Revamping the Red Sox Bullpen to match rotation’s growth

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Aug 1, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Junichi Tazawa (36) walks back to the dugout following the final out of the eighth inning against the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field. Boston defeated Seattle, 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports /

Bullpen Issues

As mentioned previously, the bullpen has had its share of hiccups over the past two weeks, and those hiccups explain our rather pedestrian eight wins in our last fourteen contests, despite the rotation producing nine Quality Starts in that span.

I am not an idealistic fan who anticipates a reliever with the pitching repertoire of Sandy Koufax to exit the bullpen every time a pitching change is requested. Nonetheless, my job is to make an argument and present supporting evidence to strengthen said argument.

As well as our rotation has performed since August 1, our relief corp. has been equally atrocious. The following chart summarizes the Bullpen’s performance over the course of the entire season, while comparing said performance to that exhibited over the past 15 days:

Red Sox Relief Pitching 2016	Season Values	August Values
WHIP	1.32	1.68
ERA	3.86	4.94
FIP	3.70	4.09
BB%	9.6	14.0
K%	25.1	28.0

The WHIP has approached comedic levels, while the ERA and FIP values have risen dramatically. Our strikeout rates have increased slightly, but nowhere close to the magnitude necessary to offset a walk rate that is nearly double the league average.

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