Today we will look at the rest of the bullpen candidates. Last time we talked about back end candidates. That was not an extensive list. Some of the remaining pitchers could wind up in the back end as well, starting with Keone Kela. Kela had a 2.69 ERA in 2015, pitching in 68 games. He had injury trouble in 2016, keeping him out of the mix for most of the season. His ERA (6.09) looks bad, but Kela is still one of the trusted guys in the pen despite that. He has been solid for the most part, and there is no reason to believe that he will again have a high ERA. I look forward to seeing him pitch again in 2017.
Next up is Alex Claudio. Claudio was pretty solid in 2016, posting a 2.79 ERA. He was a great left handed option out of the pen. He was able to get both right handed and left handed batters out. He struck out 34 and walked 10. Claudio should be a middle of the rotation guy for the Rangers in 2017. I expect him to get a lot of work in games where the starter struggles or where the Rangers are leading big. Claudio should be a great piece in the Rangers bullpen in 2017.
Nick Martinez is an interesting case. He was groomed to be a starter, but he looked really bad in that roll in 2016. If Nick can settle into a bullpen roll, he could be great for the Rangers. He could also fall flat on his face. It will be interesting to see if playing winter ball helps him acclimate to becoming a full time bull pen guy. I don’t think the Rangers are interested in bringing him back as a starter after the disaster in was in 2016. Nick converted to a pitcher and had good success his first season up with the Rangers. Hopefully he can have success in 2017 as a relief pitcher.
Andrew Faulkner got into just 20 games between 2015 and 2016, post a 4.41 ERA in 16.1 innings pitched. In 6.2 innings pitched in 2016, Faulkner allowed seven runs in eight hits. Those are not good numbers on a small scale, but he did get some major league experience under his belt. Faulkner has a good chance of making the squad out of spring training.
Jake Diekman was the other piece in the Cole Hamels trade from Philly. Diekman has been pretty good over the past season and a half, but he just recently had to have surgery to help relieve his chronic ulcerative colitis. He will miss at least half of the 2017 season, but he could be a pretty big boost in September if he can come back strong. Diekman has been a very strong addition, and I wish him a speedy recovery and a chance to get back on the field and do what he loves sooner rather than later.
Dario Alvarez, Yohander Mendez, Jose Leclerc, and a few other invitees have a shot as well. The bullpen race is usually one of the most fun to watch during spring training, and 2017 should be no different.
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