With Opening Day two days away, our focus remains on spring results and potential changes in bullpen hierarchies. Today’s ledger features the Spring Training games from Sunday.
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Finishing a seven-run lead, Ryan Helsley navigated around two walks while recording three strikeouts in a scoreless top of the ninth. He threw 30 pitches (17 strikes – 56.7 Strike%) and produced seven whiffs (23.3 SwStr%).
And, his illustrator:
This marked his sixth outing this spring, during which he’s posted a 1.00 WHIP with eight strikeouts versus three walks (22.7 K-BB%) over six innings. His updated results this spring:
When he debuted a split-fingered fastball in his first outing, it raised eyebrows in the fantasy community. It remains a work in progress, but breaking down his arsenal by pitch using the search tab on Statcast yields the following results:
This does not include his last appearance, but he’s only generated one whiff with the split-fingered fastball of the 11 he’s thrown. The bigger predictor of his success will be the four-seam fastball, which he frequently left over the heart of the plate last year. His spring heatmap with the pitch shows he’s elevating it more:
This should be his last appearance until the regular season starts.
Shifting gears back to spring training, the results of interest from Sunday’s spring games are covered below.
Spring Vibes
American League
Los Angeles Angels
Finishing off an eight-run loss, Drew Pomeranz retired the side on 10 pitches (60 Strike%) without a whiff. Across his seven outings this spring, he’s recorded a 1.94 WHIP with six strikeouts against four walks over 5.2 innings.
New York Yankees
Getting in work ahead of the regular season, David Bednar retired both batters on seven pitches (4 strikes – 57.1 Strike%) with one whiff.
He finishes with a combined 0.724 WHIP with 10 strikeouts versus one walk (24.3 K-BB%) across 9.2 innings between spring outings and WBC contests.
He tweaked his usage patterns with the Yankees, and here is how he deployed his arsenal in spring outings only:
- Fernando Cruz struck out his only batter in the sixth.
- Camilo Doval worked around a hit and a walk while striking out one in a scoreless seventh.
Seattle Mariners
Tuning up for the regular season, Andrés Muñoz worked a scoreless bottom of the seventh versus the White Sox, walking and striking out one. He threw 14 pitches (8 strikes – 57.1 Strike%) and generated four whiffs (28.6 SwStr%).
Between WBC games and spring training, he’s logged 6.2 innings, recording a 1.499 WHIP with eight strikeouts versus four walks (13.3 K-BB%).
He checked all the boxes this spring, though one would prefer a better strike percentage.
Tampa Bay Rays
During a lopsided loss, Hunter Bigge navigated around a hit and a walk while striking out two over two-thirds scoreless in the fifth. Garrett Cleavinger worked a scoreless bottom of the seventh, giving up a hit and a walk while striking out one on 23 pitches (14 strikes – 60.9 Strike%) with three whiffs (13 SwStr%). He’s posted a 0.67 WHIP with five strikeouts against two walks (13.6 K-BB%) through six innings.
The Athletics
It was not a banner day for the veteran relievers with closing experience. Scott Barlow only recorded two outs while giving up two hits, two earned runs, and three walks while striking out one at the bottom of the fourth versus Colorado. He threw 32 pitches (13 strikes – 40.6 Strike%) and induced three whiffs. This outing spiked his WHIP to 1.833 this spring and lowered his strike rate to 55 percent.
Mark Leiter Jr. was credited with his fourth hold despite allowing a solo home run among his two hits and striking out one in the fifth. If it’s his last spring appearance, he finishes with a 1.375 WHIP, a 9:3 K:BB (17.7 K-BB%), and a 13.2 swinging strike percentage.
National League
Los Angeles Dodgers
Illustrating why the team signed Edwin Díaz this winter, Tanner Scott had a rough bottom of the sixth, giving up three hits, including a three-run home run (Jorge Soler) before retiring a batter. He finished with three hits, four runs (three earned), and a walk on his ledger over one-third of an inning.
- Ben Casparius let one of two inherited runners score, walking one during two-thirds scoreless in the sixth.
- Blake Treinen allowed a hit and a walk while striking out three in a scoreless seventh.
- Alex Vesia worked around two walks during two-thirds scoreless in the eighth.
Miami Marlins
Remaining healthy has been a challenge, but Andrew Nardi could be a sneaky play in SOLDS formats. He worked a scoreless sixth, walking one and striking out two. He owns a 0.75 WHIP with nine strikeouts across 5.1 innings this spring.
Pittsburgh Pirates
Recording his first hold, Gregory Soto allowed a hit and struck out three in a scoreless top of the fifth, throwing 19 pitches (12 strikes – 63.2 Strike%) with four whiffs (21.1 SwStr%).
Justin Lawrence fired a clean sixth, striking out one on 12 pitches (83.3 Strike%) with three whiffs (25 SwStr%) for his second hold.
These two relievers will be paramount for their team’s success as the primary set-up options for Dennis Santana.
News, Notes, and Observations
Houston Astros
There is no timeline for a return, but Josh Hader completed a bullpen (video) on Sunday. As noted, he has not faced hitters.
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Statistical Credits: