DODGERS Who's in your BP?

Discussion in 'Los Angeles DODGERS' started by bestlakersfan, Mar 23, 2015.

  1. bestlakersfan

    bestlakersfan DSP Legend

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    Let's assume that you have 7 spots for the BP, if the season started today, who is in your BP and who is the first person you'd call up?

    Who you got?
     
  2. irish

    irish DSP Staff Member Administrator

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    haven't watched a lot of the spring games
    so the guys i list might be way off
    but, presuming kenley is still out...

    • league
    • santos
    • jp
    • paco
    • hatcher
    • peralta
    • nicasio​

    haven't seen/heard how baez, coulombe, frias, yimi, zach, liberatore or any of the non-roster invitees [except santos] have performed...
    :shrug:
     
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  3. DodgerLove

    DodgerLove DSP Legend

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    Mine is the same as Irish

    First one up is probably Baez or Yimi
     
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  4. Chiefdodgerslkrs24

    Chiefdodgerslkrs24 Among the Pantheon

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    I'm thinking League and Kenley will both be on the DL, so
    Peralta
    Hatcher
    JP
    Paco
    Liberatore
    Nicasio
    Santos
    the 3 lefties may not be popular, but will all of the injuries, JP isn't going anywhere and the other two have pitched too damn well to warrant being in the minors over others. Baez and Yimi could easily be on here, and If I were the Dodgers, I might just consider shopping Howell once everyone is healthy if Paco and Liberatore both pitch well. Yimi, Liberatore, Paco, and Santos have all had excellent springs while Baez has had a good spring.
     
    Last edited: Mar 23, 2015
  5. LASports96

    LASports96 DSP Legend

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    Chris Hatcher
    JP Howell
    Brandon League (if he starts on DL, I go with Yimi Garcia)
    Juan Nicasio
    Joel Peralta
    Paco Rodriguez
    Sergio Santos

    Next Group:
    Dustin McGowen
    Yimi Garcia
    Pedro Baez
    Adam Liberatore
    Mike Adams
     
  6. LASports96

    LASports96 DSP Legend

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    I feel like we have a lot of serviceable options, I'm not that worried about the bullpen, believe it or not.
     
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  7. Shack

    Shack DSP Regular

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    Hatcher
    Peralta
    Lib
    Baez
    Howell
    League
    Adams


    In line
    Santos
    McGowan
    Paco
    Yimi
     
  8. doyerfan

    doyerfan MODERATOR Staff Member Moderator

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    I'm going to go with who I think will be the 7, not necessarily the best 7 for the job but the most practical when considering minor league options and contract status:

    Peralta
    Howell
    League
    McGowan
    Hatcher
    Paco
    Nicasio

    In line:
    Santos
    Gaudin
    Adams
    Baez
     
  9. irish

    irish DSP Staff Member Administrator

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    Predicting The Opening Day Bullpen
    by Matt Borelli | Dodgers Nation — March 26, 2015

    With less than two weeks until Opening Day, one of the only uncertainties that remain is the construction of the seven-man bullpen.

    President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and general manager Farhan Zaidi did an excellent job over the course of the offseason adding relievers with high-upside and ensuring lots of competition during Spring Training.

    With Kenley Jansen beginning the season on the disabled list as he recovers from left foot surgery and Brandon League likely joining him with continued shoulder inflammation, there are plenty of spots up for grab.

    While many cuts have already been made, there is still an excessive amount of relievers that remain in camp. Let’s analyze some potential candidates for the 2015 bullpen.

    Clear-cut Locks:

    J.P. Howell - Howell, 32 in April, has been a mainstay in the Dodgers bullpen for the previous two seasons. From 2013-2014, he’s posted a 2.19 ERA and 3.07 FIP in 111 innings, making him one of manager Don Mattingly’s most reliable set-up men for the eighth inning. After suffering through brief groin muscle tightness earlier in March, he is back on track pitching in Cactus League games and should be good to go for Opening Day. His 9.64 ERA in 4.2 innings this spring might seem alarming, but he is simply just working on mechanics and movement on pitches.

    Joel Peralta - Peralta, acquired last November from the Tampa Bay Rays, posted a 4.41 ERA in 2014, but that number doesn’t tell the whole story. His peripherals (3.11 xFIP, 4.93 K/BB, 1.18 WHIP) indicate that he pitched much better than his ERA shows, and moving from the AL East to the NL West should only help his cause. Like Howell and League, Peralta also dealt with an injury earlier this spring; for his case, it was right shoulder discomfort. Since then, he has appeared in multiple Cactus League games and appears to be progressing well enough where he won’t need to open the season on the disabled list. In four innings, he’s allowed just two runs while posting an even 1.00 WHIP.

    Long-relief Options:

    David Huff and Chad Gaudin – For Huff and Gaudin’s case, they are non-roster invitees with Major League experience and typically have low odds to make the roster. However, both have pitched extraordinarily well this spring to be considered for a spot (Huff, 1 ER in 8.2 IP; Gaudin, 2 ER in 6 IP). With Hyun-Jin Ryu being shut down for the next two weeks, there is a good chance one of these two will occupy his vacancy in the rotation until he is fully healthy again, barring a late trade made by the front office.

    Dustin McGowan - After spending seven seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays, Los Angeles inked McGowan to a one-year deal in late-February. Having struggled as a starter in 2014 (5.08 ERA in 39 innings), the Blue Jays transitioned him to the bullpen, in which he posted a 3.35 ERA in 43 innings. His versatility is appealing, but he hasn’t looked all that sharp this spring (four ER in six IP; 1.50 WHIP). Since his deal is only for the minimum, the Dodgers can easily release him, if necessary.

    Juan Nicasio - Like McGowan, Nicasio is a former starter-turned-reliever who found new success pitching out of the bullpen. Last season for the Colorado Rockies, he produced a 5.92 ERA in 73 innings as a starter, but pitched to a solid 3.48 ERA in 20.2 innings as a reliever. So far in seven innings pitched this spring, he’s allowed four earned runs (5.14 ERA) and struck out nine, while walking none. If the Dodgers choose between the two, Nicasio presumably has the advantage, as he’s younger and still arbitration-eligible through 2017.

    Non-Roster Invitees:

    David Aardsma - Aardsma last saw MLB time in 2013 for the New York Mets, but pitched well for the Triple-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals last season, posting a 1.29 ERA in 35 innings. In six innings this spring, he’s allowed just two runs while boasting a sub-1.00 WHIP (0.83).

    Mike Adams - Once the game’s most dominant set-up man for the San Diego Padres, Adams has struggled with injuries over the past two seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies. Still, he’s pitched fairly well for them when healthy, totaling a 3.50 ERA and 1.33 WHIP in 43.2 innings from 2013-2014. In 2.2 innings this spring, he’s given up three earned runs while allowing six total baserunners.

    Sergio Santos - After a terrific 2011 season in which he saved 30 games for the Chicago White Sox, Santos struggled with injuries and inconsistency during his tenure with the Toronto Blue Jays from 2012-2014. He is finally healthy again and arguably has the best chance amongst the other non-roster invitees to make the team. In six innings this spring, his ERA is just 1.50 and his WHIP is a meager 0.83. His mechanics have improved, as he’s walking less batters and striking out more with excellent command of his pitches.

    Middle-relief and Youth:

    Pedro Baez - Baez was impressive in his rookie season last year, posting a 2.63 ERA in 24 innings, while striking out 18 and only walking five.His spring statistics look good (2.70 ERA in 6.2 innings), but the massive amount of competition might hinder his chances of making the Opening Day roster. Luckily, he still has options and wouldn’t have to clear waivers in order to remain in the organization.

    Yimi Garcia - Garcia, like Baez, is coming off an impressive season and continues to impress at Camelback Ranch. As a September call-up in 2014, he posted a 1.80 ERA in 10 innings, striking out nine and only walking one. His numbers from last season are almost identical to this spring (0 ER in 7.1 innings, 9-1 K/BB ratio), and at one point retired 18 of his last 19 batters faced.

    Chris Hatcher - Hatcher, acquired in the Dee Gordon trade last December, is coming off a tremendous 2014 with the Miami Marlins in which he pitched to a 3.38 ERA and 2.56 FIP in 56 innings. Unfortunately, he’s struggled mightily this spring, allowing six earned runs in 5.1 innings. Spring Training statistics have little-to-no-meaning, so it’s not the end of the world that he’s pitched this badly to this point. A downside with Hatcher is that he’s out of minor-league options, so if the Dodgers decide he hasn’t pitched well enough to make the roster, another team will certainly claim him on waivers based on his statistics from last season and relatively cheap contract.

    Paco Rodriguez - Rodriguez is an exceptional left-handed specialist when healthy, holding lefties to a .154/.229/.217 line in 159 career plate appearances. He has yet to give up a run in 6 innings this spring and is one of the few remaining left-handed relievers in camp, which automatically gives him an advantage to make the team over the others.

    Honorable Mentions:

    Daniel Coulombe and Adam Liberatore - While the two have pitched well this spring (both have yet to allow an earned run in 12.2 combined innings), the former has 4.1 career Major League innings to his name and the latter has yet to be promoted from Triple-A during his time in the Rays organization. It’s not far-fetched to see either one, if not both of these pitchers, called up during some point of the 2015 season, but for now, a little seasoning in Triple-A Oklahoma City can’t hurt.

    Final Bullpen Predictions:

    Long relief: Juan Nicasio
    Middle relief: Yimi Garcia, Paco Rodriguez, Sergio Santos
    Set-up: Chris Hatcher, J.P. Howell
    Closer: Joel Peralta

    Baez has pitched well enough to be on the roster, but the dominance of Garcia and resurgence from Santos left him on the outside looking in.

    Veterans like Aardsma, Adams, and McGowan could potentially contribute to the bullpen later on in 2015 if they accept an initial assignment to Triple-A, but that isn’t guaranteed, nor likely if they feel another team would immediately sign them.

    Unlike previous seasons, the Los Angeles Dodgers finally have a plethora of pitching depth, and that’s a really nice problem to have.
     

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