Top 10 bullpens in the majors
Buster Olney
ESPN INSIDER
In rounding out our series of winter top 10 rankings, here are the top 10 bullpens in Major League Baseball (and I'm hedging a little in this category because of the uncertainty about what role one big-time pitcher will have).
[h=3]1. Atlanta Braves[/h]
To have a shutdown bullpen, you have to have a dominant closer, and the Braves' Craig Kimbrel is coming off one of the greatest seasons ever for a reliever: Opposing hitters had 231 plate appearances against him, and he struck out 116 -- almost exactly half -- in 62 2/3 innings, with just 14 walks and 27 hits. When he threw strike one on the first pitch of the at-bat (147 of those 231 plate appearances), hitters went 16-for-143, with 97 strikeouts and one extra-base hit. Here's one more: After hitters got ahead in the count, they went 5-for-32, with 10 strikeouts. Just one more: With two outs and runners in scoring position, opposing hitters were 1-for-18 with 10 strikeouts.
In other words, Kimbrel is the best closer in the game, and, at the outset of his career, he has established an unprecedented trajectory: Nobody has been this good so soon.
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The Braves have outstanding relievers stacked all around Kimbrel, from underrated Eric O'Flaherty (1.73 ERA in 64 appearances last season) to Jonny Venters (who seemed to bounce back in a big way after a rough first half) to Cristhian Martinez (65 strikeouts in 73 2/3 innings) to Luis Avilan. And, oh by the way, the Braves swapped for hard-throwing Jordan Walden (average fastball velocity last year: 96.3 mph) in the offseason, with some confidence they can help his command, and, if that happens, Atlanta could essentially end games after the fifth and sixth innings.
This is an extraordinary bullpen, and the Braves' staff and front office deserve credit for changing the way the Atlanta relievers were rested in 2012 after the relievers were worn out in 2011. Some teams don't change; the Braves did.
[h=3]2. Tampa Bay Rays[/h]
The names change almost every year, but the performance remains the same. Tampa Bay led the American League in bullpen ERA, after Fernando Rodney became the Rays' latest reclamation project (watching the Tampa Bay bullpen every year is like watching an episode of "American Restoration," on which junk is turned into gleaming excellence), and he merely became a Cy Young candidate, with just 43 hits and two homers allowed in 74 2/3 innings. He is surrounded by Jake McGee and Joel Peralta and perhaps Roberto Hernandez -- the pitcher formerly known as Fausto Carmona -- who has always had great stuff but an inconsistent delivery. It would surprise no one in the sport if we checked back in August and found that Hernandez had become a dominant setup man. Such is the reputation of the Rays for identifying bullpen talent, and the reputation of pitching coach Jim Hickey for refining that talent.
[h=3]3. Kansas City Royals[/h]
In a September conversation, some of the Chicago White Sox hitters and staff talked about the Royals' bullpen with complete awe and respect. No team, Adam Dunn said, had a collection of power arms like that of the Royals. "It's like every guy comes out of the bullpen throwing 97 [mph]" Dunn said.
The bullpen might be the best piece of hope for Royals fans to hang on to because if the Kansas City rotation can be at least mediocre -- just average -- the Royals' bullpen would win a lot of games in the late innings. Aaron Crow had 65 punchouts in 64 2/3 innings; Tim Collins whiffed 93 in 69 2/3 innings; closer Greg Holland had 91 strikeouts in 67 innings. The Royals' bullpen racked up 535 strikeouts in 561 1/3 innings and finished sixth in the majors in ERA, at 3.17.
[h=3]4. Baltimore Orioles[/h]
The Orioles had a makeshift rotation all season, because of injuries and performance, yet the Baltimore bullpen held up despite an extraordinary workload. No team that made the playoffs needed more bullpen innings than the Orioles, yet the Baltimore relievers finished fifth in ERA at 3.00, a tribute to the way Buck Showalter and his coaches use all parts of their pitching staff. Closer Jim Johnson had a major-league-best 51 saves, with just 15 walks in 68 2/3 innings, and got a whole lot of help from Pedro Strop, Darren O'Day and Luis Ayala.
One of the interesting decisions the Orioles will face in spring training will be what to do with left-hander Brian Matusz, who has generally struggled as a starter -- but had moments of total dominance out of the bullpen down the stretch. It might be that Matusz is a modern version of Arthur Rhodes and is just more comfortable pitching out of the bullpen; he told me during the playoffs that he really loved throwing in relief.
[h=3]5. San Francisco Giants[/h]
Arizona GM Kevin Towers is known for being one of the best at piecing together a bullpen, so it should be no surprise that his former manager in San Diego, Bruce Bochy, is known for being among the best handlers of a relief corps. The past four seasons, this is how the San Francisco bullpen has ranked in the majors in ERA:
2009 2nd (3.49)
2010 2nd (2.99)
2011 2nd (3.04)
2012 15th (3.56)
Sergio Romo took over from Brian Wilson as closer last season, seamlessly -- especially in the postseason. In the playoffs and World Series, the Giants' bullpen, bolstered by a temporary relief assignment for Tim Lincecum, was difference-making. Jeremy Affeldt didn't allow a run in 10 1/3 innings and struck out 10. The Giants' bullpen has nice righty/lefty balance, swing-and-miss capability and experience. What's not to like?
[h=3]6. Oakland Athletics[/h]
The Athletics finished fourth in bullpen ERA last season, at 2.94, and they basically return the entire group: All-Star Ryan Cook, Grant Balfour, Jerry Blevins, Pat Neshek, Evan Scribner and others. Cook, who was traded to the Athletics in the Trevor Cahill deal, held opposing hitters to a .166 batting average last season.
[h=3]7. Los Angeles Dodgers[/h]
J.P. Howell agreed to terms with the Dodgers on Friday, another good piece to an already deep bullpen; the left-hander saw his velocity increase markedly in the 2012 season, in his first full year back from shoulder surgery, to the point that his highest radar gun reading came in his last appearance of the season. Don Mattingly's weapons include Brandon League (who posted a 2.30 ERA for the Dodgers after being acquired from Seattle), Kenley Jansen (99 strikeouts in 65 innings despite some heart issues) and Ronald Belisario.
[h=3]8. Cincinnati Reds[/h]
The Reds will give Aroldis Chapman a chance to be a part of their rotation in spring training, and if he transitions into a starting pitcher, Cincinnati will still have a very good bullpen, with Jonathan Broxton, Sean Marshall, Jose Arredondo, Logan Ondrusek and Sam LeCure. But taking Chapman out of the Reds' bullpen would be like removing Miguel Cabrera from the Detroit lineup: Chapman was a relief monster last season, whiffing 122 batters and allowing just 35 hits in 71 2/3 innings. Cincinnati was No. 1 in bullpen ERA last season, at 2.65, and Chapman was the biggest reason for that.
[h=3]9. San Diego Padres[/h]
To say the Padres have a good bullpen is like saying the sun rises in the morning and sets in the evening: We've come to expect it. San Diego finished ninth in bullpen ERA last year at 3.24, getting good closer work out of Huston Street when he was healthy. The Padres benefited from a lot of help from a lot of different relievers, but incredibly, 10 different San Diego relievers who had 11 or more appearances averaged more than a strikeout per inning, in a season in which the rotation was ravaged by injury. It will be interesting to see how the historically strong performance of the Padres' pitchers -- and those of the Mariners, for that matter -- will be affected by the decisions to reduce the dimensions in the ballparks in San Diego and Seattle.
[h=3]10. St. Louis Cardinals[/h]
The Cardinals had a lot of bullpen adventures in the first half of last year, but by the time the postseason began, St. Louis had developed something pretty special in the quartet of closer Jason Motte, Mitchell Boggs, Edward Mujica and, most notably, in 22-year-old Trevor Rosenthal. In the playoffs, Rosenthal allowed two hits and no runs in 8 2/3 innings while racking up 15 strikeouts with an overpowering fastball -- more strikeouts than any St. Louis pitcher in the postseason other than Adam Wainwright.
Look, relievers are notoriously inconsistent, and history shows that today's bullpen hero can quickly disappear tomorrow. But if Rosenthal follows up on that thread of late-season success, St. Louis could have a pretty dynamic group. The Cardinals could really use a bounce-back season from Marc Rzepczynski to provide some left-handed balance.
[h=3]10a. Arizona Diamondbacks[/h]
Setup man David Hernandez is the biggest reason the Diamondbacks could have one of the best bullpens in the majors -- he had 98 strikeouts in 68 1/3 innings, after all. But Arizona needs J.J. Putz to remain healthy, to keep Hernandez in the setup role, and it needs a return on its two-year investment in Heath Bell; Towers, who traded for Bell when he was GM of the Padres, traded for him again after noting that his velocity never dipped during his struggles in Miami last year. Brad Ziegler appeared in 77 games and held right-handed hitters to a .201 average, with just one homer in 166 at-bats.
Best of the rest: The Red Sox and Yankees could have top-10 bullpens -- if. That's the key word for them: If. If Daniel Bard and Andrew Bailey bounce back to be what they were in 2011, Boston could have an excellent and deep bullpen.
If 43-year-old Mariano Rivera comes back from a knee reconstruction and pitches the way he did in his last full season -- in 2011, he posted a 2.16 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP -- the Yankees' bullpen will be outstanding. Time and again in the past decade, last rites have been performed over Rivera's career at the first sign of a slump -- some of them in this column -- and time and again, Rivera has bounced back from blips to resume his pre-eminence. At some point, age could overtake the greatest closer of all time. Will it be in 2012? We'll see.
The Philadelphia Phillies have a chance to have a top-10 bullpen, depending on how Mike Adams recovers from his late-season collapse and how some of the power arms around Jonathan Papelbon develop, such as Phillippe Aumont.
Texas has a lot of intriguing parts among its possible setup group, including Joakim Soria, but some uncertainty over who will be able to fill which role.
[h=3]Notables[/h]
• The Dodgers are deciding between massive TV contracts.
• Lance Berkman is sitting on the Texas Rangers' offer to him, writes Jeff Wilson.
[h=3]Moves, deals and decisions[/h]
1. Shane Victorino says he wanted to play for the Phillies.
2. The Yankees claimed Russ Canzler on waivers in their search for right-handed hitting. Canzler is primarily viewed as a 1B-DH type, but has played third base and the outfield, and, given that the Yankees probably aren't going to make a lot of additions before spring training, Canzler is going to get a serious look in Tampa. He's 26 years old.
3. The Orioles appear unwilling to give Joe Saunders the multiyear deal he wants, writes Eduardo Encina.
4. The Red Sox added a couple of minor league free agents.
5. The Cardinals added a couple of minor league coaches.
6. Dayton Moore talked about the Royals' offseason moves.
7. Brett Myers passed his physical with the Indians.
8. The Cubs signed Dontrelle Willis.
9. The Jays claimed a pitcher on waivers.
10. The Rockies have interest in Brandon Webb and Jeff Karstens, writes Troy Renck.
11. Eli Whiteside cleared waivers and accepted an outright assignment to the Triple-A roster of the Rangers. He effectively becomes the No. 3 catcher in the Texas organization, behind Geovany Soto and A.J. Pierzynski.
12. Geoff Baker writes about the value of Robert Andino to the Mariners.
[h=3]Other stuff[/h]
• Alan Ashby is moving from the Blue Jays to the Astros.
• Lance Armstrong is weighing an admission. If that happens, it'll be interesting to see how he deals with all the personal attacks of the past he rendered against those who suggested he was a doper, from former teammates to reporters. There are some questions asked along those lines in this New York Daily News piece.
Recent USADA history suggests that if Armstrong does make a deal for leniency with the agency, it will come only with complete transparency. If he follows in the path of Marion Jones and others, he will be expected to acknowledge and detail not only all parts of his doping history but also the past deception.
And today will be better than yesterday.
Buster Olney
ESPN INSIDER
In rounding out our series of winter top 10 rankings, here are the top 10 bullpens in Major League Baseball (and I'm hedging a little in this category because of the uncertainty about what role one big-time pitcher will have).
[h=3]1. Atlanta Braves[/h]
To have a shutdown bullpen, you have to have a dominant closer, and the Braves' Craig Kimbrel is coming off one of the greatest seasons ever for a reliever: Opposing hitters had 231 plate appearances against him, and he struck out 116 -- almost exactly half -- in 62 2/3 innings, with just 14 walks and 27 hits. When he threw strike one on the first pitch of the at-bat (147 of those 231 plate appearances), hitters went 16-for-143, with 97 strikeouts and one extra-base hit. Here's one more: After hitters got ahead in the count, they went 5-for-32, with 10 strikeouts. Just one more: With two outs and runners in scoring position, opposing hitters were 1-for-18 with 10 strikeouts.
In other words, Kimbrel is the best closer in the game, and, at the outset of his career, he has established an unprecedented trajectory: Nobody has been this good so soon.
<offer></offer>
The Braves have outstanding relievers stacked all around Kimbrel, from underrated Eric O'Flaherty (1.73 ERA in 64 appearances last season) to Jonny Venters (who seemed to bounce back in a big way after a rough first half) to Cristhian Martinez (65 strikeouts in 73 2/3 innings) to Luis Avilan. And, oh by the way, the Braves swapped for hard-throwing Jordan Walden (average fastball velocity last year: 96.3 mph) in the offseason, with some confidence they can help his command, and, if that happens, Atlanta could essentially end games after the fifth and sixth innings.
This is an extraordinary bullpen, and the Braves' staff and front office deserve credit for changing the way the Atlanta relievers were rested in 2012 after the relievers were worn out in 2011. Some teams don't change; the Braves did.
[h=3]2. Tampa Bay Rays[/h]
The names change almost every year, but the performance remains the same. Tampa Bay led the American League in bullpen ERA, after Fernando Rodney became the Rays' latest reclamation project (watching the Tampa Bay bullpen every year is like watching an episode of "American Restoration," on which junk is turned into gleaming excellence), and he merely became a Cy Young candidate, with just 43 hits and two homers allowed in 74 2/3 innings. He is surrounded by Jake McGee and Joel Peralta and perhaps Roberto Hernandez -- the pitcher formerly known as Fausto Carmona -- who has always had great stuff but an inconsistent delivery. It would surprise no one in the sport if we checked back in August and found that Hernandez had become a dominant setup man. Such is the reputation of the Rays for identifying bullpen talent, and the reputation of pitching coach Jim Hickey for refining that talent.
[h=3]3. Kansas City Royals[/h]
In a September conversation, some of the Chicago White Sox hitters and staff talked about the Royals' bullpen with complete awe and respect. No team, Adam Dunn said, had a collection of power arms like that of the Royals. "It's like every guy comes out of the bullpen throwing 97 [mph]" Dunn said.
The bullpen might be the best piece of hope for Royals fans to hang on to because if the Kansas City rotation can be at least mediocre -- just average -- the Royals' bullpen would win a lot of games in the late innings. Aaron Crow had 65 punchouts in 64 2/3 innings; Tim Collins whiffed 93 in 69 2/3 innings; closer Greg Holland had 91 strikeouts in 67 innings. The Royals' bullpen racked up 535 strikeouts in 561 1/3 innings and finished sixth in the majors in ERA, at 3.17.
[h=3]4. Baltimore Orioles[/h]
The Orioles had a makeshift rotation all season, because of injuries and performance, yet the Baltimore bullpen held up despite an extraordinary workload. No team that made the playoffs needed more bullpen innings than the Orioles, yet the Baltimore relievers finished fifth in ERA at 3.00, a tribute to the way Buck Showalter and his coaches use all parts of their pitching staff. Closer Jim Johnson had a major-league-best 51 saves, with just 15 walks in 68 2/3 innings, and got a whole lot of help from Pedro Strop, Darren O'Day and Luis Ayala.
One of the interesting decisions the Orioles will face in spring training will be what to do with left-hander Brian Matusz, who has generally struggled as a starter -- but had moments of total dominance out of the bullpen down the stretch. It might be that Matusz is a modern version of Arthur Rhodes and is just more comfortable pitching out of the bullpen; he told me during the playoffs that he really loved throwing in relief.
[h=3]5. San Francisco Giants[/h]
Arizona GM Kevin Towers is known for being one of the best at piecing together a bullpen, so it should be no surprise that his former manager in San Diego, Bruce Bochy, is known for being among the best handlers of a relief corps. The past four seasons, this is how the San Francisco bullpen has ranked in the majors in ERA:
2009 2nd (3.49)
2010 2nd (2.99)
2011 2nd (3.04)
2012 15th (3.56)
Sergio Romo took over from Brian Wilson as closer last season, seamlessly -- especially in the postseason. In the playoffs and World Series, the Giants' bullpen, bolstered by a temporary relief assignment for Tim Lincecum, was difference-making. Jeremy Affeldt didn't allow a run in 10 1/3 innings and struck out 10. The Giants' bullpen has nice righty/lefty balance, swing-and-miss capability and experience. What's not to like?
[h=3]6. Oakland Athletics[/h]
The Athletics finished fourth in bullpen ERA last season, at 2.94, and they basically return the entire group: All-Star Ryan Cook, Grant Balfour, Jerry Blevins, Pat Neshek, Evan Scribner and others. Cook, who was traded to the Athletics in the Trevor Cahill deal, held opposing hitters to a .166 batting average last season.
[h=3]7. Los Angeles Dodgers[/h]
J.P. Howell agreed to terms with the Dodgers on Friday, another good piece to an already deep bullpen; the left-hander saw his velocity increase markedly in the 2012 season, in his first full year back from shoulder surgery, to the point that his highest radar gun reading came in his last appearance of the season. Don Mattingly's weapons include Brandon League (who posted a 2.30 ERA for the Dodgers after being acquired from Seattle), Kenley Jansen (99 strikeouts in 65 innings despite some heart issues) and Ronald Belisario.
[h=3]8. Cincinnati Reds[/h]
The Reds will give Aroldis Chapman a chance to be a part of their rotation in spring training, and if he transitions into a starting pitcher, Cincinnati will still have a very good bullpen, with Jonathan Broxton, Sean Marshall, Jose Arredondo, Logan Ondrusek and Sam LeCure. But taking Chapman out of the Reds' bullpen would be like removing Miguel Cabrera from the Detroit lineup: Chapman was a relief monster last season, whiffing 122 batters and allowing just 35 hits in 71 2/3 innings. Cincinnati was No. 1 in bullpen ERA last season, at 2.65, and Chapman was the biggest reason for that.
[h=3]9. San Diego Padres[/h]
To say the Padres have a good bullpen is like saying the sun rises in the morning and sets in the evening: We've come to expect it. San Diego finished ninth in bullpen ERA last year at 3.24, getting good closer work out of Huston Street when he was healthy. The Padres benefited from a lot of help from a lot of different relievers, but incredibly, 10 different San Diego relievers who had 11 or more appearances averaged more than a strikeout per inning, in a season in which the rotation was ravaged by injury. It will be interesting to see how the historically strong performance of the Padres' pitchers -- and those of the Mariners, for that matter -- will be affected by the decisions to reduce the dimensions in the ballparks in San Diego and Seattle.
[h=3]10. St. Louis Cardinals[/h]
The Cardinals had a lot of bullpen adventures in the first half of last year, but by the time the postseason began, St. Louis had developed something pretty special in the quartet of closer Jason Motte, Mitchell Boggs, Edward Mujica and, most notably, in 22-year-old Trevor Rosenthal. In the playoffs, Rosenthal allowed two hits and no runs in 8 2/3 innings while racking up 15 strikeouts with an overpowering fastball -- more strikeouts than any St. Louis pitcher in the postseason other than Adam Wainwright.
Look, relievers are notoriously inconsistent, and history shows that today's bullpen hero can quickly disappear tomorrow. But if Rosenthal follows up on that thread of late-season success, St. Louis could have a pretty dynamic group. The Cardinals could really use a bounce-back season from Marc Rzepczynski to provide some left-handed balance.
[h=3]10a. Arizona Diamondbacks[/h]
Setup man David Hernandez is the biggest reason the Diamondbacks could have one of the best bullpens in the majors -- he had 98 strikeouts in 68 1/3 innings, after all. But Arizona needs J.J. Putz to remain healthy, to keep Hernandez in the setup role, and it needs a return on its two-year investment in Heath Bell; Towers, who traded for Bell when he was GM of the Padres, traded for him again after noting that his velocity never dipped during his struggles in Miami last year. Brad Ziegler appeared in 77 games and held right-handed hitters to a .201 average, with just one homer in 166 at-bats.
Best of the rest: The Red Sox and Yankees could have top-10 bullpens -- if. That's the key word for them: If. If Daniel Bard and Andrew Bailey bounce back to be what they were in 2011, Boston could have an excellent and deep bullpen.
If 43-year-old Mariano Rivera comes back from a knee reconstruction and pitches the way he did in his last full season -- in 2011, he posted a 2.16 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP -- the Yankees' bullpen will be outstanding. Time and again in the past decade, last rites have been performed over Rivera's career at the first sign of a slump -- some of them in this column -- and time and again, Rivera has bounced back from blips to resume his pre-eminence. At some point, age could overtake the greatest closer of all time. Will it be in 2012? We'll see.
The Philadelphia Phillies have a chance to have a top-10 bullpen, depending on how Mike Adams recovers from his late-season collapse and how some of the power arms around Jonathan Papelbon develop, such as Phillippe Aumont.
Texas has a lot of intriguing parts among its possible setup group, including Joakim Soria, but some uncertainty over who will be able to fill which role.
[h=3]Notables[/h]
• The Dodgers are deciding between massive TV contracts.
• Lance Berkman is sitting on the Texas Rangers' offer to him, writes Jeff Wilson.
[h=3]Moves, deals and decisions[/h]
1. Shane Victorino says he wanted to play for the Phillies.
2. The Yankees claimed Russ Canzler on waivers in their search for right-handed hitting. Canzler is primarily viewed as a 1B-DH type, but has played third base and the outfield, and, given that the Yankees probably aren't going to make a lot of additions before spring training, Canzler is going to get a serious look in Tampa. He's 26 years old.
3. The Orioles appear unwilling to give Joe Saunders the multiyear deal he wants, writes Eduardo Encina.
4. The Red Sox added a couple of minor league free agents.
5. The Cardinals added a couple of minor league coaches.
6. Dayton Moore talked about the Royals' offseason moves.
7. Brett Myers passed his physical with the Indians.
8. The Cubs signed Dontrelle Willis.
9. The Jays claimed a pitcher on waivers.
10. The Rockies have interest in Brandon Webb and Jeff Karstens, writes Troy Renck.
11. Eli Whiteside cleared waivers and accepted an outright assignment to the Triple-A roster of the Rangers. He effectively becomes the No. 3 catcher in the Texas organization, behind Geovany Soto and A.J. Pierzynski.
12. Geoff Baker writes about the value of Robert Andino to the Mariners.
[h=3]Other stuff[/h]
• Alan Ashby is moving from the Blue Jays to the Astros.
• Lance Armstrong is weighing an admission. If that happens, it'll be interesting to see how he deals with all the personal attacks of the past he rendered against those who suggested he was a doper, from former teammates to reporters. There are some questions asked along those lines in this New York Daily News piece.
Recent USADA history suggests that if Armstrong does make a deal for leniency with the agency, it will come only with complete transparency. If he follows in the path of Marion Jones and others, he will be expected to acknowledge and detail not only all parts of his doping history but also the past deception.
And today will be better than yesterday.
