The bullpen is all but set and is looking much better than what passed for a bullpen for much of last season. The biggest question to settle is how many pitchers the Giants will carry. Most analysts expect them to split the 26-man roster evenly, but with 3 days off out of their first 15, they could opt for 12 for the first 15-18 days of the season. Here's how it's looking:
Closer: Camilo Doval RHP- Since adding a two-seam FB and after a couple of dominant appearances in the WBC, Doval is now one of the elite closers in MLB. Giants game are an inning shorter when they have the lead.
One-inning Guys:
Taylor Rogers LHP- Has closing experience and may get some Save-Ops if the opposing lineup is lefty-heavy, but he's mostly the setup/8'th inning guy.
John Brebbia RHP- Brebbia was overworked last season in too many roles. He should benefit the most from the Giants pitching depth.
Scott Alexander LHP- Was terrific in a small sample late last season after the Giants signed him. Even got a Save-Op or two.
1-2 Inning Guy:
Tyler Rogers RHP- Rogers best role is eating 1-2 of the middle-late innings. In 13 appearances of over 1 inning last season, Rogers allowed just 3 ER in 22 IP for a 1.23 ERA. On the other hand, he is just 16 for 28 in Save-Ops over his career.
Bulk-Innings Guys:
Jake Junis RHP- Did well in the role last season. Seemed to wear down after being pressed into the rotation due to injuries.
Sixth Starter ?- Not clear who this is going to be with all 6 veteran SP's performing well. My guess is Alex Wood LHP who has experience coming out of the bullpen and may be at a point in his career where it's best to limit his innings.
60-day IL:
Luke Jackson RHP- Will he give the Giants a midseason boost or become trade bait like Matthew Boyd last year?
8'th Man?: Preseason favorite Thomas Szapucki LHP looks likely to start the season on the IL, possibly even the 60-day IL with an as-yet undiagnosed left arm ailment. Latest news was he was set to visit a thoracic-outlet syndrome specialist. Cole Waites RHP is starting to throw after an oblique strain. The only other candidate already on the 40-man roster is Sean Hjelle RHP and he's had an outstanding spring. This would create a fascinating situation with 3 potential bulk-innings guys in the Giants bullpen. I love it! Bring back the 2-3 inning Save! Has options so could ride the Sacramento shuttle depending on how many relievers the Giants carry at a given time.
Non-roster Considerations:
Melvin Adon RHP- Adon is attempting a comeback from a brutal series of injuries. He's looked good throwing in triple digits but the Giants will probably want him to prove he can stay healthy and get AAA hitters out first.
Kade McClure RHP- McClure was acquired from the Pirates for Gregory Santos RHP. Big RHP who has looked good in a handful of spring appearances.
I am so happy about Doval's development. I remember the heart-break of Ray Black who, despite his 100+ MPH fastball had chronic shoulder problems coupled with control issues that limited him to just 42.1 innings and rather poor ERA and high WHIP in the majors despite his 11.4 K/9.
ReplyDeleteAnd when I think about the Giants chances this year, the bullpen is the only part of the team I feel comfortable with. A lot of that has to do with Doval, the Rodgers brothers and the rest of them. To me it's the only really solid unit as the starting pitching has three question marks:
1. Stripling, when he's on, is a solid #3 but are we going to get that or are we going to get #5 Stripling like he was in 2020 & 2021.
2. DeSclafani is injury prone and very erratic year-to-year. Bad in 2020, good in 2021, bad in 2022... Are we due for Good Sclafani or are we going to get Bad Sclafani again.
3. Manea is also a pitcher with a wide variance (when he's not missing most of a season like he did in 2019). His ERA+ is exacly MLB average. But it swings wildly between seasons.
And then there's Webb. I think he's solid and his FIP is better than his ERA so I think he's for real. But I'm also old enough to have seen young Giants pitchers have a few good seasons only to completely fall apart and be either bouncing around the league as stop-gap mediocrities or all the way out of baseball within five or six years. And that 'young guy flames out' thing always sticks in the back of my mind.
Maybe. How many years were Montefusco, Halicki or Hammaker good? Only a few years? Or maybe we are talking about J William, Ainsworth, Lowery and the pitcher from USF (don't recall his name just now) more recently?
DeleteThe Count, Halicki, Hammaker all were only good for 2-3 years, some less. Then there was Bill Swift and John Burkett. They had a short half-life too. Cainer had a good run but was ultimately done by age 30. Timmy was a shooting star who was done by 30. MadBum was a bit better than Cain but a similar effective time frame to his career. Long term pitching contracts are a bad investment whether they are free agents or "home grown.".
Delete....and geez! How on Earth did Juan Marichal and Gaylord Perry have such long career peaks, especially with the kind of innings they pitched year after year?
DeleteThere is something about homegrown, like homecoming, I think.
DeleteMore affordable, healthier, and one hopes one can have it for a long time.
The guy from USF was Jesse Foppert.
ReplyDeleteThanks. I remembered, after I posted. Yeah, Foppert was who I was thinking about.
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