STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- It was not a great weekend for the Pirates' bullpen.
Sure, they performed admirably on Friday as part of a much-needed win. But over the next two nights ... not so much.
As we start to turn our attention toward 2020, let's take a moment to look at each of the Pirates' current relief stalwarts -- those who are virtual (and mortal) locks to be heard from in 2020 and focus on what they do well. By narrowing our look at their core competencies, perhaps we can better gauge their abilities for next year's club and beyond.
We'll start with the obvious.
Felipe Vazquez
Regardless of which side of the "trade him" fence you reside on, none can possibly doubt that something about this year's version of The Nightmare feels different. It appears as if his entire arsenal is clicking at the same time. As he does nearly everything well, let's focus on what he's done differently year-over-year.
In 2019, Vazquez is mixing his pitches at a much better rate, with better put away results on each:
Sacrificing a bit of change-up and four-seam usage has allowed Vazquez to mix locations to a much greater degree rather than simply mixing velocities. The result has been a better ability to put hitters away in a wider variety of fashions. It's "future proofing" against hitters zeroing in on tendencies against him, as they did for a stretch in 2018.
Michael Feliz
Feliz didn't even break spring training with the club, and was up and down on the big league club until June 8 from which point he's stuck on the big league club. Since that date, he's pitched to a 2.35 ERA on the back of a .620 OPS against. He owes a debt of gratitude to his fastball, which carries a wOBA against of .285, good for 18th among 41 relievers with at least 100 fastballs thrown since June 4. It's not just the end results that tell the tale. During at-bats in which Feliz throws two or more fastballs that total 12 inches or more of vertical difference, hitters are hitting just .135 in those plate appearances. When he can move it, hitters struggle.
Clay Holmes
I know, I know. That he would spend considerable time in the Pirates bullpen in 2020 is debatable. But, as I've told anyone that would listen, Holmes has a unique skill that is elite. His 61.3 percent ground ball rate ranks seventh highest out of 186 qualified relievers with at least 30 innings pitched. That, dear readers, is as elite as it comes. Of course, he'll have to produce results overall, but when Holmes continues to get looks next season, now you'll know why.
Richard Rodriguez
Rodriguez benefits from getting to strike one. His F-Strike percentage of 63.6 percent is second-best on the club to Vazquez. I'm sure you can understand how important that is, but for him it's doubly important as he carries a .240 split in OPS between his after 1-0 and after 0-1 splits (.876 after ball one versus .636 after strike one). The current league split for all pitchers -- relievers and starters -- is .226.
Let's give Rodriguez a double as he carries an 88 percent LOB (left on base) percentage, which also is good for 12th among those same 186 qualified relievers.
Kyle Crick
He's been banged around lately, but Crick still carries the best slider in the Pirates bullpen. Before we get there, let's talk about the one big wart that has stuck with him all season. He carries a walk rate of 17 percent right now, more than double the current MLB-rate of 8.3 percent.
OK, now that that the ugliness is out there, time for the good. Crick's average exit velocity of 84.4 mph is in the top 2 percent of all relievers in MLB. And, surprise, it's his slider that leads the way. His exit velo of 80.2 on the slider alone ranks as second best overall among 105 relievers with at least 25 batted ball events.
Keeping undesired runners off of the bags and putting that slider in better positions to succeed can easily help Crick gain the confidence of fans and observers alike.
Keone Kela
It's hard to properly judge Kela's core competencies as we've seen so little of him this season, and he may not be heard from at all next season, as there is a good chance the team parts ways with him over the offseason...
But, still...
*unpopular opinion alert*
I think it would behoove the #Pirates to sit down with Keone Kela, outline clearly expectations going forward, and try to come to an understanding rather than blindly committing to trading him.
I mean, You’re telling me this pen can’t use him?
— Jason Rollison (@jrollisonpgh) August 5, 2019
So let's assume for a moment that the Pirates come to their senses and keep Kela in the fold for 2020. What they'd be getting is a curveball that carried a 40.2 percent swing and miss rate in 2018, Only eight relievers carried a rate above 38 percent in 2018, and Kela ranked fourth among them. That, my friends, is also elite.
For a club that needs to shore up their impact talent in many areas, finding a way to keep Kela's curveball as a late inning weapon might be a good idea.
MORE MOUND VISIT
Aug 2: Archer's one item on his to-do list
Aug 1: Can Osuna’s power play?
July 31: Where’s the talent?
July 30: Frankie’s value
