2020 Bullpen

[zimm_da_kid]

It's not good practice to sign guys who are 35 and have been making assloads of appearances every year.  Dude pitched in 80 games last year.  80!

and we get him at $8m each of the next two years.  spin rate whoopee

[nfotiu]

Harris got squeezed bad tonight.  They were calling balls on him where the entire ball was in the box on a night that pitches 2 balls outside were strikes.  It’s happened to him before tonight too.  It’s tough to be effective when you are forced to throw down the middle. 

[hotshot]

Harris got squeezed bad tonight.  They were calling balls on him where the entire ball was in the box on a night that pitches 2 balls outside were strikes.  It’s happened to him before tonight too.  It’s tough to be effective when you are forced to throw down the middle.

He must have been getting squeezed all season then. He has not been anywhere near what they/we expected or hoped for.

[DCFan]

Harris, more than most pitchers I've seen, is visibly disturbed by what he considers missed balls and strikes. He looks constantly pissed at the umps and I'm wondering if they're reacting to that by a further squeezing of the strike zone for him?

[Slateman]

It was stupid to sign a 35 year old reliever to a 3 year deal

[Natsinpwc]

Harris, more than most pitchers I've seen, is visibly disturbed by what he considers missed balls and strikes. He looks constantly pissed at the umps and I'm wondering if they're reacting to that by a further squeezing of the strike zone for him?

Do you think robo umps would be vindictive?  I suppose we could program that in.

[Natsinpwc]

Don’t complain about the Nats pen. It could be worse. Phil’s pen blew another one last night. 

https://www.philliesnation.com/2020/09/3-numbers-to-remember-the-bullpen-struggles-are-back/

[DCFan]

Do you think robo umps would be vindictive?  I suppose we could program that in.

That's what AI is all about.

[imref]

Doolittle suffered an oblique injury, he's done.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Doolittle suffered an oblique injury, he's done.

gonna guess he re-signs for a cheap contract with incentives, unless he can go to the Giants or As.

[imref]

gonna guess he re-signs for a cheap contract with incentives, unless he can go to the Giants or As.

he's effective still when healthy but he's had trouble staying healthy.  Still, it's not like there are a lot of other LH options out there, and he'll probably want to play here for whatever the Nats offer him.

[hohoho]

Do you think robo umps would be vindictive?  I suppose we could program that in.

Would also have to program a fat ass and an attitude.

[imref]

Would also have to program a fat ass and an attitude.

Robo umps would kill those who argue with them.

[Expos]

It's not good practice to sign guys who are 35 and have been making assloads of appearances every year.  Dude pitched in 80 games last year.  80!

Guaranteed we will cut him and he will go on to be an All Star next year like all the other relievers we let go.

[TheRebuild]

Is Bourque really a major league pitcher..? Or considered a prospect??? I am all for playing the prospects but the control issues are little ridiculous

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Is Bourque really a major league pitcher..? Or considered a prospect??? I am all for playing the prospects but the control issues are little ridiculous

I think Bourque is one of these marginal organization filler types that are on the fringe of being helpful. 

[Duke of Earl]

I think Bourque is one of these marginal organization filler types that are on the fringe of being helpful.

Let's Bourque him.

[imref]

Is Bourque really a major league pitcher..? Or considered a prospect??? I am all for playing the prospects but the control issues are little ridiculous

borderline major league middle reliever: https://www.wnff.net/index.php?topic=37166.0

[Slateman]

Is Bourque really a major league pitcher..? Or considered a prospect??? I am all for playing the prospects but the control issues are little ridiculous

Undecided. He's got all of 3 innings at the mlb level.

His stuff is MLB level. Mid to upper 90s fastball. Nice breaking ball. He has command issues but that's why he's a reliever. And that's not unheard of for good MLB relievers.

Potentially he could be effective. Also, his stache is on point

[Expos]

Trevor Rosenthal
2.41 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 10 Saves

Mark Melancon
2.04 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 10 Saves

Brandon Kintzler
2.95 ERA, 1.2 WHIP  9 Saves

Greg Holland
2.13 ERA, .99 WHIP, 5 Saves

AJ Cole
2.21 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 1 Save

Blake Trienen
2.49 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 1 Save

Tyler Clippard
1.86 ERA, .93 WHIP

Ross Detwiler
1.56 ERA, .92 WHIP

Oliver Perez
1.26 ERA, .98 WHIP, 1 Save

Yusmerio Petit
2.04 ERA, 1.3 WHIP

How's that for a bullpen. 10 guys, all of them who had success before they came here, come here for a season and stink so we cut them only to see them leave and have success again.

Trevor Gott was good last year.  Craig Stammen has been good since we cut him loose. I'm sure I'm forgetting some but man is it ever obvious that Rizzo cannot build a bullpen.

[Chelsea_Phil]

Correct me if I am wrong, but Melancon was an end of season pickup who did very well with us, and we decided not to sign him as he became a free agent and got a huge contract from another team.  The others: yes, you are right, unfortunately.

[OldChelsea]

Correct me if I am wrong, but Melancon was an end of season pickup who did very well with us, and we decided not to sign him as he became a free agent and got a huge contract from another team.[...]

This is correct (2016-17 off-season; the team he went to was the Giants).

[imref]

Iirc most of those guys stunk after they left here and have moved around a lot.

[Slateman]

Rosenthal, Melancon, Kintzler, Clippard, Petit and Holland were all free agent signings. Melancon, Kintzler, Clippard, and Holland were good here. Rosenthal sucked after he left here.

We gave up Treinen for Doolittle. That was fine, considering what we got in return.

The only ones that are questionable are AJ Cole and Ross Detwiler. The Nationals seem very slow to give up on guys starting and converting them to relievers.

[imref]

Cole is on his third team in 3 years since leaving the Nats in 2018.
Yankees - 2018 - 4.26 / 1.447
Cleveland - 2019 - 3.81 / .1500
Toronto - 2020 - 2.21 / 1.033 (4.14 FIP)

He's having a good year after mediocre years in 18 and 19.

Detwiler is on his 6th team since leaving here in 2015.  This is the first year since then that he's had an ERA below 4.60.

I don't think the arguments that all these relievers flourished after leaving Washington, therefore the Nats can't develop relievers is a strong one.