The 2018 Cleveland Indians bullpen looks to once again be a formidable group with one of the only remaining questions being who will take up the last couple spots.
The Cleveland Indians had one of the greatest bullpens of all time last year, and many of the same names will be returning to the pen in 2018. The notable subtractions are Bryan Shaw who signed with the Colorado Rockies for three years and $27 million and Joe Smith who signed for two years and $15 million with the reigning world champion Houston Astros. The Indians will have to find a way to make up for their lost production in 2018.
The majority of the bullpen is already set. The back-end of this bullpen will consist of the two relief aces, Cody Allen and Andrew Miller. Following these two will be some combination of Nick Goody, Tyler Olsen, Dan Otero, and Zach McAllister. These four middle relievers will be the ones responsible for picking up the slack left by Shaw and Smith. The decision still to be made is how the Indians will fill the last spot or two in this pen. There are many options in camp that they could decide to go with, but I have narrowed it down to three real possibilities that could begin the season in the opening day bullpen.
Cleveland Indians: Matt Belisle
Matt Belisle is a long time major league veteran reliever. After a successful run with the Rockies, Belisle remains capable of holding down a role in a major league bullpen even this late in his career.
Averaging just under 50 innings per year the last three seasons, Belisle has performed better than league average during that span. Belisle has been a durable, above-average reliever every year since 2010.
Belisle wasn’t outstanding last season, but he was a solid contributor for the resurgent Twins and even served as their closer down the stretch after the club traded away Brandon Kintzler. Belisle also recorded his highest strikeout rate since 2010. However, he did benefit from a career high, 15.6% pop up rate and the lowest of his career. Belisle was somewhat lucky in 2017 which might have masked a bit of a decline for the 37-year-old.
Belisle relies on a low 90s fastball and mid 80s slider to produce an adequate amount strikeouts and groundballs. The Indians should be able to count on Belisle to be an average small leverage reliever for them in 2018. He may not be the flashiest guy to fill out the roster, but for a team with as much talent as the Cleveland Indians, a little certainty might not be the worst idea.
Cleveland Indians” Ryan Merritt
Ryan Merritt is famous in Cleveland for his work in the 2016 American League Championship series where he propelled the team to the World Series. Other than that memorable moment, he hasn’t had many opportunities in Cleveland. However, he has performed well when given a chance. In just 30, innings of big league work over the past two seasons Merritt has been worth nearly a win above replacement.
The big issue is that Merritt is the epitome of a soft-tossing lefty. His fastball averages only 87 mph and is a low spin pitch as well. This works in his favor in this velocity range though as it gives the pitch good sinking action which causes many hitters to hit the ball into the ground.
Merritt does an excellent job of mixing in his off-speed pitches as well to keep hitters off-balance. His 62second favorite pitch is a cutter in the mid-80s that gives the hitters a different look in the same velocity band as his fastball. Merritt then uses a change-up that sits in the low 80s to give yet another look at a similar velocity. His only pitch that does not lie in the 80s is his slow curveball that averages only 72 mph, which he uses as his single exact whiff pitch.
Merritt doesn’t strike many hitters out, but he has shown a knack for being able to force pop-ups. Pop-ups are caught almost every time and should be considered in the same vein as a strikeout. Combine that ability with his ability to induce ground balls and all Merritt needs to do to be successful is limit the walks and home runs against him which he has been able to do thus far in his brief career.
Merritt began the spring competing for the fifth spot in the rotation, but it seems more likely that he is now fighting for the last place in the bullpen. He should be able to put a little extra juice on his fastball in short stints out of the pen which should allow all of his stuff to play up. All in all Ryan Merritt could end up as an interesting lefty in the pen.
Cleveland Indians: Carlos Torres
Carlos Torres has been a workhorse reliever for the past six years averaging 75 innings per year during that span. Torres relies almost exclusively on his mid 90s cutter while mixing in a low 80s curve on occasion.
While Torres has had some success in his career, he has never really been anything more than an average relief pitcher at any point. He strikes out batters and induces ground balls but not enough to sustain his typically high walk rates.
He has had seasons where he strikes out a lot of guys, seasons where he limits the walks, and seasons where he has kept the ball in the yard, but he just hasn’t had many years where he’s put it all together.
Torres is good at eating innings for a bullpen, which many teams need throughout a long season. However, a team with World Series aspirations needs to be aiming higher than this.
Torres would not be a bad option for the last spot in many teams’ bullpens, but the Indians just have too many good options for that spot to consider holding on to Torres. Torres will latch on with some team at some point this season and will likely give them another durable, mediocre season.
The Decision
The Indians may not want to go with eight relievers throughout the entire season, but they should at least start the year with that many. Matt Belisle is a reliable bullpen option and should be a no-brainer to join the opening day pen. He brings experience and a level of certainty that this club will be glad to have.
That eighth spot should go to Ryan Merritt. Merritt might not have elite stuff, but he has shown the ability to be a big game pitcher and get batters out when it matters. He can also start if the team needs a spot starter at any point. If the Indians decide not to open the season with Merritt on the roster, they will have to expose him to irrevocable waivers and run the risk of losing him.
It would be tough for the Tribe to lose a guy who has had nothing but success to this point in his career. With a lack of superb options at other positions to take up that 25th spot on the roster, Merritt should be given a chance to round out the bullpen and the opening day roster.
