Bullpen Banter - Is Taylor Emerging?

Major league managers want to win games. Fantasy managers need to accumulate the most saves. The problem is when those two goals don’t exactly line up. Once again, it was a busy week in bullpens, so let’s take a look at the recent news.

Bullpen Banter - Prospects LiveProspects LiveRay Kuhn

New York Yankees

Photo Credit: Associated Press

Not all situations have to be bad ones. David Bednar has been in the midst of a little rough stretch, but there still appears to be no question that he’s the Yankees’ closer. Aaron Boone has shown a willingness to stick with Bednar, and he was able to work through a messy ninth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays earlier in the week to secure the save. Despite those aforementioned bumps, job security doesn’t appear to be anything we have to worry about with Bednar. That’s good news as Bednar is at the top of the league with 11 saves on the season. Yes, it comes with a price (5.14 ERA), but his 3.02 xERA should give a better indication as to how he’s pitched.

Milwaukee Brewers

Photo Credit: mlb.com

Back and forth we go in Milwaukee. We have seen periods of both success and failure from Trevor Megill and Abner Uribe. It appeared to be Megill’s turn again last week as he picked up his fifth save of the season. That came after Uribe pitched the eighth inning. In Milwaukee’s next save opportunity on Tuesday, also the next time each took the mound, the roles were reversed, and Uribe matched Megill with his fifth save. Uribe is the more talented pitcher, and he appears to be the direction in which the Brewers tend to lean. His 4.42 ERA is better than Megill’s 5.29 mark, but Uribe’s 3.64 xERA also lends some more upside. Of the two, I’d continue to target Uribe while managing Megill carefully. Just be prepared for some variability and inconsistency across the board. Uribe, though, does have the edge.

Cincinnati Reds

Photo Credit: mlb.com

We flirted with Pierce Johnson, and then to Tejay Antone in a wild game, and now it appears order has been restored to the Reds’ bullpen. With Emilio Pagan sidelined for an extended period, and he struggled prior to that point, the Reds need a closer. After he picked up the save on Tuesday, it appears that it’s Tony Santillan’s job to lose. Santillan cruised through a perfect ninth inning for his second save of the season, but his 5.21 ERA still leaves a lot to be desired. Over a small sample size of 19 innings, we have to allow for some sensitivity. It doesn’t help that Santillan has had some issues keeping the ball in the park with 3.32 home runs allowed per nine innings. But if he can rectify those issues, Santillan can be a solid source of saves. Tuesday appears to be a step in the right direction.

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