FanPost

Diamonds In The Rough (Being Used As Coal)

John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports


This post was inspired by another FanPost, written by Kwisatz Haderach. You can read it here.

A lot is being made about the Tigers bullpen lately. It seems that some of the pieces to puzzle are missing, but I would argue that the problem is that Brad Ausmus is taking corner pieces and trying to jam them in the middle. Some of the pieces may be missing, but do not mistake misused for missing. Let's take a look at some revised roles that the current relievers could flourish in.

Closer: Joakim Soria - From 2007 through 2010, Joakim Soria was one of the most dominant closers in baseball. He held an ERA of 2.01 and only allowed a HR/9 of 0.60. Things started go south a bit in 2011 when, despite a respectable FIP, he saw a spike in his ERA and HR rate while seeing a drop in his strikeout rate. He lost all of his 2012 season due to injury and ended up signing a two year deal with Texas prior to 2013. His first year in Texas did not go spectacularly, but he was a serviceable setup man to Joe Nathan. According to FIP, this was his worst season, although it should be noted that this was his first season back from surgery and his first season outside of his familiar closers role. If you look at only his seasons in which he has 10+ saves (2007-2011, first half of 2014), then his career FIP is 2.68. In comparison, Joe Nathan, who has long been considered a dominant closer, has a career FIP of 2.85 under the same circumstances. Keep in consideration that in 2014, Joe Nathan holds a 4.16 FIP while Joakim Soria held a 1.07 FIP while closing for the Rangers. With all of this in mind, when Soria returns from his stint on the DL, he should be promoted to closer.

Seventh Inning Setup Man: Joe Nathan - Joe Nathan has not been as bad as you think. Although he has been lit up on several occasions, he has been a serviceable pitcher when Brad Ausmus picks and chooses his spots. Nathan has had five games in which he has allowed two earned runs or more. Four of those games came on days in which he had pitched in the previous game, while the other came on July 19 when, due the All Star Break, he had not pitched in eight days. This would go to show that rest plays a big role in how he performs. This is a concern, given his current role. A closer needs to be ready to pitch up to three days in a row, and last time he did that, he compiled a WHIP of 4.51 in the two games he pitched on no rest. A seventh inning setup man is an important role, but it is not one that calls on pitchers to be thrust into games on consecutive nights. Giving Nathan 2-3 days off between appearances could go a long way in making him more productive. A lessened role could also help to take some of the pressure off, as he seems to be dealing poorly with it.

Fireman: Al Alburquerque - Al Al has been misused just about his whole career. Both Jim Leyland and Brad Ausmus have tried to make him a pitcher who can go one inning or more. Alburquerque has a career K/9 of 12.43, avoids the long ball, and as of this year, he has gotten his walks under control and has a LOB% better than 90%. In 2014, he has allowed an OPS of .637 with runners on, .554 with runners in scoring position, and .746 with nobody on. In low leverage situations, he has allowed an OPS of .758. In medium leverage situations, that drops down to .631, and in high leverage situations, he is at his best. He only allows an OPS of .411. He is just one of those guys that seems to pitch considerably better when the adrenalin is pumping. Nerves do not seem get the best of him. He is a fairly mediocre pitcher when he is brought in to start an inning, but when he gets up in those clutch situations, he is about as good as they come. If you want to get the most out of him, you have to stop trying to make him into something he is not.

As for the rest of the bullpen, with the exception of Joba Chamberlain, nobody is reliable enough to be guaranteed any sort of role. This bullpen is really only a piece or two away from being good. All they really need is a lefty specialist. A middle reliever who could provide three solid innings, if the need arises, would be a benefit, but other than that, middle relief is not a big enough role to throw money at. If these adjustments are made, I can almost guarantee you would see a grand improvement in the bullpen.

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of the <em>Bless You Boys</em> writing staff.