The New York Yankees bullpen has undergone a bit of a
makeover from the 2015 season to the 2016 season and here it is only
mid-January. A lot can change between now and April just like a lot has changed
from today since the Wild Card game against the Houston Astros. Adam Warren is
gone and so is Justin Wilson while Aroldis Chapman is in and so is a laundry
list of prospects headed by Jacob Lindgren, Nick Goody, Nick Rumbelow and James
Pazos looking to fill the void. We keep hearing the names of the big three at
the back end of the bullpen and the names of Bryan Mitchell and Ivan Nova
essentially replacing Warren and his role but what about Chasen Shreve? What if
Shreve actually remembers how to pitch well in 2016?
Shreve was an absolute monster for the Yankees in the first
half of 2015 before falling off drastically in the second half. Looking at
things in a simplistic view and on paper alone you would think that fatigue
would not be a factor. Shreve was a starter in the minor leagues for the
Atlanta Braves before the trade and had thrown 70.0 innings in 2011 before
throwing just 58.1 innings in 2015. This innings count means little when you
actually watch what Shreve was doing out there though as all signs of his
downfall pointed to fatigue. His arm angle changed a bit when it never used to
and so did his release point. Shreve was seen overthrowing the ball at one
point and under-throwing the ball at another. That’s not mechanical, that’s
fatigue.
So if Shreve can remember to pitch like he did in the first
half of the 2015 season the Yankees will add a fourth dominant relief pitcher
to their stable of bullpen arms. Instead of turning these games into a five or
six inning game for the starters, remember Dellin Betances can easily go
multiple innings three or four times a week, the Yankees may be able to turn it
into a four or five inning game. Anything else is gravy.
So while everyone is up in arms about the Yankees having
three guys capable of 100 strikeouts in a single season I’m over here wondering
about “The Forgotten One” Jacob Lindgren and the “All of a sudden underrated
one” Chasen Shreve.
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Sorry for the Capatcha... Blame the Russians :)