Tag Archives: Bullpen

Is the Bullpen Cart Making a Comeback?

Leave a reply

As Major League Baseball searches for ways to shorten games and attract fan attention, there has been talk of bullpen carts making a return to the game. Bullpen carts were a fixture in baseball during the 1970’s, but where did they originate? Will the return of the carts to escort relievers into the game actually speed anything up?

The Origins of the Bullpen Cart

According to Paul Lukas of ESPN, the first use of a “bullpen cart” came in 1950. The Indians were the first team to implement this, using something known as “the little red wagon.” Teams slowly added some sort of cart to bring relief pitchers from the bullpen to the mound. There was no immediate craze where everyone jumped on board with it, they just slowly trickled their way into the game. In fact, the Braves didn’t become the first National League team to use one until mid-season in 1959.

“A motor scooter with sidecar was used for the first time in the National league by the Braves. Here pitcher Hal Jeffcoat arrived at the mound, chauffeured by John (Freckles) Bonneau. It took less than 30 seconds to make the trip. 6/24/1959. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Teams slowly started using golf carts during the 1960’s to make the trip rather than little wagons and scooters. Oddly, no one is really sure of the evolution that took place into the well-known baseball shaped golf carts of the 1970’s. The Mets had a baseball shaped golf cart in 1967, but it is not known for a fact this was the first of them.

The Height of the Bullpen Cart Era

The seventies is the decade that first comes to mind when talking about bullpen carts. The use of the carts was widespread throughout baseball. Also in this decade, teams implemented the design that is well known.

Houston Astros cart circa 1970’s

The combination of these throwback Astros uniform with their bullpen cart is awesome. Teams used these throughout the seventies and up through the eighties as well. Most of these carts were the same from team to team; just the baseball cap atop the cart changed to match the hometown team. The Seattle Mariners went a step further with their cart, trying to make it match the theme of their nickname.

The Mariners tugboat cart was introduced in 1982.

However, the bullpen carts started dying out as the eighties drew to a close and the nineties ushered in a new era. Some pitchers did not like to use them and chose to run alongside them even when they were in use. As the mid-nineties came, the cart completely died out. The Brewers were the last team to employ one in 1995.

Nicknamed “Papa Cheese”, the Brewers bullpen cart was the last one still being used by 1995.

Are Bullpen Carts Worth It?

How much would reintroducing the bullpen cart to the game really change things? Except for the relievers who slowly lumber out to the mound, I don’t see bullpen carts actually speeding things up much. Most relievers tend to jog in from the pen, which would probably only take a few seconds longer than a cart trip. Are some baseball fans just nostalgic for the goofy baseball designed carts from the past? Maybe with all the pitching changes that take place in today’s game these carts could help a little. However, how much time can they really carve off of a game?

The reason for bringing these back would seem to be more of an entertainment factor. If each team had some neat design that complemented what their team is about it could be a fun time. The Mariners tugboat may have been a little over the top, but looking back on it, it looks pretty awesome. I hope if they are brought back some of the goofy design from a few decades ago is kept. Some improvements will need to be made and MLB can modernize the look of the carts, but they should remain baseball themed.

Red Sox pitcher Bill Lee arrives in the bullpen cart to relieve Ferguson Jenkins in the fifth inning as the Red Sox played the White Sox on July 24, 1977. (Boston Globe)

 

Featured picture from SonsofSamHorn.net

Red Sox Postseason Numbers Crunch in Bullpen

Leave a reply

The Red Sox face a roster crunch for the postseason. Many bullpen arms have stepped up down the stretch and pitching well in critical spots. Of course, not a bad problem to have. It does however beg the question, which ones will make the postseason team?

Bullpen Arms

Craig Kimbrel is obviously on the team as the closer. That’s the number-one bullpen spot. Addison Reed will no doubt set him up. Despite a couple hiccups with the Red Sox, Reed has pitched well since coming over. With reports that David Price will pitch out of the pen in the playoffs, that’s three automatic spots occupied. Price is intriguing out there. It’s been a long time since he shut the Red Sox down in the ALCS in his rookie season coming out of the pen. However, he doesn’t have to worry about lasting and can just rear back and throw. He could be an effective left-handed option for them in crucial spots. Price would also be available for multiple innings at times in big spots if innings are needed. As for the other options…

Matt Barnes has been with the team all year, leading with 66 appearances. He can be hit or miss though, and his 3.88 ERA is high compared to the teams other relievers. Is there a chance one of their most used relief pitchers over the last two seasons off the postseason roster? He does strike out a lot of players —  75 batters in 65 innings. He’s not very trustworthy though.

Heath Hembree has pitched for the Sox a lot this season, appearing in 60 contests as of this writing. Hembree has a decent 3.58 ERA, but his 1.46 WHIP is the worst of anyone with more than 20 appearances. He puts a lot of men on base, which would be awfully nerve-wracking in the playoffs. Hembree, like Barnes, strikes out more than a batter per inning.

Joe Kelly has to be on the roster. With his 2.68 ERA and .207 opponent average, I trust Kelly much more than I trust either Barnes or Hembree. His 100 mph heat can be overpowering and elicits a lot of weak contact.

Brandon Workman has been outstanding for the Sox since coming back from injury. He has worked 37.1 innings to a 2.41 ERA. He can work multiple innings if needed, and do so effectively, a key weapon to have in the postseason.

Carson Smith shows us all what we have been waiting for. Somehow fleecing the Mariners in acquiring Smith (and Elias) for Wade Miley, Smith hadn’t pitched in almost two seasons for the Sox until this month. In 2015 he struck out nearly 12 batters per nine innings and had a 2.31 ERA. This kid has an electric arm. Since returning, Smith has struck out five batters over 4.1 shutout innings. I’d want him on the roster.

Austin Maddox has come out of nowhere to throw his hat in the mix. A guy hardly anyone knew anything about not long ago, Maddox is a 26-year-old career minor leaguer. His career ERA in the minors is 4.27. He’s pitched better the further into his professional career he has gone, posting a sub 4.00 ERA each of the past three seasons. This year his ERA was below 3.00 combined between Portland and Pawtucket. Since joining the big club, Maddox has thrown 12.1 shutout innings! Very shocking. He has allowed only 10 base runners and struck out 10 batters.

For left handers, I have to think at least one other than Price will make it. We have two options. Robby Scott pitched great in a few appearances late last season. This year he has been a little up and down, but when you only face a couple batters a game at most, your ERA fluctuate wildly. Batters hit only .186 off of him and he has a 1.03 WHIP. Beyond that, lefties bat an anemic .131 versus Robby. His should only face a lefty in a big spot.  Why wouldn’t you want someone that dominant versus them?

The other option is Fernando Abad.   John Farrell can’t seem to get past the fact he stunk last year. Abad is 2-0 with a 2.98 ERA this season however, showing why Dombrowski acquired him to begin with. Abad has a much better ERA than Scott, but his peripherals aren’t as good, allowing more hits and putting more men on base. Also, he isn’t as effective at getting lefties out, which is what the Sox will need from their left hander in the pen.

If I were to pick, I would say Kimbrel, Reed, Price, Kelly, Workman, Smith and Scott. Could even choose to keep eight, with four starters instead of five it opens another roster spot. The 4th rotation spot seems to be up for grabs, but whoever loses out in that battle won’t make the playoff roster as a reliever.

[contact-form][contact-field label=”Name” type=”name” required=”true” /][contact-field label=”Email” type=”email” required=”true” /][contact-field label=”Website” type=”url” /][contact-field label=”Message” type=”textarea” /][/contact-form]

Can the Red Sox Make the World Series?

Leave a reply

Five things that need to happen for the Red Sox to win the World Series:

  1. David Price comes back healthy and finally wins a couple games in the postseason:

    Price has notoriously never won a playoff game.   If he could come back and pitch well that would be huge for the Sox. He needs to get the monkey off his back and win a playoff game, and in so doing he would go a long way towards shoring up the pitching staff. Drew Pomeranz has had a complete turnaround, but behind Chris Sale the Red Sox pitcher with ace capability is David Price. Having a healthy Price to follow Sale in rotation is ideally what the Red Sox need.

  2. Red Sox bats follow Rafael Devers’ and Eduardo Nunez’ example:

    Red Sox hitters were ineffective until the month of August. Struggling to find their way following David Ortiz’ retirement, the trade for Eduardo Nunez and the call up of Rafael Devers have helped spark their dormant bats. Halfway through the month of August the Red Sox have 19 home runs, only six less than they hit the entire month of July. They are on pace to hit more home runs this month than any month this season and their team OPS of .810 is the highest of any month. But through Monday night, Mookie Betts was hitting .220 in August, Hanley Ramirez .214, Xander Bogaerts .211 and Jackie Bradley .179. If the Red Sox can get everyone clicking they will be dangerous.

  3. Bullpen continues to perform:

    Despite all the talk of the Red Sox needing bullpen help, their relievers this year are 21-13 with a 3.03 ERA and better than a strike out per inning. But the Sox don’t have a shut-down reliever beyond Craig Kimbrel.  Dominant as ever this year, Kimbrel’s stats speak for themselves:  striking out an insane 16.56 batters per nine innings while allowing just eight earned runs in 50 innings. All other Red Sox relievers are having solid seasons, but just not comparable. Does anyone have faith come playoff time the other relievers can hold down the fort?  That might just be a key to them winning the World Series. The Red Sox need their middle relievers and setup men to continue pitching well.

  4. Catcher Defense:

    The Red Sox have two excellent catchers who can control the running game. Christian Vazquez and Sandy Leon have combined to throw out 29 would-be base stealers this season at a 35.8% rate. Vazquez stands fifth in the league in caught stealing percentage at 37.2%. Keeping opposing baserunners honest and not allowing them to take the extra bases has proved daunting for the Red Sox in recent seasons. In the playoffs, where every run seems to have amplified meaning, holding runners at first could be an underrated key.

  5. NO MORE PABLO SANDOVAL! :

    Does this one even need an explanation?

Year Age Tm Lg G PA WAR oWAR dWAR Salary
2015 28 BOS AL 126 505 -0.9 0.3 -0.9 $17,600,000
2016 29 BOS AL 3 7 -0.2 -0.1 -0.1 $17,600,000
2017 30 BOS AL 32 108 -1.1 -0.3 -0.8 $17,600,000
SFG SFG SFG 877 3562 20.7 20.6 0.8 $18,516,750
BOS BOS BOS 161 620 -2.2 -0.1 -1.7 $52,800,000

Five things that could go wrong

  1. Rotational depth isn’t strong enough in postseason:

    If David Price can’t get healthy the Red Sox rotation is solid, but not as strong as they would like for postseason play. What if David Price doesn’t pitch again this year? What if he comes back and can’t stand up, getting lit up a couple times? Without him, Drew Pomeranz and Rick Porcello have to be the numbers two and three for the playoffs, and I’m not sure they match up. Pomeranz has been great this year, but he doesn’t pitch deep into games. Pomeranz also had never thrown 100 innings before last year; will he wear down come playoff time? Rick Porcello just has not been very good this year with an ERA over 4.50. Those two would look a lot better behind Sale and a healthy Price.

  2. Dustin Pedroia doesn’t heal:

    Dustin Pedroia has been bothered by left knee inflammation for a couple weeks now. He came back from a disabled list stint to play in only one game before returning to the DL. By the sounds of things we won’t see him anytime too soon. Pedroia is the only season-long regular on the Red Sox with a batting average over .300 (.303). He also plays Gold Glove defense at second base, something his replacements most certainly do not. Hopefully Pedroia will heal up with a couple weeks off.  But if his knee gives him problems the rest of this season, the Sox will be without a team leader on the field.

  3. The bullpen implodes:

    This is something that seems to be the fear of all Red Sox fans. The bullpen has performed well this year, but without any lock-down guy beyond Craig Kimbrel can the bullpen hold up their end of the bargain down the stretch and come playoff time? I liked the Addison Reed trade, low-risk move for a setup man who has had a couple good years. However, he was another guy I do not trust added to the bullpen. I tweeted at the time of the trade I would not be surprised if he went full blown Eric Gagne circa 2007.

    The Red Sox traded for Gagne that year to solidify the bullpen.  He came over with a 2.16 ERA for Texas. Gagne posted a 6.75 ERA the rest of that season for the Sox. Unfortunately so far Reed hasn’t alleviated my concerns, allowing five runs in 4.1 innings pitched since the trade. Joe Kelly also hasn’t looked the same since coming back from the disabled list. The Red Sox could use him pitching like he did in May and June when he did not allow a single run.

  4. Rafael Devers and Eduardo Nunez slow down:

    Nunez and Devers have given the Red Sox offense a shot in the arm since they have arrived. Through Monday they had a combined 10 home runs between the two of them in just 130 at bats. Realistically though, Nunez isn’t going to bat near .400, and we can’t count on a 20 year old hitting with the best in all of baseball for the rest of the year. If and when they slow down, are other Red Sox stars going to step up their games and take the reins? Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts and Hanley Ramirez are all having down seasons. If they don’t make a move once others slow down the Red Sox might go back to hitting like they did in July.

  5. John Farrell:

    Many fans, myself included, are not the biggest John Farrell supporters. He routinely makes questionable decisions in games, leaving in certain pitchers too long, bringing in relievers in questionable situations, not pinch-hitting in obvious situations, etc. Will his game management help cost the Red Sox the World Series? He did his best in 2013, game three to be exact, but that’s another story.  Then again, maybe Farrell gets them to play better late in the year. Last year the Red Sox were one of the hottest teams down the stretch, and they seem to be trending that way again this year having won 11 of their last 12. Ninety percent of managing seems to be handling the personalities and keeping everyone in line and happy. You watch any manager enough and you will question plenty of moves they make.