Red Sox manager John Farrell was kind enough over the weekend to give fans an idea of how the bullpen will be constituted for the 2015. After naming stalwarts like Koji Uehara, Junichi Tazawa, Craig Breslow Edward Mujica and Alexi Ogando. Farrell stated
"“That’s not to slight any other name or not include them in the group, but I feel like we’ve got a couple of positions that are in competition for,”."
,
, and
also have to be considered favorites.
still holds down a 40 man roster spot as the second lefty out of the bullpen.
Considering Layne’s name wasn’t mentioned by Farrell specifically, and his assertion that spots are up for grabs, let’s consider another experienced left hander who will compete for a job on the 25 man roster that will go north in April. Dana Eveland is coming off a strong season with the New York Mets (2.63 ERA in 27 innings) after spending the 2013 starting games in Korea. Eveland started the season at AAA Las Vegas of the Pacific Coast League (PCL), posting a 3.91 ERA pitching out of the bullpen as well as starting. League average in the PCL is 4.63 so in the Mets’ mind his PCL performance merited a call to the majors in June.
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The scouting report on Eveland is 90-91 mph fastball, slider of 80-81 mph and changeup in the 83-84 mph range. It is probably not surprising that Eveland struggles with his consistency, considering his earlier struggles at the major league level (5.27 career ERA). His repertoire used to include a curveball but this has been abandoned in recent years.
The Red Sox are hoping that such struggles are behind him considering his success last season. Eveland was able to maintain consistency posting an identical 2.63 ERA in each half of the season. He was actually pitching to an ERA around 2 when struck on his pitching elbow with a batted ball in July. An injection in August did not quell arm pain so he was shut down in early September. This is an issue the Red Sox would have to watch to see if he has a recurrence of soreness in his arm after consistent work.
Though he has some question marks, Eveland has to be considered a good candidate for the second lefty spot out of the bullpen. Given his prior experience as a starter, perhaps they could even stretch him back out to be their long man if he gets good results in Spring Training.
Stay tuned to BoSox Injection as we look at all the possibilities of how the Red Sox roster shakes out for 2015.