Astros: This Bullpen Could Be Something Else in 2017

Perceptions of a team’s bullpen can be as volatile as anything else in baseball. The Astros of last year was a good example.

When you examine the Astros bullpen, there was plenty to like about it. Honestly it is perceived to be the right mixture of veteran leadership with young arms.

So why did Houston’s bullpen attain a negative stigma?

Simply put, the 2016 season didn’t do the Astros bullpen any favors in terms of perception. For example, Ken Giles had a 9.00 ERA in his first ten innings pitched. The long ball, four home runs to be exact, were the primary culprit. This left a lasting image in everyone’s mind, regardless of how he pitched the rest of the season.

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Luke Gregerson on the other hand had a quality April. He was given the closer role. But his May with a 4.02 ERA in 15.1 innings was not optimal. Then came his terrible June when he surrendered a 5.19 ERA in just 8.2 innings pitched. Surprise, surprise, he was no longer the closer after that span of games.

Then you can enter Will Harris‘ struggles into the conversation later in the summer. Tony Sipp and his issues were well documented. Outside of newcomers Chris Devenski and Michael Feliz, the Astros bullpen had various letdowns. Mind you that those were usually different pitchers never at the same time. But letdowns nonetheless.

Why am I so optimistic on the Astros relief corps?

My optimism is due to the potential that this unit possesses on paper. Just think about it for a minute. Between Giles, Gregerson, and Harris, there lies the capability to be an above-average trio that can pitch in various high leverage situations. Devenski and Feliz are capable to throw meaningful innings if the starting rotation doesn’t work out.

The only area of the ‘pen that seems thin right now is left-handed reliever. But Sipp could improve this upcoming season. After all, he did post back-to-back 2.93 FIP season in 2014 and 2015. It wouldn’t be unexpected to see him bounce back.

Then there are the arms that nobody has talked about much this offseason.

Minor league signed, left-hander C.J. Riefenhauser, could be a potential option for the Astros. He has been invited to Spring Training so it is possible to see him win the job in Florida. Right-handed pitcher Jordan Jankowski will be in his second major league Spring Training. Tyson Perez and Cy Sneed are another couple of names to watch as both make their first appearance in an Astros major league camp.

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Going forward, this Astros bullpen has the chance to be special. Not since the Billy Wagner–Octavio Dotel–Brad Lidge trio from over ten years ago that any Houston squad has had this level of talent in the relief corps. In fact, Fangraphs projects that the Astros bullpen will acculumate a 4.2 WAR. That is good enough for the sixth-best in baseball. That’s a playoff caliber bullpen.

**Statistics courtesy of Fangraphs**