Impact Analysis: Oakland Athletics bullpen

January 14, 2009 @ 01:00:00

By Rob McCarthy
Edited by Tim Heaney

The Oakland Athletics' closer carousel concluded with five different hurlers receiving saves in 2008. Former A's mainstay and current Colorado Rockies reliever Huston Street led the pack with 18, breakout rookie Brad Ziegler nailed down 11, Santiago Casilla registered two and Joey Devine and Keith Foulke both recorded one.

Entering the 2009 campaign, Oakland manager Bob Geren has stood firm in his preseason plan of having Ziegler and Devine share closer duties, which would create a nightmare scenario for fantasy owners. However, chances are that one of them will win the job outright as the season wanes on.

Although replacing a player with 94 career saves in 121 opportunities is necessary, it's not always easy. Street provided the Oakland bullpen with a lifetime 2.88 ERA, a 1.07 WHIP and a solid .215 opponents' batting average over his four seasons under the California sun. He also sported a career 21-12 record in 247 appearances with 271 strikeouts in 269 innings of work.

Ziegler held down the fort while alternating with Street last year, but Devine's stuff is electric and nearly unhittable. He has the makings of an elite ninth-inning stopper and put up statistics last year reminiscent of some of the league's greats like Boston Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon and Minnesota Twins closer Joe Nathan, minus the saves of course.

Let the games begin

In 2008, Ziegler was 3-0 while converting 11 of 13 save opportunities with 30 strikeouts, 22 walks, a 1.06 ERA, a 1.16 WHIP and a .236 opponents' batting average in 59 2/3 innings.

The 6-foot-4, 190-pound right-hander registered a thin 4.53 strikeouts per nine innings last season and posted a 1.36 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He also limited opposing hackers to a staunch .306 on-base percentage (OBP), a .327 slugging percentage (SLG) and a .632 on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS). One of his most telling signs of 2008 dominance was that he allowed a mere 47 hits in 59 2/3 innings of work.

Ziegler's secret to success is his quirky submarine style delivery and pinpoint precision that makes hitters' mouths drop while trying to read his deceptive angles. However, after his streak of 39 1/3 scoreless innings to start his Major League Baseball career (an all-time record) was snapped by the Tampa Bay Rays, Ziegler showed signs of fatigue as hitters began to line up his finesse stuff and less than average fastball. As a soft tosser, Ziegler may be best suited for a setup role, which would derail his value significantly.

Devine destiny

In 25 appearances with the Atlanta Braves from 2005 to 2007, the North Carolina State alum was 1-1 with 20 strikeouts, 22 walks, a putrid 6.86 ERA and a 2.19 WHIP in 19 2/3 innings.

The Athletics acquired Devine from the Atlanta Braves for outfielder Mark Kotsay last January - another move made by Oakland general manager Billy Beane to buy low on talent.

In 2008 with the A's, the 5-foot-11, 205-pound Devine went 6-1 while converting one of two save chances with 49 strikeouts, 15 walks, a 0.59 ERA, a 0.83 WHIP and a nasty .150 opponents' batting average in 45 2/3 innings. His ERA was a record low for any MLB pitcher with at least 40 innings of work in a season.

He registered a whopping 9.66 strikeouts per nine innings and maintained a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 3.27. He also limited opposing hitters to a .225 OBP, a .170 slugging percentage and a downright dominant .393 OPS.

In his first 22 innings with the A's last year, Devine posted a 1.23 ERA with 28 strikeouts and a 1.05 WHIP. He then strained his pitching elbow in late May and missed 54 games, but he didn't allow a run in 23 2/3 innings after returning in August.

His strikeout numbers didn't come out of nowhere; Devine averaged 13.18 K's per nine innings in his minor league career.

As good as Devine is, his weakness lies in his delivery and lack of a pitch arsenal. His arm angle during his delivery is conducive to injury - like the elbow malady he had last year.

Due to his near-sidearm motion, his control is a little out of whack, and he has some trouble against left-handed batters (.308 average allowed against them last year). Over his career, he has posted a less than stellar 1.56 WHIP against southpaws in 25 innings of work.

Casilla-nova

One of the long shots to obtain the deed to the closer's role is Casilla. The 28-year-old right-hander went 2-1 last year while converting two of three save opportunities with 43 strikeouts, 20 walks, a 3.93 ERA, a 1.59 WHIP and a .299 opponents' batting average in 50 1/3 innings. Casilla will likely see most of his action as a middle reliever, unless of course Ziegler or Devine suffer some sort of injury or performance dip.

Fantasy baseball outlook

If you're forced to go for one of these hurlers as a member of your fantasy staff, go with Devine first if Oakland hasn't named a solitary option by the time your draft arrives. Devine has the better closer makeup - he gives you more strikeouts and doesn't pitch to contact as often as Ziegler. He's injury prone, though, and Ziegler would be a mediocre consolation prize if you miss out on Devine.

Pairing them together late in a draft might be a solution if you can pull it off. Either way, the uncertainty surrounding their roles doesn't make either option anything better than a No. 3 closer entering the 2009 campaign.

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Rob McCarthy
Rob has been with KFFL since 2007.

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