Bullpen 2024

[Spy Fox]

Perhaps overshadowed by all the other nonsense going on, but five scoreless innings from the pen--without using Cano or Kimbrel-- made that W possible. 

[sportsfan8703]

5 IP 0 ER. 

I know without Bautista it isn’t cool to like our bullpen, but they did a helluva a job. 

[Frobby]

The bullpen ERA is dropping like a rock.  3.23 overall and 1.97 for May.

[Aristotelian]

Best part, due to the game script they did it without using Cano or Kimbrel. Baumann and Perez stepped up big time. 

[Frobby]

The bullpen’s recent run of success continued tonight with 3 scoreless innings.  The bullpen ERA is now 1.85 for May and 3.16 overall.  Even Mike Baumann has his ERA down to 3.44.   

[Cuellar35]

Mike Baumann.  An enigma wrapped in a conundrum.  Ride the wave!

[bpilktree]

38 minutes ago, Frobby said:

The bullpen’s recent run of success continued tonight with 3 scoreless innings.  The bullpen ERA is now 1.85 for May and 3.16 overall.  Even Mike Baumann has his ERA down to 3.44.   

The bullpen has much more depth this year than last year but it just feels like you don’t know who will be the guy each night.  Last year it was get to the 8th and you knew it was Cano and Bautista and lights out.  This year it doesn’t seem to be set roles especially with Kimberly strugggles and out as clasper for now possibly.  I also think Hyde gets a lot of grief about how he handles the bullpen but I think he has been great at looking at the game situation and with who he wants facing what guys.  Cano might come in the 6th one night then close the next, same with Webb or even Coulumbe.  I know a lot of it is analytics but as a group they make a plan and seem to stick with it instead of some managers that have 7 inning guy an 8th inning guy and closer and don’t deviate much.  

[Warehouse]

Wow - I was pulling up Fangraphs this morning to look at recent bullpen performance.  While the bullpen ERA is nearly 130 pts lower in May vs last month, peripheral metrics have really dropped off.

In particular, Akin and Cano’s peripherals have really dropped off, though Bauman and Perez’s peripherals still are not great. Given these trends, I could see Elias optioning Akin given that Bauman and Perez are our hardest throwers in a pen without great velocity.

These figures are based in the current active roster only. 

	IP	ERA	K% - BB%
Mar/Apr	77.1	3.26	22.1%
May	47.2	1.89	4.8%

 

	FIP	xFIP	SIERRA
Mar/Apr	3.05	2.92	2.65
May	4.20	4.91	4.82

 

	Stuff+	Location+	Pitching+
Mar/Apr	109	102	105
May	107	95	97

 

 

[dystopia]

I think Akin will go because he has an option. No other factor will matter.  

[Warehouse]

Some additional metrics from Statcast. Bunts are excluded here.  Figures are still based on the current 8-man bullpen.

 

	wOBA	xwOBA	ISO	BABIP
Mar/Apr	.282	.283	.132	.294
May	.250	.288	.106	.176

 

	Whiff%	Avg EV	Hard hit%	Barrel/PA
Mar/Apr	30.1%	89.7	43.1%	4.5%
May	22.8%	88.3	35.2%	3.8%

 

 

[Aristotelian]

10 hours ago, Frobby said:

The bullpen’s recent run of success continued tonight with 3 scoreless innings.  The bullpen ERA is now 1.85 for May and 3.16 overall.  Even Mike Baumann has his ERA down to 3.44.   

Good example of the "imposter syndrome" phenomenon discussed in your other thread. Overall our bullpen is objectively good. Our ERA is #6 in MLB. Only the Yankees and Guardians are in a clear tier above us. Still, without multiple Felix/Cano types it feels like it can implode at any moment. It still can, but is no more likely than all but the most elite bullpens.

[spiritof66]

47 minutes ago, dystopia said:

I think Akin will go because he has an option. No other factor will matter.  

Agree. I don't think Elias is ready to risk losing anyone in the current pen. Even Baumann.

[gtman55]

52 minutes ago, dystopia said:

I think Akin will go because he has an option. No other factor will matter.  

You're right.

[Aristotelian]

1 hour ago, dystopia said:

I think Akin will go because he has an option. No other factor will matter.  

100%. I have been saying this for weeks. Akin is not as good as he showed early, and Baumann isn't that bad. Neither is essential so the option is determinative. You can always bring Akin back if Baumann starts to suck again, but not vice versa. 

[LGOrioles]

41 minutes ago, Aristotelian said:

100%. I have been saying this for weeks. Akin is not as good as he showed early, and Baumann isn't that bad. Neither is essential so the option is determinative. You can always bring Akin back if Baumann starts to suck again, but not vice versa. 

Akin’s K/BB rates haven’t been as good recently but he’s giving up nothing in terms of hard contact. His xERA is 2.01, almost a full run lower than his actual ERA, so if anything he’s been unlucky. Baumann has definitely been pitching better as well, but it’s pretty clear that Akin is the better pitcher and more trusted by Hyde. That’s not to say Akin won’t get sent down, but I don’t think it’s normal to send a guy down with a 2.84 ERA, 2.01 xERA, and 20% K-BB%. 

Edit - they announced the Baumann DFA. I still don’t love losing him because his arm is good, but no chance I would have sent Akin down with how good he’s been. If they need to call someone up to cover mop up duty like Baumann, they have Tate and Heasley. Then Strowd potentially too. 

Edited May 18 by LGOrioles