, I'd be going into 2022 with him penciled into my rotation. He can always move back out to the pen if it doesn't work out, but he's got better overall stuff than Baumann and Bradish.

 

Yea I don’t get it.  Something is holding them back.

As I posted on here, Roch responded to a tweet of mine saying it was lack of innings and him not being a starter since 2018 is why they won’t do it.

I think you have to try but again, it’s totally different being a reliever and a starter in terms of prep and things like that.  Maybe they just don’t feel his arm will hold up to the jerkin around?

[sportsfan8703]

On 10/28/2021 at 10:53 PM, Frobby said:

That’s not really fair.   Harvey has only thrown 35+ innings once since 2014.   Wells missed 2019 having surgery but was healthy in 2016-18 before his surgery and threw 57 innings of relief this year.  

I’m not given up on either. I’ve been the president of the Harvey fan club post all these injuries, even though I think we should’ve made the Lester trade in 2014. 
 

I actually think the oblique injury might pay off for Harvey’s arm/shoulder injuries in terms of basically resting for a year. 
 

Idk about closers. We’re not there yet as a team, but if we can piece together middle relief/set up from Wells, Harvey, Scott, Tate, and Fry, then I think we’re sitting pretty. The key is we need to not run them into the ground.  That’s where a guy like Jorge Lopez needs to eat some relief innings. That alone will be worth his salary. 
 

If healthy and managed right this bullpen don’t look too bad,

Sulser, Wells, Scott, Fry, Harvey, Bautista, Lopez, and rotate our 4A SP as a fresh arm to absorb innings. 

[Sports Guy]

People need to get out of the mindset that “we aren’t there yet, therefore we don’t need a closer”.

You could say that about any position when you suck.  I mean, do we really need a 3/4 starter if we only win 60 games?  What about a middling starting SS?  What good does that do?

Roster building is always happening.  You don’t need to be winning to be good in a certain area.  You just get the best players you can and put them in the best places for them to succeed.  Winning will come as you get better players.  
 

So many people act like the Os are just going to be able to flip a switch and be immediately good because we have highly ranked prospects.  It doesn’t work that way.  Guys need experience, time to learn and develop.  

[sportsfan8703]

4 minutes ago, Sports Guy said:

People need to get out of the mindset that “we aren’t there yet, therefore we don’t need a closer”.

You could say that about any position when you suck.  I mean, do we really need a 3/4 starter if we only win 60 games?  What about a middling starting SS?  What good does that do?

Roster building is always happening.  You don’t need to be winning to be good in a certain area.  You just get the best players you can and put them in the best places for them to succeed.  Winning will come as you get better players.  
 

So many people act like the Os are just going to be able to flip a switch and be immediately good because we have highly ranked prospects.  It doesn’t work that way.  Guys need experience, time to learn and develop.  

I’m not concerned about a “closer” per se. I’d much rather us stockpile power relief arms and let the back end of the pen naturally come together.