For the last two seasons the strength of the Tribe has been the bullpen. 2013 should be no different for the Bullpen Mafia.
However, the Cleveland bullpen saw a rise in ERA last year to 3.99, second-highest in the league. This was mainly due to a poor starting rotation leading to overworked relievers. The Indians bullpen worked 528.1 innings, which was fourth-most in the American League.
The 2012 Cleveland Bullpen was 20-18 with 43 saves, sixth in the league. The Tribe featured a 77 percent save percentage and allowed the second most earned runs with 234.
In the offseason, GM Chris Antonetti acquired Matt Albers and Bryan Shaw to help bolster the pen in the Shin-Soo Choo deal that also netted Cleveland Trevor Bauer.
Chris Perez has saved 75 of 83 opportunities over the last two years.
The Bullpen Mafia, however, will have some other new faces. In the same deal, the Tribe also sent lefty Tony Sipp to the Diamonbacks after Rafael Perez was non-tendered due to injury problems. The Tribe also sent hard-throwing righty Esmil Rogers to Toronto for Mike Aviles and Yan Gomes.
Closer Chris Perez returns with the Tribe after an offseason of turmoil and trade rumors. The righty has been fantastic for Cleveland over two years. Despite an 0-4 record and 3.59 ERA last year, the two-time All-Star still saved 39 games in 43 chances. Over the last two seasons Perez has closed the door 75 of 83 opportunities. Despite a shoulder injury early in camp, Perez should be back on the mound for Cleveland on Opening Day.
Vinnie Pestano will once again fill the setup role for the Tribe bullpen. The 27-year old pitched in the World Baseball Classic with the United States and is coming off a 3-3, 2.57 ERA year in which he saved two games. The setup man certainly fulfilled his responsibilities, tallying 36 holds to set a club record and finish second in the American League.
If you could call the back end of the Cleveland bullpen a three-headed monster, Joe Smith would be the third and final head. The side-arming right-hander was 7-4 with a 2.96 ERA last season and had 21 holds. He was second in the league with seven relief victories. Smith is a vital piece to the Cleveland bullpen, holding lefties to a .218 batting average and righties to .209.
Matt Albers is one of a handful of new faces in the Bullpen Mafia.
Right-handers Albers and Shaw will replace Sipp and Rogers in the slightly new look Bullpen Mafia. Albers was 3-1 with a 2.39 ERA in 63 appearances last season with Boston and Arizona. The 30-year old will appear mostly in middle relief and against lefties (.207).
Bryan Shaw has spent his entire career in Arizona and was 1-6 with a 3.49 ERA in 64 appearances with the Diamondbacks last year. Shaw relies on a fastball and a cutter and appeared mainly as a seventh or eighth inning reliever. Shaw was great against right handed hitters(.211), but really struggled against lefties, who hit .333 against him.
Youngster Cody Allen will start in the bullpen in his first full year in the bigs. Allen was 0-1 with a 3.72 ERA in 27 appearances with Cleveland last year. He spent time at all three minor league levels and the big leagues last season. Allen struck out 27 in 31 innings with the Indians as a September call-up last year.
Lefty Nick Hagadone returns to the Tribe pen after finishing last season in the big leagues. 6-5 Hagadone started last year in AAA, but finished in Cleveland going 1-0 with a 6.39 ERA in 27 appearances. Indians fans didn’t get to see much of Hagadone though, as he injured his wrist midway through the year and didn’t see action for the rest of the season.
Lefty Nick Hagadone hopes to make an impression after miss half of 2012 with injury.
Rounding out the Cleveland bullpen is newcomer Rich Hill. Hill is a 33-year old left-handed hurler who spent last season in the Boston pen. Hill only appeared in 25 games, holding a 1.83 ERA and a 1-0 record. Hill has dealt with injury problems over the last few season as he had Tommy John surgery in May of 2011.
Bottom line: Like all bullpens, the Indians will need some slight assistance from the starting rotation to keep their workload down. Last season the Tribe bullpen struggled due to short outings from the starters. As with the starters, the bolstered Cleveland defense is a welcome sight to the relief. Despite the late season struggles, the Cleveland bullpen is still one of the best in baseball with Vinnie Pestano and Chris Perez headlining.
Prediction: The Tribe bullpen continues to perform as one of the best in baseball. Chris Perez comes out fired up after the debacles of last year and the offseason rumors and tallies just over 40 saves. Perez is one of the best closers in baseball and garners another All-Star appearance. If setup men could get All-Star appearances, Vinnie Pestano would be at the top of the list. Pestano continues to be lights out in the eighth inning and holds over 35 games again. A young Cody Allen turns a lot of heads in the bullpen and projects to be part of the back end. As a bullpen, the Tribe’s ERA drops to 3.70 as the starting pitching improves to help cut the bullpen workload.
Talkin' Tribe 