Ranking the Red Sox bullpen from least to most trustworthy

BALTIMORE, MD - JULY 23: Brandon Workman #44 of the Boston Red Sox pitches to a Boston Red Sox batter in the eighth inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on July 23, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD - JULY 23: Brandon Workman #44 of the Boston Red Sox pitches to a Boston Red Sox batter in the eighth inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on July 23, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
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LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 26: Ryan Brasier #70 of the Boston Red Sox delivers the pitch during the seventh inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game Three of the 2018 World Series at Dodger Stadium on October 26, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

This Could Be Ok

This is the portion of the bullpen that could trend on the Jekyll/Hyde side of things. We’ve seen some great things as well as some head-scratchers from these pitchers.

Mike Shawaryn: Shawaryn is a rookie and I already trust him more than a solid amount of the pitchers the Red Sox have put on the mound this season. Mike hasn’t had a large amount of game time this season with only 9IP as he was recently called up, but his outings have been promising.

Shawaryn is carrying an outstanding 14-4 K/BB ratio with an even more impressive 1.00 ERA. He has allowed his only inherited runner to score but in the overall big picture, he has adapted very well to the MLB.

Marcus Walden: Walden has spent most of his career in the minors until a brief outing with the Red Sox last season. In the 14.2IP last season, he amassed a 14-3 K/BB ratio with a 3.68 ERA. He’s shown much of the same this year with a 43/10 K/BB ratio in 39.2IP and a strong 2.50 ERA. His big positive has been his IRS% as 13 of the 17 runners he’s inherited haven’t scored.

Walden has been a big go-to for Cora when they need some serious innings out of the bullpen. He has nine outings that have gone a minimum of two innings and a pair that have touched 3IP. He is a reliable long reliever and has great potential as we’ve seen.

Ryan Brasier: Brasier has been a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma this season. Coming out of spring training it seemed like he was going to be the closer this season but that has devolved into a closer by committee situation.

Brasier hasn’t been as lights-out as he was last season and that’s mostly due to the fact that he isn’t new to the league. Though he has 6 saves this season he also has 3 blown saves. So there are times where he can be electric as his 25/8 K/BB ratio shows, but there are others where he just doesn’t have it.

Schedule