2010 in Review: Relief Pitching

by Ryan on Nov 28, 2010 6:58 PM EST in Analysis

Posts in this series:

Team Offense	Team Pitching	Team Defense
Catcher	First Base	Second Base
Shortstop	Third Base	Designated Hitter
Left Field	Center Field	Right Field
Starting Pitching	Relief Pitching

Overview

The Indians' relief staff was, for the first time in several seasons, an asset and not a liability. They maintained the few leads the starters left them, and kept the Indians out of last place. Chris Perez emerged as the team's closer, allowing the Indians to concentrate on building up the setup corps instead of worrying about who would close the games.

For the most part, the setup was effective. Rafael Perez appeared in 70 games, a comeback season for a pitcher who was seemingly one bad outing away from the waiver wire. Tony Sipp matched Perez's appearances, giving the Indians two effective left-handed relievers. Joe Smith and Frank Herrmann were the primary right-handed setup men. Other relievers who made considerable appearances included Jensen Lewis, Rule 5 pick Hector Ambriz, Aaron Laffey, Kerry Wood, and Justin Germano. Wood was the Indians' closer for a short time between his season-starting DL stint and his July trade to the Yankees.

AL Ranks

But if you compare the Indians bullpen as a whole to the rest of the league, it's middle of the pack. They improved over previous seasons, but there's still some improving to do.

Here's the AL bullpens sorted by OPS allowed:

Rk		G	PA	R	H	2B	3B	HR	SB	CS	BB	SO	SO/BB	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS ▴	TB	BAbip	tOPS+	sOPS+
1	NYY	430	1977	193	400	67	5	48	51	3	189	401	2.12	.230	.312	.357	.669	621	.270	86	87
2	TBR	491	1867	180	383	94	9	46	17	9	150	392	2.61	.228	.295	.377	.672	633	.268	89	87
3	TEX	481	2124	199	437	84	6	48	50	10	204	424	2.08	.236	.316	.365	.681	677	.277	93	91
4	MIN	465	1921	192	438	82	8	44	21	10	150	342	2.28	.253	.316	.387	.703	668	.291	92	96
5	CHW	407	1916	204	426	81	5	39	42	11	187	444	2.37	.252	.330	.376	.706	634	.318	97	98
6	OAK	423	1893	203	411	74	5	53	29	6	185	395	2.14	.248	.325	.394	.719	654	.292	108	101
7	DET	416	2027	224	459	81	11	37	25	10	199	328	1.65	.261	.341	.382	.723	673	.297	98	103
8	LAA	410	1945	213	424	99	4	32	41	13	233	368	1.58	.254	.350	.376	.725	627	.307	100	104
9	CLE	470	2092	225	457	92	11	49	47	12	211	382	1.81	.251	.334	.394	.728	718	.291	92	104
10	TOR	455	2082	236	462	91	19	51	26	4	194	401	2.07	.250	.328	.403	.731	744	.292	100	104
11	SEA	358	1804	215	404	89	8	47	25	10	174	306	1.76	.256	.330	.412	.741	650	.286	108	107
12	BOS	443	1926	227	422	78	5	63	48	8	197	374	1.90	.250	.328	.414	.743	699	.283	104	107
13	KCR	441	2205	265	520	110	3	57	34	17	203	381	1.88	.270	.342	.418	.760	807	.305	96	112
14	BAL	454	2139	258	523	93	7	62	29	10	182	415	2.28	.274	.340	.428	.768	816	.319	100	114
	TOT	6144	27918	3034	6166	1215	106	676	485	133	2658	5353	2.01	.251	.328	.392	.720	9621	.293	98	101

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 11/24/2010.

Walks were the major problem for the bullpen, just as for the starting rotation. Because the starting pitcher often didn't go past the sixth inning, the relievers had to pitch over 2000 innings, one of six staffs to do so. But despite the usage and the walks, the Indians' relievers did manage to keep the offense in games. It could have been much, much worse.

Here's the individual stat lines:

Rk	Pos		ERA	G	GF	SV	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	HBP	BF	ERA+	WHIP	H/9	HR/9	BB/9	SO/9	SO/BB

	CL	Chris Perez	1.71	63	37	23	63.0	40	15	12	4	28	61	5	260	226	1.079	5.7	0.6	4.0	8.7	2.18
	RP	Tony Sipp*	4.14	70	16	1	63.0	48	30	29	12	39	69	2	266	94	1.381	6.9	1.7	5.6	9.9	1.77
	RP	Rafael Perez*	3.25	70	13	0	61.0	72	23	22	3	25	36	0	272	119	1.590	10.6	0.4	3.7	5.3	1.44
	RP	Frank Herrmann	4.03	40	8	1	44.2	48	22	20	6	9	24	2	189	96	1.276	9.7	1.2	1.8	4.8	2.67
	RP	Joe Smith	3.83	53	7	0	40.0	30	18	17	4	24	32	1	170	102	1.350	6.8	0.9	5.4	7.2	1.33

		Aaron Laffey*	4.53	29	1	0	55.2	62	30	28	1	28	28	2	253	86	1.617	10.0	0.2	4.5	4.5	1.00
		Hector Ambriz	5.59	34	20	0	48.1	68	31	30	10	17	37	1	224	70	1.759	12.7	1.9	3.2	6.9	2.18
		Jensen Lewis	2.97	37	11	0	36.1	28	12	12	1	19	29	0	153	131	1.294	6.9	0.2	4.7	7.2	1.53
		Justin Germano	3.31	23	4	0	35.1	27	15	13	6	8	29	6	146	118	0.991	6.9	1.5	2.0	7.4	3.63
		Jamey Wright	5.48	18	9	0	21.1	25	18	13	1	9	9	2	98	72	1.594	10.5	0.4	3.8	3.8	1.00
		Kerry Wood	6.30	23	18	8	20.0	21	15	14	3	11	18	2	93	62	1.600	9.5	1.4	5.0	8.1	1.64
		Jess Todd	7.50	5	2	0	6.0	9	5	5	0	3	9	0	30	55	2.000	13.5	0.0	4.5	13.5	3.00
		Vinnie Pestano	3.60	5	5	1	5.0	4	2	2	0	5	8	0	23	116	1.800	7.2	0.0	9.0	14.4	1.60
		Andy Marte	0.00	1	1	0	1.0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	3		0.000	0.0	0.0	0.0	9.0
Rk	Pos		ERA	G	GF	SV	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	HBP	BF	ERA+	WHIP	H/9	HR/9	BB/9	SO/9	SO/BB

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 11/28/2010.

Five relievers appeared in 50 or games, and the two left-handers appeared in 70 games apiece. Frank Herrmann was a mainstay from June onwards, so there was stability in the bullpen. Aside from Kerry Wood, the main relievers stayed off the DL, which also helped. A 4.00 ERA by a reliever in 2010 has to be considered below-average, but this group made major strides over the previous two seasons.

Part II: Looking Towards 2011

Not Coming Back

Jamey Wright (Released, 6-10-2010)

Kerry Wood (Traded, 7-31-2010)

Andy Marte (Outrighted..Free Agent 11-6-2010)

Jamey Wright was supposed to eat some innings behind a young starting staff, but he never gave the Indians any stretch of scoreless innings. He allowed runs in four straight outings in early May, and ended his short tenure with Cleveland in late May.

Kerry Wood was hurt to begin the season, and when he came back was ineffective. The Indians didn't have the type of team to justify sticking with Wood, and dumped his salary at the trading deadline.

I guess it's sad to say that the highlight of Andy Marte's five-year stint with the Indians might be his scoreless inning of relief against the Yankees, including a Nick Swisher strikeout.

Coming Back

Chris Perez (Arbitration-Eligible) - 3 Option Years Remaining

Everything fell into place for Perez in 2010. First, Kerry Wood started the season on the DL, allowing him to begin the year as Cleveland's closer. Then, after Wood came back, he was ineffective, and because the Indians were out of it, dealt him. So Chris assumed the role for good and ran with it. And after the season, he qualified for arbitration as a "Super Two."

Rafael Perez (Arbitration-Eligible) - No Option Years Remaining

As late as the middle of May, it looked like Perez would be DFAd with one more poor outing. But the Indians' patience was rewarded, and Rafael turned things around as the summer approached, regaining his role as primary setup man. He's also due for a sizable raise.

Tony Sipp (Pre-Arbitration) - 1 Option Year Remaining

I'm concerned with the 12 home runs Tony gave up, way too many for a setup man to allow, and just over 5.5 walks per 9 innings. But Tony also struck out almost 10 per 9 innings and allowed under 7 hits per 9. So at this point, you take the tradeoff, hoping that more major-league experience can reduce the wildness in and out of the strike zone.

Frank Herrmann (Pre-Arbitration) - 3 Option Years Remaining

Herrmann got away with being a one-pitch pitcher for six weeks, but AL hitters adjusted to him and he was much less effective in August and September. He'll need to add at least one effective off-speed pitch to his arsenal in preparation for next season.

Joe Smith (Arbitration-Eligible) - 1 Option Year Remaining

After a lost 2009 season, Smith was an integral part of the bullpen in 2010. When he was facing just right-handed batters, he was great (.160/.264/.274). But if Manny Acta left him in to face a left-handed hitter, he'd often get pounded.

Jensen Lewis (Pre-Arbitration) - No Option Years Remaining

The Indians made use of Jensen's last option year, using him as the default player to option down if they needed an extra arm in the bullpen. Even with all those ups and downs, Lewis managed a good ERA.

Justin Germano (Pre-Arbitration) - No Option Years Remaining

Called up for emergency duty at the end of the July, Germano pitched well early on and stuck around through the end of the season. He struggled at the tail end of the season, so he'll probably have to pitch his way back into the bullpen this spring.

Aaron Laffey (Pre-Arbitration) - 1 Option Year Remaining

Laffey started the season in the bullpen, but struggled and spent most of the month of June in Columbus. When he returned to the majors, his fastball was registering in the low-80s, a sign of injury. He was placed on the DL towards the end of July, and came back only at the end of the season.

Hector Ambriz (Pre-Arbitration) - 3 Option Years Remaining

The Indians satisfied the Rule 5 requirements, but won't get any immediate benefits out of the project, as Ambriz will be sidelined at least for the 2011 season with elbow ligament surgery.

Jess Todd (Pre-Arbitration) - 1 Option Year Remaining

Todd was with the Indians for a couple weeks in July but did not distinguish himself, giving up 5 runs in 6 innings.

Vinnie Pestano

Pestano also just got a cup of coffee, but his stint was much more productive. Pestano made five appearances, striking out 8 and giving up 2 runs in five innings, and notched a save.

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Comments

Yeah, I was actually comfortable with the relief pitching for the first time since 2007. Jensen Lewis particularly, was a very nice surprise.

The Once and Future King

by FlaGators on Nov 28, 2010 7:33 PM EST reply actions

Count me in the bring back Germano group which might just be me for all I know.

by hans on Nov 28, 2010 8:20 PM EST reply actions

For a team that doesn’t expect but two (or three) starters to log 200 innings, having depth in the bullpen should be a priority. Judy, Putnam, and Stowell are all just about ready or should be by midseason, and guys like Chen, Price, and Hagadone could be in position for an audition by midseason too.

Still, I think the Indians can justify and the market will allow them to find an experienced reliever on a one or two-year deal. Spending on relievers generally isn’t advisable, but the pure volume of available arms should make it a possibility.

The Indians won’t be (and shouldn’t) give up their second-round pick to sign a Type A free agent reliever (Balfour, Downs, Francisco, Frasor, Guerrier, Rhodes, Soriano, Wheeler), but some non-Type A arms are attractive too (Crain, Dotel, Fuentes, Gregg, Feliciano, Putz, Rauch), as are some other options who may be available as non-tenders or who are wild-cars (Jenks, Kelvin Escobar, Farnsworth).

Brian Fuentes, in particular, is still death on LHB. If Raffy Perez loses it again or if Sipp can’t control his walks or homeruns, Fuentes is a nice fallback option. Ideally, though, the Indians can find an 8th inning option with no serious platoon issue.

by xrickx on Nov 28, 2010 8:34 PM EST reply actions

I’m against rewarding R Perez with a sizable raise. I’d rather give the work to some other young hopeful at this point.

by elsandito on Nov 28, 2010 9:08 PM EST reply actions

He made $795K last year. He’ll make no more than $1.5M this year, and I bet it’s closer to $1.2M. It’s sizeable to all of us, but the Indians can and will afford his salary bump.

by xrickx on Nov 28, 2010 9:48 PM EST up reply actions

I would like to see a little bit more of a rebound on the k rate before I’m comfortable with him.

by stuart dean on Nov 29, 2010 8:33 AM EST up reply actions

Okay. 1.2 to 1.5 seems doable. I wouldn’t want to go to 2 considering the young guns we have in the system.

by elsandito on Nov 29, 2010 10:31 AM EST up reply actions

Just curiously, what “young guns” do you have the utmost confidence in to excel for the parent club in 2011?

by The DiaTriber on Nov 29, 2010 11:13 AM EST up reply actions

Nice piece yesterday, by the way. I like the part where you figure out that the Tigers have spent $294 million more than the Indians and only have 13 extra wins to show for it. If you exclude 2010, they’ve spent $234 million more and only have one extra win.

by Jay on Nov 29, 2010 11:25 AM EST up reply actions

Thanks…this ubiquitous “DOLANZ R CHEEP” thing has me suddenly feeling like I’m defending the organization, when that’s not really the aim and when there is much to criticize. The rhetoric out there is so overtly negative and ready to pounce on anything and everything Indians(Snow Days being an example) that it kind of scares me regarding the franchise.

Usually, context helps and I suppose that’s what I’m trying to provide.

by The DiaTriber on Nov 29, 2010 11:31 AM EST up reply actions

I think you’re sending the right message. The Tigers spend a TON more but don’t really get better results.

What’s unfortunate for Indians PR is that the Tigers ownership is very much the exception and not the rule. Perhaps no other team really does any significant deficit spending, i.e., spending out of the owner’s own pockets. The other big-spending teams are all in high-revenue situations.

So while we’d like to argue that no other small-market clubs are spending like this, and no other owner is dimwitted enough to try to deficit spend his way to a title — there right in front of our audience Indians fans is the one real glaring exception, the Tigers. And now, the Twins, spending the dividends of a short-term cash infusion from their new stadium, as we did 15 years ago.

The Dolans are not cheap, but they sure are unlucky to be in a division with illitch.

by Jay on Nov 29, 2010 11:45 AM EST up reply actions

I sense by your use of “utmost” that this is a kind of passive/aggressive way of disagreeing with my viewpoint. Perhaps you can detail with utmost confidence which young pitchers have zero chance of developing in 2011. And even if you believe virtually every pitcher has no chance, we still need to give them an opportunity to fail if that is the way it works out. Oh, I know, it’s not what the Yankees would do, but the Yankees don’t have to invest in seasons of development.

by elsandito on Nov 29, 2010 11:38 AM EST up reply actions

Zero chance? Who’s talking about zero chance?

by Jay on Nov 29, 2010 11:45 AM EST up reply actions

OK…remove the word “utmost” and let’s see some names.
Which young arms do you think will do well in MLB in 2011?

by The DiaTriber on Nov 29, 2010 11:48 AM EST up reply actions

I think the big turnover in the bullpen comes in 2012, not 2011. I’m high on Bryson, Stowell, Putnam, Price and some of the guys lower in the system. But I don’t think these guys reasonably become regulars in the bullpen till the latter half of 2011 at the earliest. I have no problem keeping Raffy P and Joe Smith for now. At the very least they are potential Elias Type A or Type B free agent guys. As guys with higher ceilings emerge, though, I’d like to shorten the leash on a lot of the guys currently occupying our pen not named C Perez or Sipp.

by APV on Nov 29, 2010 11:54 AM EST up reply actions

I still have high hopes for Todd, too, and he could be ready early in 2011

by APV on Nov 29, 2010 11:57 AM EST up reply actions

What’s your take on what happened to Todd in 2010?

by Deep South Ken on Nov 29, 2010 11:58 AM EST up reply actions

I don’t know how much there is to explain. I would ignore most of his MLB numbers, simply because he hasn’t had a long enough stint (especially in 2010). His numbers in Columbus were pretty good, albeit not quite as good as the previous few seasons. His K-rate was still well above average (25%), although he gave up a few more walks and HRs than in the past. I think he must have gotten on someone’s bad side, though, given his failure to get called up in September. My guess, and it is only a guess, is that the organization is sending him a message to work on a few issues that they feel he hasn’t given enough attention to (probably his control and mechanics) if he wants a shot back in Cleveland. I would not at all be surprised to see him make the team with a strong spring training.

by APV on Nov 29, 2010 12:09 PM EST up reply actions

Got it. Thank you.

by Deep South Ken on Nov 29, 2010 12:14 PM EST up reply actions

Yes…this was the destination that I was looking for, in my roundabout way.

If this is how they handle the movement in the bullpen over the next season and a half or so, I think that the transition will be much smoother than simply hoping that the quartet you mention at the top (and I too remain stubbornly bullish on Todd) can flourish in 2011…or even that Herrmann and Pestano represent more than seat-holders who may not be ready to do much more than the I-71 Shuffle next year.

by The DiaTriber on Nov 29, 2010 12:08 PM EST up reply actions

Herrmann and Pestano

I don’t have much confidence in it, but I think it is possible that Pestano has enough deception in his delivery to be a bullpen specialist. Herrmann has control and not much else. I think he needs to watch endless clips of Rafael Betancourt if he wants to stick around.

by APV on Nov 29, 2010 12:11 PM EST up reply actions

I’d add Josh Judy as another name that may contribute in the pen sooner rather than later. He just got put on the 40, has the requisite 2 pitches and the minor league #’s for an opportunity to win a spot in ST.

Herrmann surprised me and I’m sure a lot of other people with his velocity. I didn’t think he threw harder than 92 but hit 95 regularly. He seems to have the mentality to stick – he doesn’t seem to get rattled with men on base – but he needs some kind of offspeed or cut pitch to complement his good fastball.

I like Pestano and saw a bit of Stowell, who has the potential to be dominant but simply isn’t ready yet with his command of pitches.

by mcrose on Nov 29, 2010 12:21 PM EST up reply actions

Agreed…I forgot Judy.

by APV on Nov 29, 2010 12:22 PM EST up reply actions

NEVER FORGET JUDY!

by emd2k3 on Nov 29, 2010 1:25 PM EST up reply actions

Judy, Judy, Judy … got it.

by Jay on Nov 29, 2010 5:45 PM EST up reply actions

Stowell is my guy.

by Roger Dorn on Nov 29, 2010 4:13 PM EST up reply actions

Aside from Perez Perez Sipp and a little Hermann, I would really like to see new blood tried out in the bullpen this year.

In the new Geico commercial, Marte sings "Let me be myself" on Wedge's front lawn (with the cavemen).

by V-Mart Shopper on Nov 29, 2010 2:17 PM EST reply actions

Oh and if they keep lewis around, he’s ok if he stays where he was at at the end of this year. But I really want to see some new faces.

In the new Geico commercial, Marte sings "Let me be myself" on Wedge's front lawn (with the cavemen).

by V-Mart Shopper on Nov 29, 2010 2:18 PM EST up reply actions

I wouldn’t mind upgrading from Joe Smith if a better option presents itself. I do not ever trust sidearmers.

by Roger Dorn on Nov 29, 2010 4:14 PM EST reply actions

I just wouldn’t mind using Joe Smith correctly, which is to say, never let him face a lefty

by APV on Nov 29, 2010 4:55 PM EST up reply actions

Really. I like a good sidearmer. Steve Reed!

by Jay on Nov 29, 2010 5:46 PM EST up reply actions

I hated Steve Reed.

by Roger Dorn on Nov 29, 2010 5:59 PM EST up reply actions

Well, you would have hated Walter Johnson.

by elsandito on Nov 29, 2010 6:04 PM EST up reply actions

by The Grimace on Nov 30, 2010 1:35 AM EST up reply actions

But the Indians’ patience was rewarded, and Rafael turned things around as the summer approached

Even after his horrendous start his WHIP was 1.39. He walked far fewer hitter as the year progressed, but he stayed very hittable.

by Brad D on Nov 29, 2010 7:56 PM EST reply actions

But the hits were weak. In his final 50 innings, extending from late May to the end of the season, he gave up just 7 doubles and 3 HRs. I can live with those numbers from the middle of our pen.

by APV on Nov 29, 2010 8:35 PM EST up reply actions