Miami Marlins overhaul their bullpen again. Will it result in progress in 2021?
With the Miami Marlins set to begin spring training practices on Feb. 18, it’s time to start evaluating who the Marlins will have in camp. In the fourth of a five-part series, we break down the Marlins’ relief pitchers.
Another season, another round of turnover with the Marlins’ bullpen.
Miami restocked its group of relief pitchers once again after a lackluster overall performance from the group. The Marlins’ bullpen, hit hard early in the shortened 2020 season by the team’s COVID-19 outbreak, had the fifth-worst ERA in baseball last year (5.50) while also ranking in the bottom five in WHIP (1.55, 26th), batting average against (.269, 27th), strikeout-to-walk ratio (1.58, 30th) and home runs allowed (42, T-27th).
The result: As many as five new faces likely taking hold of eight roster spots pegged for the bullpen on Miami’s 26-man roster.
The closer candidates
The Marlins’ primary closer candidates consist of one of the Marlins’ most reliable relievers during the regular season last year and the lone player offered a multi-year deal by the team this offseason.
The internal candidate: Yimi Garcia, who gave up just one run over 15 innings for a 0.60 ERA, held opponents to a .164 batting average and struck out 19 while walking just five. This comes a year after he had a respectable 3.61 ERA over 62 1/3 innings for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2019. Garcia missed a month during the 2020 season after being one of 19 Marlins players to test positive for COVID-19 following their season-opening series against the Philadelphia Phillies.
The other: Marlins newcomer Anthony Bass, who signed a two-year deal with the club. Miami is Bass’ fifth team in five years after being with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2020, Seattle Mariners in 2019, Chicago Cubs in 2018 and Texas Rangers in 2017.
Bass, who has primarily worked as a late-inning reliever the last few years, converted seven of nine save opportunities for the Blue Jays in 2020 and five of 10 opportunities for the Mariners in 2019.
Per a source, the Marlins offered their 2020 closer Brandon Kintzler $2 million guaranteed on Monday night; Derek Jeter offered to call him to discuss it. Kintzler, who finished tied for fourth in MLB last year with 12 saves, agonized over the decision but opted instead to take $3 million (non-guaranteed) with the Phillies with another $1 million in attainable incentives.
The set-up guys
Of the 14 relievers who were not part of Miami’s Opening Day roster and pitched for the big-league club following the COVID-19 outbreak, two — lefty Richard Bleier and righty James Hoyt — have managed to stick around and should factor into the Marlins’ bullpen plans in 2021.
The duo combined to make 43 relief appearances last season, primarily in high-leverage situations, and posted a collective 1.91 ERA (six earned runs in 28 1/3 innings) with 27 strikeouts against 12 hits and 12 walks.
The Rule 5 duo
The Marlins have two pitchers with Rule 5 restrictions in Paul Campbell and Zach Pop.
Campbell, 25, has a career 3.12 ERA through 233 1/3 innings spanning three minor-league seasons in the Tampa Bay Rays organization. He finished 2019 in Double A, where he compiled an 8-4 record with a 3.36 ERA and 63 strikeouts against 20 walks over 85 2/3 innings in 16 games (11 starts). He sets up to be a potential long reliever or occasional spot starter.
Pop, 24, has a career 1.34 ERA in 80 1/3 minor-league seasons. He most recently pitched in Double A in 2019, holding opponents to a 0.84 ERA and .184 batting average against in 10 2/3 innings before undergoing Tommy John surgery.
As Rule 5 picks, the two must stay on the Marlins’ active roster for the entirety of the season and must remain active (not on the disabled list) for a minimum of 90 days.
The other new faces
The final two new faces are submarine thrower Adam Cimber and left-handed pitcher Ross Detwiler.
Cimber, 30, was acquired from the Cleveland Indians for cash considerations and has primarily been a seventh- and eighth-inning pitcher over three MLB seasons. He has a career 3.89 ERA with 104 strikeouts against 38 walks in 136 1/3 innings of work. His lower arm slot and change-of-pace velocity (he normally averages 85 mph on his fastball) will give the Marlins an option for a different look out of the bullpen compared to the usual flamethrowers.
Detwiler, 34, changed up his repertoire in the shortened 2020 season. He leaned more heavily on his slider than he had at any point in his career. The pitch, which he threw 30.5 percent of the time, averaged 83.2 mph and resulted in swings and misses 34 percent of the time. Detwiler also has two fastballs — a sinker primarily used against lefties and a four-seam fastball primarily used against righties.
The familiar faces
Jeff Brigham, sidelined during spring training with an injury then throwing just one inning last season before testing positive for COVID-19, will look to prove he can still compete at the level he did at the end of the 2019 season. He produced a 1.54 ERA over his final 12 appearances, giving up two runs in 11 2/3 innings.
Alex Vesia, a 6-1 lefty, had a strong showing in the minor leagues in 2019 but struggled in limited action during his MLB debut in 2020 (nine earned runs allowed in 4 1/3 innings).
This story was originally published February 11, 2021 at 10:25 AM.
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