Chasing The Storm 2049-2 Other Seattle Rookies

[njherdfan]

While we've already looked at the rather9 uninspiring debut of prized prospect Reynaldo Torres, there were also a few other potentially notable debuts that are worth discussing for Seattle during an otherwise lost 2049 season.

John Reed was acquired in last year's Jarred Perkins trade, and in recognition of the difficulties the team would face this season, a decision was made to let Reed start the season in the rotation before moving him to the bullpen. After a full season, it's fair to say that Reed's debut was...okay. While his stats were underwhelming, as evidenced by his 5.31 ERA, a closer look under the hood gives a bit more reason for optimism; Reed had a FIP of 4.38, in large part because he was able to limit home runs, even if he did walk far too many hitters. It's an open question whether he will remain in the rotation next season or move to the bullpen.

Abdul-Bari bin Badr al Din flew under the radar as a prospect, and he was a bit of a late bloomer, making his major league debut at 25. In a very small sample, however, he gave Seattle fans a lot of reasons to be excited, as he struck out 21 hitters in 14 innings and only allowed 1 home run, which was good for a 2.56 FIP. Going into this season, most people didn't have high hopes for al Din, but moving forward, he should be a major piece of Seattle's bullpen.

Finally, Len Conboy made his major league debut this year as well. Although he was drafted to be a starter, concerns over his stamina led to him being moved to the bullpen. At first glance, Conboy's season was underwhelming, as he had an ERA of 4.99. However, he had a FIP of 3.34 despite walk numbers that were far higher than anything else he'd ever produced; Conboy was able to strike out 96 hitters in 70 innings and has likely cemented himself as Seattle's primary late-inning, high-leverage reliever for the foreseeable future.