The 2021 bullpen disaster and a look ahead to 2022

[Forever Spinning Vinyl]

It's kind of depressing when looking at the 2021 seasons of the two relievers that the Reds got rid of in a salary dump so they could sign a SS that they never signed. Take their 121 innings and replace the 118.2 innings of Romano, Brach, Hembree, Fulmer and also subtract Bedrosian's 5.2 innings and this is a different season. It gets even uglier considering that out of the top seven ERAs, only Tejay Antone was on the big league team at the start of the season.

2.57 - 70.0 - Raisel Iglesias - 34 saves
3.71 - 51.0 - Archie Bradley - 2 saves
ERA - IP
1.29 - 21.0 - Art Warren
2.05 - 26.1 - Luis Cessa
2.14 - 33.2 - Tejay Antone - 3 saves
2.81 - 16.0 - Justin Wilson
2.91 - 43.1 - Tony Santillan*4 starts
4.00 - 9.0 - Ashton Goudeau
4.22 - 21.1 - Mychal Givens - 8 saves
4.40 - 47.0 - Lucas Sims - 7 saves
4.46 - 38.1 - Sean Doolittle - 1 save
4.56 - 73.0 - Jeff Hoffman*11 starts
5.02 - 14.1 - Josh Osich - 1 save
5.23 - 20.2 - Sal Romano
5.59 - 29.0 - Michael Lorenzen - 4 saves
5.97 - 31.2 - Ryan Hendrix
6.04 - 47.2 - Amir Garrett - 7 saves
6.30 - 30.0 - Brad Brach - 1 save
6.38 - 42.1 - Heath Hembree - 8 saves
6.38 - 24.0 - Cionel Perez
6.66 - 25.2 - Carson Fulmer
8.35 - 18.1 - Jose DeLeon*2 starts
-----------------------------------------
Less than 9 innings pitched
16.62 - 4.1 - Edgar Garcia
16.20 - 6.2 - Michael Feliz - 1 save
13.50 - 1.1 - Riley O'Brien
11.12 - 5.2 - Cam Bedrosian
9.82 - 3.2 - Alex Blandino
3.38 - 2.2 - RJ Alaniz
2.45 - 3.2 - Dauri Moreta
0.00 - 1.2 - Max Schrock
0.00 - 0.1 - Mike Freeman

21 saves by pitchers with a 5.59 ERA or higher. Bell has convinced himself that Lorenzen and Garrett are late inning guys and they simply are not. Lorenzen has a career ERA of 4.07 and Garrett has a career ERA of 5.10. Those aren't even set-up man numbers. Both are middle relief at best. Givens, Wilson and Lorenzen are both FA and I say let Lorenzen walk and let him become someone else's problem. Givens is worth making a bid to keep but not worth breaking the bank. Same with Wilson, who was pretty good everywhere he pitched except with the Yankees.

As far as 2022 goes, I'd like to see what Hoffman and Santillan could do with full seasons as a relievers. Lucas Sims came on strong at the end of the season, so that's inspiring. HOPEFULLY Cionel Perez can get his control issues handled because he's got a pretty electric arm. Moreta showed a bit of promise and didn't look scared of the big leagues at all. Warren looked like the real deal and so did Cessa. Even without Givens, that looks A LOT better than the opening day bullpen this season.

Hopefully that's not all offset by the coming loss of Castellanos. But that is another thread for another time.

Thoughts? Opinions? 

[fredtoast]

Not excusing the train wreck of the Reds bullpen, but relief pitchers seem to be some of the most unpredictable players in professional sports.  Every year it seems like some guys who are coming off of great seasons get blown up while some over-the-hill guy or rookie comes out of nowhere to have a great year.

And how many times has a relief pitcher had a great season as a rookie and never repeated it?

There are probably no more than 5 or 6 relief pitchers in the entire league that have had 3 consecutive great seasons.  Unless you get a guy like Chapman (used to be) I would never pay big money for relievers.  Just sign about 20 mid tier guys to 1 or 2 year contracts and see which ones pitch good this year.

[guyofthetiger]

Watching the playoffs it seems the games have become bullpen games. And they look good unlike the Reds.

[samhain]

(10-12-2021, 09:49 PM)fredtoast Wrote: Not excusing the train wreck of the Reds bullpen, but relief pitchers seem to be some of the most unpredictable players in professional sports.  Every year it seems like some guys who are coming off of great seasons get blown up while some over-the-hill guy or rookie comes out of nowhere to have a great year.

And how many times has a relief pitcher had a great season as a rookie and never repeated it?

There are probably no more than 5 or 6 relief pitchers in the entire league that have had 3 consecutive great seasons.  Unless you get a guy like Chapman (used to be) I would never pay big money for relievers.  Just sign about 20 mid tier guys to 1 or 2 year contracts and see which ones pitch good this year.

I think it's a combo of that and taking starting prospects in your system that can't develop 3 or 4 plus pitches.  They may not have the goods to be a starter, but they can get through an inning or two before the whole lineup sees them and figures them out.