Hot Seat: August 8, 2015

Teams at the top are desperate for wins. Those near the bottom are assessing what they’ve got. That means short leashes everywhere, and the return of the Hot Seat column. Note that these rankings are in order of current job security.

Hottest – In a committee, or on the verge of losing their job right now

30. Alex Wilson (cuff: Bruce Rondon)
29. Tommy Kahnle (cuff: Justin Miller)

-Wilson hasn’t allowed a run since the trade of Joakim Soria, but has very low strikeout rates and a resurgent Bruce Rondon behind him. Tommy Kahnle has been good lately and just picked up his first save at the top of a Colorado committee, but he could lose his chance to run with the job if his next outing is poor.

 

Hot – Closers who could be in danger after their next blown save

28. Edward Mujica (cuff: Drew Pomeranz)
27. Carson Smith (cuff: Fernando Rodney/Tom Wilhelmsen)
26. Santiago Casilla (cuff: Sergio Romo)
25. Brad Boxberger (cuff: Jake McGee)

-Boxberger and Casilla are coming off rough outings, while Carson Smith has been wildly inconsistent lately. Edward Mujica is also on a short leash, having just taken over the job.

 

Warmish – Two blown saves in a row and these players might be in trouble

24. Arodys Vizcaino
23. Luke Gregerson
22. Greg Holland
21. Glen Perkins

-Vizcaino has been great thus far, but is only a week into the gig. Gregerson and Holland have been mostly good this season, but often don’t look like the best pitcher in the bullpen. Perkins has had a rough stretch.

 

Cool – These players would have to blow 3 consecutive saves for their jobs to be in jeopardy

20. Francisco Rodriguez
19. Brad Ziegler
18. Koji Uehara
17. Roberto Osuna
16. Hector Rondon
15. AJ Ramos
14. Jeurys Familia
13. David Robertson
12. Kenley Jansen
11. Cody Allen
10. Huston Street
9. Ken Giles
8. Mark Melancon
7. Trevor Rosenthal
6. Jonathan Papelbon

-The majority of stoppers fall in this category for now, and though these players span 15 spots in the rankings, there isn’t a tremendous difference between any of the guys. They’re all pretty good and they’re all pretty secure for the time being. Papelbon might be in the Sub-zero category, but he’s got fan favorite Drew Storen pitching the 8th ahead of him, which might mean some added pressure.

 

Sub-zero – These players would have to blow 4+ consecutive saves for their jobs to be in jeopardy

5. Shawn Tolleson
4. Craig Kimbrel
3. Zach Britton
2. Andrew Miller
1. Aroldis Chapman

-Tolleson has been fine, but he’s not quite on the level with the other four — he’s mainly in this tier because he has very little competition in the Texas bullpen.

Koji Uehara is tougher than you are, will be day-to-day after line drive to wrist

August 8, 2015

Boston Red Sox — As we told you last night, Koji Uehara took a line drive off his right arm at the end of Friday’s game and appeared to be in serious pain. Postgame X-rays, however, showed no break, and Uehara was half-jokingly promising to be back by Sunday, as he explained that he considered his “whole body to be the glove.” Consider Koji day-to-day at this point, with Junichi Tazawa sliding into the closer role until Uehara can pitch again.

Updated hierarchy: Uehara | Tazawa | Ross.

Minnesota Twins – With Trevor May adapting well to the bullpen, Paul Molitor told the media that the rookie will be the team’s primary setup guy going forward.

Updated hierarchy: Perkins | May | Jepsen.

Colorado Rockies — Tommy Kahnle continues to look like the best bet for saves going forward for the Rockies; he picked up the first one of his career to celebrate his 26th birthday on Friday night.

Hierarchy remains: *Kahnle | Miller | Betancourt.
* = closer-by-committee

Los Angeles Dodgers — Jim Johnson pitched a clean ninth in a tie game, but when he came back out for the tenth, he loaded the bases without getting anyone out on his way to taking the loss. He’s now appeared in three games for the Dodgers, and has given up at least one earned run in each. How long can the Dodgers keep trusting him in tight spots?

Hierarchy remains: Jansen | Johnson | Baez.

Chicago White Sox — For the first time since April 2014, Nate Jones appeared in a major league game, notching two strikeouts in a perfect inning. Jones was hitting 100 MPH during his rehab appearances, and could challenge for a high-leverage role almost immediately.

Hierarchy remains: Robertson | Duke | Petricka.

St. Louis Cardinals — For the second time this year, Carlos Villanueva grabbed a three-inning save for the Cards.

Hierarchy remains: Rosenthal | Siegrist | Broxton.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
1. Junichi Tazawa, Boston Red Sox  — As noted above, Koji will need at least one day off.
2. Tyler Clippard, New York Mets — Jeurys Familia has appeared in the last three games (over four days).
3. Pedro Strop, Chicago Cubs — Hector Rondon got five outs for Friday’s save and has pitched on two straight days (37 pitches).
4. Kirby Yates, Tampa Bay Rays — All right, this one’s a stretch, buuuutttt Brad Boxberger and Jake McGee each struggled last night, and each have pitched on four of the last six days. Steve Geltz has been worked even harder lately, so if Kevin Cash thinks outside the Box, he might well call on Yates.