Keegan Akin 2024

[eddie83]

4 minutes ago, sportsfan8703 said:

Kudos to his wife for having the baby a day after he pitched 2 IP. Akin and Burnes’ wife’s with some serious O’s love. 

Perhaps he was pitching no matter what last night. 

[LGOrioles]

He’s been incredibly underrated this year. He’s not a high leverage guy, but he has a 3.46 ERA, 2.62 xERA, 11 K/9, and has been worth 1.2 WAR, which is 24th among all RP’s in the league. Can’t ask for much more out of a 6th inning type reliever. 

[sportsfan8703]

Having Akin pitch in that spot is just where we are as a team at the moment. He’s earned it based on performance over Kimbrel/Soto. 

We are who we are. Akin just got beat. 

[Just Regular]

The three pitch strikeout of Devers opening a zombie runner inning was a nice accomplishment.

Some of what stung was the slip costing Akin a possible confidence builder.    That said, O'Neill ended up getting a very nice pitch to hit, and I believe Hyde has also been specific at times about Akin's mistakes being too hittable, possibly also some of why he was quick to exit the dugout in that instant.

It was easier last year when McKenna ruined a near Fenway win early in the season.     Felix didn't get derailed by that one, and hopefully Akin too can keep up the mostly good work.   70 innings of 25% K-bb is a very fine year.

[luismatos4prez]

Akin is a very good 7th inning reliever, reminds me of Matusz when he was going good in the bullpen. Akin blowing 3 heaters past Devers reminded me of Matusz doing the same to Josh Hamilton in the WC game.

I think he looks like a schlub, so folks are hard on him.

[LookitsPuck]

Akin is a middle reliever. He’s not a high leverage guy. He’s not a guy you bring in with runners on. And he’s sure as hell not the first guy you go to in a close game extra innings. 

[Moose Milligan]

1 minute ago, LookitsPuck said:

Akin is a middle reliever. He’s not a high leverage guy. He’s not a guy you bring in with runners on. And he’s sure as hell not the first guy you go to in a close game extra innings. 

He needs a clean inning, for sure.  A good bridge guy from 6th to 7th, 7th to 8th.  I don't want to see him coming into a game with runners on or in extra innings.

[Just Regular]

Has he done so well this year he's earning consideration for a Jordan Hicks or AJ Puk or Reynaldo Lopez kind of early season deployment in 2025?

As we have seen in 2024 in all 3 cases of Hicks-Puk-Lopez it probably can't last 6 months even though actuarially a club can maybe get a larger number of good innings.

[RZNJ]

1 minute ago, Just Regular said:

Has he done so well this year he's earning consideration for a Jordan Hicks or AJ Puk or Reynaldo Lopez kind of early season deployment in 2025?

As we have seen in 2024 in all 3 cases of Hicks-Puk-Lopez it probably can't last 6 months even though actuarially a club can maybe get a larger number of good innings.

Akin as a #5 starter going into next season should be considered but I don’t see how he fits.   Eflin, GRod, and Kremer seem like locks to return.   That leaves Povich, Suarez, and Rogers going for 1 or 2 spots.   I suspect Elias goes outside for a veteran #3 type starter if not better.    I also suspect Akin continues in his current role but it would be interesting to see how he’d do going back to starting.

Hicks, Lopez, and Puk all have high octane stuff.    I wouldn’t put Akin up quite as high.

[Frobby]

I like Akin in the role he’s in, a guy who can give you 1-3 innings and either be a bridge to the set-up guys or occasionally throw the 7th/8th inning of a tight game.  

[Spy Fox]

11 minutes ago, Just Regular said:

Has he done so well this year he's earning consideration for a Jordan Hicks or AJ Puk or Reynaldo Lopez kind of early season deployment in 2025?

As we have seen in 2024 in all 3 cases of Hicks-Puk-Lopez it probably can't last 6 months even though actuarially a club can maybe get a larger number of good innings.

I hope our players and Rubenstein's budget are both healthy enough that this doesn't need to be an option. 

I expect something like: Grayson, Eflin, a FA/trade acquisition, Kremer, and let Rogers/Suarez/Povich battle for supremacy in the 5th-7th spots. 

Edited 22 hours ago by Spy Fox

[Aristotelian]

1 hour ago, Just Regular said:

Has he done so well this year he's earning consideration for a Jordan Hicks or AJ Puk or Reynaldo Lopez kind of early season deployment in 2025?

As we have seen in 2024 in all 3 cases of Hicks-Puk-Lopez it probably can't last 6 months even though actuarially a club can maybe get a larger number of good innings.

I see Akin kind of like Tyler Wells circa 2021, i.e. "don't fix what ain't broke". Akin is a nice asset in the bullpen. Unlike Wells, he has been given opportunities to start before and failed. I would keep him where he is in the bullpen except as a deep depth/emergency option for the rotation. 

He could be a guy to use as an "opener" if we wanted to get creative.

[Sports Guy]

You need 4 relievers that you can count on. Akin should not be considered one of those 4 despite some of the very strong peripheral stats he has. 

[LookitsPuck]

Here's the thing with Keegan Akin:

He's a middle reliever with amazing stats that would *trick you* into thinking he's a high leverage arm. An 11.3 SO/9 is excellent. A 2.2 BB/9 is excellent. A 0.928 WHIP, 2.88 FIP, 3.27 ERA are all excellent to very good. 

But where this all falls apart are with runners on and/or high leverage situations. He wilts. 

If you can trust Hyde to use Akin correctly, great. But he has moments where he has brain farts re: the Red Sox game in the 10th when the O's were ahead 3-2. I don't care what you say about Jackson Holliday and his defensive miscue. We all didn't feel good about Akin facing O'Neill or even in that situation when the inning started.

If I look at this bullpen, he's a Tier 2/3 arm on talent and has Tier 1 output when leveraged correctly.