Minnesota Twins Relievers Battle for Limited Spots in Spring Training
Minnesota Twins relievers prepare to battle for spots in the bullpen
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Historically, relievers were looked at as the least important and least attractive position to talk about when discussing MLB teams. They were the guys who weren’t seasoned enough yet to crack a starting rotation, or were a starter and are now just trying to hang on to a big league club. The Yankees changed our perception of what a quality bullpen can do for a team. The 70’s introduced us to closers. The 80′ & 90’s helped solidify their roles as one-inning machines.
There were setup men, but oftentimes a manager tried to get into the 8th inning with his starter and let the closer take it from there. The Yankees really started to crystallize the roles in bullpens when their style started winning trophies again in the late 90’s through the beginning of this century. Doesn’t hurt to have Mariano Rivera too.
Now, you had to have a 7th inning guy and and 8th inning guy. Maybe a lefty-one-out-guy (LOOGY) to get the opposing lefty slugger out with a nasty curve. What the Yankees did to change perceptions, the Kansas City Royals have turned into a winning formula the past two years. They eschewed the big payouts to free agent hitters, instead signing lights out relievers and utilizing speed throughout their lineup. They valued starters that can pitch hard into the 6th, 7th inning and turn it over to a pen that closed the door. They also turned hard throwing, one-time starters into late-inning stars.
Now, every team, especially smaller market teams, see that system as one they can emulate without spending so much on payroll and still be competitive. And, as last season proved, even win a World Series. The past 24 months you kept hearing managers and pitching coaches preach about “building a bridge” from the end of the starter’s night (whether 6th or 7th inning) to the closer. And each step of the way produce zeroes on the scoreboard. Whether that’s to hold a lead, or to allow your team a comeback.
Last year, you could see how the Royals were shaping what the Minnesota Twins were wanting in their bullpen, and with the moves they made both in the off-season prior and during last year’s run. Instead of tried and true veterans who bounced back and forth between the rotation and the pen (other than Duensing), they trotted out young fireballers J.R. Graham, Trevor May, Casey Fien, and added Kevin Jepsen in a trade.
Next: Who has a spot locked down?