25 Feb 2063
Boise, Idaho
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by Danny Diefenderfer
And, so now here we are. We've previewed the infield, the outfield, and the rotation. We finally dive in to the bullpen and get ready for the judgement of the baseball gods as we push the envelope to get guys ready, AND HEALTHY, in a month.
Bullpen tends to be a dumping ground of sorts. Not that it's designed that way it's just that we get stars in our eyes over turning truly talented pitchers into rotation mainstays, then we see the shiny closers with their dominating stuff that close out victories while fans go wild, and every one else just kinds of falls where they may. But I'm not baseball iconoclast by any means. So, that being said, let's dive in the deep end...
Setup/Closer
26yo RHP Mario Santos
52 G, 6-10, 25 SV, 3.13 ERA, 60.1 IP, 2.3 K/BB, 1.36 WHIP, +0.7 WAR
Deja vu all over again. Santos has been ranked in the top 10 of closers from nearly the year he took over detail in 2060. We've seen him as high as 6th and currently he sits at #9...
We share because the Spuds have fallen into a co-dependent relationship with Santos. His ERA last year was superb. We would like to see more strikeouts but he's over the 2.0 "sucks" threshold. Here's the (constant) problem: He logged 25 saves. That's good. He had 31 save opps. That's not so good. A conversion rate of 80.6% is just scary for a ML closer. I mean, he earned the Silver Goat award for fuck's sake. But it was 86.7% in 2061 which is excellent. He still has a tic of stuff and control to realize, is only 26yo, and those saves were for a team that won just 70 games. But GM Ben Teague has to just resign himself to cursing Santos' name on the reg.
30yo LHP Samir Qasim
10 G, 6.59 ERA, 13.2 IP, 7.0 K/BB, 1.32 WHIP, +0.1 WAR
Ugh. So Teague, despite his best instincts, brings back an oldie but - back then, anyway - goodie in lefty Qasim. In a Boise uniform for the 2058, 2059, and part of 2060 Qasim was superb. He's had his ups and downs since then but one could make the argument that he's so easy to give up on. When has been given space to work with he has put up excellent numbers. 56.0 IP in 2059 turned in a 3.3 K/BB, 44.0 in 2060 logged about the same as did 38.1 IP in 2061. He will begin as the team's lefty setup man. At least, that's the plan. Teague has compiled plenty of options in this reworked bullpen.
22yo RHP Máximo Rivera
(AAA) 15 G, 3-1, 4 SV, 5.06 ERA, 16.0 IP, 1.44 WHIP
Rivera is ready for the ML level. He was even more ready before the organization destroyed his control, but he has the stuff to work around that by inducing strikeouts...no, he is no "pitch to contact" guy. He may not last too long at the ML level and could get some seasoning in AAA, but he'll start in the setup rotation this season.
36yo LHP Michel Gautier
32 G, 4-0, 1 SV, 4.94 ERA, 47.1 IP, 6.3 K/BB, 1.54 WHIP, +0.1 WAR
Gautier has been the lefty side of the setup/closer wing for a few seasons now and he's provided no reason to doubt him. His ratings are starting to lump but this is a guy who struck out 44 hitters while walking only 17 and is rated an "Extreme GB'er" by scouts.
24yo RHP Tim Stops
Stops returns from an extended IL stint and is very much a clone of Rivera with better stuff. In fact, Stops may replace Rivera putting the latter on track to be a dangerous middle reliever. Of course, even if Rivera sticks Stops is arguably more dangerous.
Middle/Long Relief
Where the rubber meets the road. So many Boise games were lost in the middle innings last year it was infuriating to Teague. So he made changes and we'll see if they stick.
26yo RHP Tariku Jabiri
(AAA) 25 G, 25 GS, 5-14, 4.51 ERA, 159.2 IP, 2.3 K/BB, 1.40 WHIP, +2.8 WAR
Yes, Jabiri pitched strictly as a starter at AAA Salt Lack City in 2062. The choice was made to train him for the bullpen this season. The change, as reported by trainers, has gone perfectly and he'll get the shot to show his new repertoire in relief to begin 2063.
23yo LHP Felipe Ledesma
A fully intended effect of refilling the bullpen was that guys like Ledesma can hit AAA and inch closer to their potential. If he makes the jump this year that's great! But being only 23 he has space and time to find his spot.
34yo LHP Art Cherry
32 G, 4-4, 4.75 ERA, 36.0 IP, 2.1 K/BB, 1.39 WHIP, -0.7 WAR
Cherry is a quality middle relief option...and another lefty to boot. If he doesn't pan out then that's a poor scouting by Teague.