12 Unheralded Relievers who could dominate in October

[SteveA]

Article from MLB.com, with a guest appearance by everyone's favorite pudgy-faced apple-john.

https://www.mlb.com/orioles/news/unheralded-relievers-who-could-dominate-2024-postseason

[Sports Guy]

Sucks to see Ort on that list

[interloper]

26 minutes ago, Sports Guy said:

Sucks to see Ort on that list

Early on in the Elias era he said that they aren't the types to rest on laurels and always trying to improve their methods. I hope that isn't lip service, after so many guys improved after leaving the organization this year. 

Something is not working here with the pitching lab. Hopefully they can admit it and look into data on what is happening to these pitchers when they leave. 

Right now it's starting to revert back to the MacPhail era where pitchers leave and instantly get better. Elias was supposed to solve that problem.

[Aristotelian]

35 minutes ago, Sports Guy said:

Sucks to see Ort on that list

For perspective the article includes Keegan Akin

[oriole]

Akin…early candidate for WS MVP. Wouldn’t be any more surprising than Saurez holding down the rotation.

[Aristotelian]

20 minutes ago, interloper said:

Early on in the Elias era he said that they aren't the types to rest on laurels and always trying to improve their methods. I hope that isn't lip service, after so many guys improved after leaving the organization this year. 

Something is not working here with the pitching lab. Hopefully they can admit it and look into data on what is happening to these pitchers when they leave. 

Right now it's starting to revert back to the MacPhail era where pitchers leave and instantly get better. Elias was supposed to solve that problem.

Our bullpen is mostly guys picked up cheap from other organizations (Webb, Coulombe, Cano, Perez). Ben talked about how Suarez spent time at the pitching lab. He alone is a major nugget worth 3 wins. Sometimes when your roster is full of guys performing at a high level you have to DFA guys who end up good but overall I don't see the Orioles track record here as a problem. Might even be an asset.

[Moose Milligan]

Keegan Akin, eh?

 

[Sports Guy]

47 minutes ago, Aristotelian said:

For perspective the article includes Keegan Akin

Why is that perspective 

[Aristotelian]

1 minute ago, Sports Guy said:

Why is that perspective 

Because Akin is not very good.

[Sports Guy]

5 minutes ago, Aristotelian said:

Because Akin is not very good.

So? This is about guys pitching well right now. You wouldn’t rather have an arm pitching well vs Smith or Kimbrel or whoever?

[Aristotelian]

6 minutes ago, Sports Guy said:

So? This is about guys pitching well right now. You wouldn’t rather have an arm pitching well vs Smith or Kimbrel or whoever?

Yes, I would rather have Akin than Smith or Kimbrel. No, I don't expect Akin to pitch high leverage innings in the playoffs.

[lifelongbirdfan]

Akin puts up great numbers when there is no pressure. But he is the least clutch pitcher in the pen.

I wish we had targeted Puk or Kopech instead of hoping that Burch Smith's slipper wouldn't fall off.

[Just Regular]

Playoff tactics galaxy brain - does the 3 batter minimum apply to the starting pitcher?

Could Akin pitch to Juan Soto 2nd and then depart?    You really have to find the loopholes.    Make sure it is just 1-0 in the first inning if one of those mistakes is too good.

I guess if it has to be 3 or 4, Akin could practice the demonstrative Gerrit Cole-Rafael Devers IBB gestures and go at Austin Wells cleaning up.

Power rank Zach Eflin, Grayson Rodriguez and Keegan Akin on a per batter run prevention effectiveness scale, assuming virtually unlimited pitcher availability.

Should the Orioles qualify for the ALDS, it has an off day after Game 1 and after Game 2.