Ranking MLB's Most Intimidating Bullpens Entering Spring Training
Some MLB bullpens are just nasty.
The trio of late-inning aces pitching for the Kansas City Royals and the new relief corp that has been put together by the New York Yankees both definitely fit that description. As the dominance of Greg Holland, Kelvin Herrera and Wade Davis for the Royals last season clearly demonstrated, a top-flight bullpen makes all the difference.
After combing through the 2014 stats and considering the offseason's most impactful free-agent and trade additions, what follows is a rundown of the 10 most intimidating bullpens entering spring training. In the ranking process, stats such as ERA, saves and inherited score percentage were all considered, but nothing was more important than strikeout rate.
After all, these rankings are about intimidation, and there's nothing more intimidating that facing a reliever who racks up punchouts. Plus, the ability to produce swings and misses in high-leverage situations is extremely valuable both for the given reliever and his team.
As a result, it's no surprise that the Royals' and the Yankees' bullpens dominate the top spots in the rankings.
Honorable Mention
1 of 11
Before we get started with the top 10, let's take a look at a few of the bullpens that nearly made the cut:
- Cleveland Indians
- Los Angeles Angels
- New York Mets
- Philadelphia Phillies
- San Diego Padres
10. Oakland Athletics
2 of 11
The Top Weapons
- Tyler Clippard
- Fernando Abad
- Eric O'Flaherty
- Dan Otero
- Sean Doolittle
The Oakland Athletics took a hit in these rankings with the news that All-Star closer Sean Doolittle is on the shelf with a slight tear in his rotator cuff.
That injury sounds ominous, and the lefty is expected to be out Opening Day, as Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. However, as Slusser adds, there's a chance that Doolittle will return early in the season "if he continues to respond well to treatment."
For his part, even Doolittle had to admit that the club should be able to weather his absence: “As much as I hate to say it, I might not be as missed as I thought I might be."
One of the primary reasons that Oakland is still in a decent spot is that the team acquired Tyler Clippard in an offseason swap with the Washington Nationals. The right-hander has posted a sub-3.00 ERA in each of the past two seasons and a recorded a 10.5 K/9 ratio in 2014.
9. Washington Nationals
3 of 11
The Top Weapons
- Drew Storen
- Aaron Barrett
- Casey Janssen
- Tanner Roark
Last year, the Washington Nationals' bullpen had the second-lowest ERA in the National League. Since then, the reigning NL East champs have lost a key contributor in Tyler Clippard. The Nats have also added an intriguing reclamation project in Casey Janssen, who inked a one-year deal worth $5 million.
The veteran endured a train wreck of a second half in 2014, but he has an impressive big league resume. In the previous three seasons for the Toronto Blue Jays, Janssen checked in with a sub-3.00 ERA on all three occasions.
Aside from Janssen, the Nats have an array of arms that enjoyed all sorts of success a season ago. Closer Drew Storen ripped off a 1.12 ERA in 65 outings, and Aaron Barrett put up a 10.8 K/9 ratio in his rookie season.
Then there's Tanner Roark, who is likely headed for a bullpen gig after the the signing of Max Scherzer bumped him from the squad's rotation. Last year, Roark went 15-10 with a 2.85 ERA as a starter.
8. Chicago Cubs
4 of 11
The Top Weapons
- Hector Rondon
- Pedro Strop
- Neil Ramirez
- Justin Grimm
There are a lot of reasons for optimism at Wrigley Field.
One reason, which is often overlooked, is that the Chicago Cubs have built a standout bullpen. In 2014 Pedro Strop, Justin Grimm and Neil Ramirez all excelled, as they pumped in big strikeout numbers.
As good as those three were, for the NL Central team, the most promising reliever of all is Hector Rondon. Last year, the 26-year-old took over the ninth inning for the Cubs, as he piled up 29 saves. During the second half of the season, Rondon was nearly unhittable, putting up a 0.62 ERA in 29 outings after the All-Star break.
7. Miami Marlins
5 of 11
The Top Weapons
- Steve Cishek
- Bryan Morris
- Mike Dunn
- A.J. Ramos
The Miami Marlins have quietly constructed a lockdown bullpen. The group is headlined by right-handed closer Steve Cishek, who totaled a career-best 39 saves in 2014.
From the left side, Mike Dunn is a strikeout-throwing machine. Last season, Dunn recorded 67 K's in 587 frames for the Fish. Bryan Morris, whom the club acquired last June from the Pittsburgh Pirates is also worth a mention. In 39 outings for the Marlins, the 27-year-old put up a 0.66 ERA.
After going 77-85 a season ago, Miami is edging into the wild-card mix. The bullpen's dominance is one of the central reasons why the Marlins could be playing in October.
6. San Francisco Giants
6 of 11
The Top Weapons
- Santiago Casilla
- Sergio Romo
- Jeremy Affeldt
- Javier Lopez
The San Francisco Giants' bullpen core has been together for a while.
The key cogs—Santiago Casilla, Sergio Romo, Jeremy Affeldt and Javier Lopez—have all been around at AT&T Park since at least 2010, which means they all have three World Series rings. In 2014, the Giants' bullpen had the NL's third-best ERA, but unsurprisingly they saved their best work for October. The group put up a 7-1 record and a 2.11 ERA in 14 playoff contests.
The unheralded Affeldt has been one of the Giants' most valuable relievers. The lefty hasn't allowed a run in the postseason since 2010.
5. Baltimore Orioles
7 of 11
The Top Weapons
- Zach Britton
- Darren O'Day
- Tommy Hunter
- Brian Matusz
With the American League's third-best ERA in 2014, there was a lot to like about the Baltimore Orioles' relief corp a season ago. As Darren O'Day explained via Rich Dubroff of CSNBaltimore.com, the pen has no plans of dropping off in the upcoming campaign: "We were pretty good, and we’ll be just as good this year, if not better this year.”
With O'Day, Zach Britton, Tommy Hunter and Brian Matusz all still on the roster, the 32-year-old right-hander just might be right. As the season wore on, the pen only got more effective. Out of that group of four, O'Day checked in with the highest second-half ERA at 2.57. Matusz set the pace at 1.42.
The O's relievers also did an excellent job of limiting the damage when entering the game in dangerous situations. According to Baseball-Reference.com, the bullpen allowed just 25 percent of inherited runners to score, which was the second-lowest mark in the AL.
4. Pittsburgh Pirates
8 of 11
The Top Weapons
- Mark Melancon
- Tony Watson
- Jared Hughes
For the Pittsburgh Pirates, the big three consists of Mark Melancon, Tony Watson and Jared Hughes. Last season, all three relievers put up sub-2.00 ERAs. Out of that trio, Melancon has been particularly impressive. In his two season with the Pirates, the right-hander has been lights-out, posting a 1.65 ERA.
John Holdzkom is another Pirates reliever to watch out for. Last September, the 27-year-old was electric. In his first nine outings in the big leagues, Holdzkom recorded a 2.00 ERA while striking out 14 batters.
3. Seattle Mariners
9 of 11
The Top Weapons
- Fernando Rodney
- Dominic Leone
- Tom Wilhelmsen
- Danny Farquhar
Lloyd McClendon, the manager of the Seattle Mariners, has a ton of options in relief.
Last season, Fernando Rodney was the M's All-Star closer, but he actually had a higher ERA (2.85) than the likes of Dominic Leone (2.17), Tom Wilhelmsen (2.27) and Danny Farquhar (2.66). While those were some of the most prominent relievers for the Mariners in 2014, this was really a team effort. As a group, Seattle's bullpen had a 2.59 ERA last season, which was the lowest mark in baseball.
If the Mariners are going to put an end to the club's 14-year playoff-less streak, the pen is going to have to step up again in 2015.
2. New York Yankees
10 of 11
The Top Weapons
- Dellin Betances
- Andrew Miller
- Adam Warren
For opposing teams, it's going to be no fun facing the New York Yankees at the end of the game.
As spring training approaches, the Yankees have two tremendous options for the closer's role in Andrew Miller and Dellin Betances. Miller, whom the Yankees signed on a four-year, $36 million deal this offseason, dismantled the AL while splitting 2014 between the Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles. In 72 outings, Miller complied a 2.02 ERA, while recording a 14.9 K/9 ratio.
Betances put up some ridiculous numbers of his own in 2014. The 26-year-old limited the opposition to a .149 batting average and was third on the pitching staff with 135 strikeouts even though he only threw 90 innings. As he explained via Bryan Hoch of MLB.com, he isn't worried about the competition for the ninth inning.
"I haven't put too much mind into it. There's people that have mentioned it. For me, I'm just going to try to do the same thing, whether it's the seventh, eighth or ninth."
If he can match his numbers from a season ago, Betances will be a game-changer for the Yankees regardless of his role.
1. Kansas City Royals
11 of 11
The Top Weapons
- Greg Holland
- Kelvin Herrera
- Wade Davis
The Kansas City Royals' bullpen was historically effective in 2014.
As Steve Gardner of USA Today noted last fall, there had never been a team with two relievers who both worked at least 60 innings and recorded ERAs south of 1.50. With Greg Holland, Kelvin Herrera and Wade Davis all on the roster, the Royals had three.
Out of that trio, Davis was the most imposing of all. In 2014, the right-hander reeled off a 1.00 ERA and didn't give up a single home run in 72 outings.
Note: All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and MLB.com. All salary information courtesy of Cot's Baseball Contracts on BaseballProspectus.com.
If you want to talk baseball, find me on Twitter @KarlBuscheck.
