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Projected Bullpen Performance

Apparently the Twins have acquired Jon Rauch and Ron Mahay. As a means of summary, using my preferred metric these days, ZiPS-projected rest-of-season FIP (new guys in bold, active-roster guys in italics), here are some bullpen names you are familiar with:

2.39 -- Joe Nathan
3.72 -- Jesse Crain
3.77 -- Craig Breslow
3.96 -- Jon Rauch
4.14 -- Matt Guerrier
4.28 -- Ship of Man
4.62 -- Luis Ayala
4.77 -- Ron Mahay
5.08 -- Kevin Mulvey
5.25 -- Brian Duensing
5.31 -- Bobby Keppel
5.35 -- R.A. Dickey
5.44 -- Jose Mijares*
5.64 -- Juan Morillo
(something bad) -- Armando Gabino
5.75 -- Philip Humber
6.48 -- Sean Henn
Frown -- Pat Neshek

*I still don't quite understand this one, but even Mijares' current 3.97 FIP isn't really blowing me away.

Was anyone excited about the Twins' bullpen when we had Ayala and Breslow? Rauch and Mahay really aren't different from that pair.

I'm not especially of the opinion that adding mediocre relief pitchers (at any point this season) was really going to do much for the Twins. What this team really missed was a second go-to arm behind Joe Nathan, to use in the really high-leverage situations, and those don't come easy.

This entry was posted by ubelmann on Friday, August 28th, 2009 at 3:16 pm and is filed under Featured Articles. It is one of 821 entries by the author. We are no longer accepting Letters to the Editor on this post.

3 LTEs so far

  • socaltwinsfan
    August 28th, 2009 at 4:52 pm

    The Twins bullpen has been fine when they haven't had to use someone other than Nathan, Guerrier or Mijares. Rauch looks like he should be as effective as Guerrier and Mijares, so I'm pleased with that. Hopefully, even a perceived improvement in the bullpen will keep Gardy from letting the starters stay out there too long. With a 12-man bullpen, there's no reason not to have a quick hook on this wreck of a starting staff.

    The worst in-season move the Twins have made this year so far is releasing Breslow. I didn't like it at the time and it looks worse now. The Twins needed to give Rick Anderson more time to straighten out Breslow's control problems, which was unusual for him.

  • socaltwinsfan
    August 28th, 2009 at 4:54 pm

    Also, having a righty that Gardy will trust when we're three-four runs up late in the game will hopefully keep Guerrier from getting burned out.

  • brianS
    August 28th, 2009 at 5:49 pm

    I'm most surprised by Crain on that list. Really?

    I like Crain, but it certainly seems as though disaster follows him like the dust cloud around Pigpen.