Where the Miami Marlins’ bullpen roles stand, with player-by-player breakdowns
The Miami Marlins’ once-again rebuilt bullpen is starting to take shape although the group is anything but finalized.
With just two games remaining in spring training, the Marlins have 11 relief pitchers competing for either eight or nine spots on the 26-man Opening Day roster.
Here’s a look at each of those 11 and the roles they will likely fill for the club.
Anthony Bass
Bass, who signed a two-year deal with the Marlins in January, is the favorite to open the season as the Marlins’ primary closer. He has the most experience in the role (albeit just 15 saves in 25 opportunities) and has looked solid in spring (8 1/3 shutout innings in nine appearances with eight strikeouts and command of all three of his pitches).
Yimi Garcia
Garcia, who dazzled with a 0.60 ERA last season, will likely retain his role as setup man for the Marlins in 2021. His spring training stats (5.63 ERA in eight innings) don’t necessarily reflect his production. He has 10 strikeouts and just one walk and has given up just one hit with six strikeouts over his past four outings.
Dylan Floro
Acquired from the Dodgers for Alex Vesia and pitching prospect Kyle Hurt, Floro is expected to take over the seventh-inning role held by Brad Boxberger last year. Floro had a 2.59 ERA in 25 games for Dodgers last year and of his career 159 2/3 innings pitched, 109 2/3 have come in the seventh inning or later.
Adam Cimber
Cimber, acquired from the Cleveland Indians for cash, is a sidearm thrower who uses a mid-70s slider and two fastballs (a four-seam against lefties, a sinker against righties) that both sit in the mid-80s. He’ll likely pitch in the middle innings and has impressed this spring, striking out seven over 6 2/3 innings while giving up just five hits and one walk.
Richard Bleier
Bleier, a South Florida native and South Plantation High alum, was one of the rare Marlins pickups following their COVID-19 outbreak to remain with the club the whole season. The 33-year-old lefty primarily uses a sinker, slider and cutter and is able to throw multiple innings or come in to get the final out to escape a jam.
Ross Detwiler
Detwiler, the Marlins’ only other left-handed relief pitcher, moved exclusively to the bullpen in 2020 and saw some the best numbers of his career albeit in a small sample size (3.20 ERA, three-to-one strikeout-to-walk ratio). He is also a candidate to throw multiple innings.
John Curtiss
Curtiss, a 6-5 righty acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays on the day pitchers and catchers reported to camp, can play just about any role in the bullpen. He’s coming off a 2020 season in which he posted a 1.80 ERA with 25 strikeouts against just three walks over 25 innings. His fastball averages 94 mph and his slider had a 28-percent swing-and-miss rate last season.
Zach Pop
Pop, one of Miami’s two relievers with Rule 5 restrictions, has impressed during camp, especially when one considers he hadn’t pitched in a live game in nearly two years after undergoing Tommy John surgery. In four outings, Pop has given up just two hits and two walks while striking out three and showing off a two-seam fastball that hits 97 mph and a slider with swing-and-miss potential.
He’ll likely start off in low-leverage situations with the potential to eventually become a closer if he can continue improving his command.
James Hoyt
Like Bleier, Hoyt was one of the Marlins’ early-season additions last year following the COVID-19 outbreak who stayed with the club through the playoff run and produced a 1.24 ERA over 14 2/3 innings in 24 appearances. With the added depth to the bullpen this year, Hoyt could find him self pitching in middle innings or, because he still has a minor-league option, could start the season at the alternate training site.
Paul Campbell
Campbell, the Marlins’ other Rule 5 player and their No. 29 overall prospect according to MLB Pipeline, went from striking out four over two perfect innings in his spring debut to walking three in his second outing to giving up a pair of solo home runs in his third.
He profiles as a swingman, capable of being a spot starter while primarily being a multiple inning pitcher out of the bullpen.
Anthony Bender
Bender has been the surprise of camp. He’s a non-roster invite who played in independent ball last year but has quickly impressed the Marlins. The 26-year-old has thrown 7 1/3 shutout innings, allowing just one hit and two walks while striking out 10.
Among his strikeout victims: The Mets’ Tomas Nido and Brandon Nimmo as well as the Nationals’ Josh Bell, Kyle Schwarber and Starlin Castro.
He has a sinker-slider mix, with the fastball hitting the high 90s (hitting 98.8 mph at one point) and the slider sitting in the mid 80s.
While it’s no guarantee Bender makes the roster — he’s the only one of the group not on Miami’s 40-man roster — having him inside the organization should be beneficial this season if he can continue this production when the stats start counting.
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