The Projected Success of the Oakland A's Bullpen

Following a season in which, the A's lost 87 games and finished in last place in the AL West division, there is a lot left to be desired if you're an Oakland A's fan. You have doubts that the team will be competitive anytime soon, you are worried about the stadium situation and whether the team will stay in Oakland, and you are fearful that the players you end up liking will only end up in another team's uniform someday.

I'm here to put a squash on all of those things because the A's are building for the future after finally stating that they are committed to building a core group last summer, their farm system is on the rise, and there are a lot of things to be excited about heading into this season. Sure, FanGraphs has the A's projected to finish with a (75-87) record, which would put them last again in the AL West, but we all know that projections don't go according to plan and rarely end up panning out.

The A's aren't going to win the AL West because of the reigning World Series Champions, Astros, and will have a hard time staying competitive with the Angels, who have only gotten better this winter, but have a clear shot at competing with the Mariners and Rangers.

On paper, the A's look like a team that is built around their lineup that includes the likes of Khris Davis, Matt Chapman, and Matt Olson as well as newly acquired Stephen Piscotty who should help to solidify the outfield picture. Looking at the rotation, it's full of a lot of question marks simply because all of the A's starters are still young and have yet to reach their prime, but there is a chalk full of potential up and down the rotation. However, the biggest quality for the A's as it stands right now, is in their bullpen.

Sure, the A's bullpen finished 25th in the league with a 4.57 ERA over the span of 563.1 IP, which isn't great at all, but Billy Beane & Company have made two impactful additions in left-hander, Emilio Pagan, and right-hander, Yusmeiro Petit, this offseason. Both Petit and Pagan add two more options for, Bob Melvin, to use at the end of games. Petit finished last season with a 2.95 FIP, which put him in the upper third of relievers, while Pagan finished the year with a 10.01 strikeouts-per-9 rate. Pagan relied heavily on his fastball last year throwing it a little over 68% of the time, while Petit was a little more varied in the pitches he threw. Petit relied primarily on his fastball (47.5%), but also used his curveball (20.5%), changeup (16.8%), and slider (15.2%) of the time.

Beyond Pagan and Petit, the A's also have a valuable weapon in, Blake Treinen, at the backend of their bullpen. Treinen will likely be the team's closer and finished the season last year, after being traded to the A's from the Nationals, with a 2.13 ERA over 38.0 IP. In that span, he recorded 13 saves in 16 save opportunities along with a 9.95 strikeouts-per-9 and a 0.71 home runs-per-9 ratio.

In addition to that trio, the A's bullpen will feature a couple of other relievers, all of which have different pitching styles. Take Liam Hendriks, for example, who finished last season with a 10.97 strikeout-per-9 ratio and has the ability to throw his fastball 74% of the time and hit the mid-90's with it. 94.7 MPH to be exact. Furthermore, let's take a look at 33-year old, Chris Hatcher, who went to the A's from the Dodger's last August. Hatcher finished last season throwing his fastball 94.6 MPH and his cutter, which he only threw 1.3% of the time, at 91.7 MPH. Both Hendriks and Hatcher give Bob Melvin two relievers, who can throw for power, and strike batters out in the most critical of situations.

Besides these 5 names, another reliever that will make an impact in the A's bullpen will be newly acquired, left-hander, Ryan Buchter who the A's received from the Royals. Buchter has had a good track record over the past 4 seasons, pitching to the tune of a 2.85 ERA over 129.1 IP, but spent the entire 2015 season in the minors after pitching only an inning in 2014. As is the case with Emilio Pagan and Yusmeiro Petit, Buchter also has the ability to record more strikes than balls based on his strikeout-to-ball ratio of 706-392 last season with the Padres and Royals.

Based on FanGraph projections, the A's bullpen, with the 6 names listed above, is expected to finish the coming season with a 4.11 ERA over the span of 285 IP, but as mentioned before, projections are just that, projections, and very rarely are they entirely accurate. While it might not be a pretty sight on the surface, there is a lot to like with the various pitching styles of all 6 relievers, the speed they reach on many of their pitches, and the strikeout-per-9 ratios of Emilio Pagan, Blake Treinen, and Ryan Buchter.

For a team that has struggled for a couple of years now, the 2018 season looks to be one full of promise and hopefully the beginning of sustainable success for the A's. For now, the team needs to prepare for Spring Training, focus on staying healthy, and do everything they can to play at the level their capable of on paper. The A's won't be winning the AL West this season, but they will surprise many folks this coming season and their bullpen will be a big reason why.