Examining the San Francisco Giants’ Depth Chart: Bullpen

In 2014, the San Francisco Giants‘ bullpen continued its string of dominance, as it finished the year fifth in baseball with a 3.01 ERA. This season looks promising as well, as the Giants have kept all the main cogs in place. There’s a lot of depth this year as well, with prospects and new faces vying for consideration. There are a ton of guys who have a shot at making the bullpen, so I’ll try to include as many as possible on this list.

Closer – Santiago Casilla

Casilla began 2014 as the set-up man, but was eventually promoted to closer, and he excelled in both roles. He enters 2015 as the closer once again. In 54 games last season, he posted career-lows in ERA (1.70) and WHIP (.857) while converting 19 of 23 save opportunities. Take away a stressful month of August and Casilla’s ERA drops to 1.09 for the year. He also didn’t allow an run in 7.1 innings in the postseason.

Bridge Guys – Sergio Romo, Jeremy Affeldt, Javier Lopez, Jean Machi, Yusmeiro Petit, George Kontos

Romo started 2014 as the closer, but after an abysmal stretch in May and June, he was pulled from that role. He would turn it around, and the slider-specialist began working his magic again. He finished the season on a very strong note, with a 1.17 ERA over his last 23 innings, including the postseason. He re-signed before Christmas on a two-year deal, and he brings valuable experience back to the bullpen.

Do you know who has the second longest streak of consecutive scoreless outings in postseason history? It’s the Giants’ Jeremy Affeldt, with 22. He was rock solid in 2014, posting a 2.28 ERA and 1.102 WHIP, and was even better in the postseason, with a 0.00 ERA and 0.68 WHIP in 11.1 innings. He’s a rare commodity, being a lefty who can go multiple innings and retire righties and lefties.

Oct 15, 2014; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Jeremy Affeldt (41) pitches during the seventh inning against the St. Louis Cardinals in game four of the 2014 NLCS playoff baseball game at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Lopez is a typical left-handed specialist, and who is one of the best in that role. Lefties hit .210 off Lopez in his whole career, but since the start of 2010, that average drops down to .173. His spot is set in the bullpen, and even as he approaches 38 years old, he’s still as effective as ever.

Machi got off to an eye-popping start, laying out a 0.29 ERA over his first 33 appearances, all coming in the Giants’ first 75 games. It appeared that heavy workload took its toll on Machi, because he totaled a 4.63 ERA over the final 38 games. His splitter/forkball-hybrid is a groundball machine, and with a bit of a lighter workload, Machi could continue to be a double play-specialist.

Petit is once again the long reliever, a role where he posted a 1.84 ERA and .857 WHIP in 2014. He will get a chance to spot start occasionally, but will be used mostly as a bridge guy when the starter fails to go deep into games.

Kontos has struggled to find a consistent spot, but he’s out of minor league options, so his permanent time could be now. He was good in 2012 and 2014, with a bad 2013 sprinkled in, a lot like the team he pitches for. In the even years, he posted a 2.61 ERA in 76 innings. In the odd year, his ERA ballooned to 4.39 in 55.1 innings.

Other Options – Hunter Strickland, Juan Gutierrez, Erik Cordier, Cory Gearrin, Travis Blackley, Curtis Partch, Derek Law, Steven Okert, Brett Bochy

Strickland made his big league debut last year as a 25-year old and pitched extremely well in nine games, giving up no runs, no walks, and just five hits in seven innings. He struck out nine and earned his first win and save. Postseason was a different story, where he posted a 7.56 ERA and allowed six home runs. He needs to learn to trust his curveball, and become more of a pitcher instead of a thrower. His future is still very bright.

Oct 25, 2014; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants relief pitcher

throws a pitch against the Kansas City Royals in the 9th inning during game four of the 2014 World Series at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Gutierrez is slower than a snail through molasses, but he was very good at times in 2014. He was extremely up-and-down for the most part, as his ERA was 2.70 on August 4th, and rocketed up to 4.13 by September 15th. It settled in at a respectable 3.96, pretty good for a guy who signed on a minor league deal. He re-signed with the Giants on a similar deal, and will be considered as a replacement whenever one is needed.

Cordier also made his debut last year as part of the expanded roster in September. He pitched well, allowing just one run in six innings, with nine strikeouts. Control problems have hampered him his entire career, with 5.1 BB/9 and 1.503 WHIP throughout his minor league career. His 100 mile an hour fastball makes him a weapon, however.

Gearrin, a 28-year old sinker-baller, has experience with the Atlanta Braves, including 77 games and a 4.28 ERA. He has shown some promise, as he had a strong year in 2012, posting a 1.80 ERA and 1.100 WHIP, with a 4:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 22 games. He missed all of 2014 following Tommy John surgery, but he might fit in well in the spacious grounds of AT&T Park.

Aug 1, 2013; Baltimore, MD, USA; Houston Astros pitcher

(54) reacts after giving up a home run to Baltimore Orioles first baseman

(not shown) in the seventh inning against the at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The Orioles defeated the Astros 6-3. Mandatory Credit: Joy R. Absalon-USA TODAY Sports

Blackley, the tattoed Australian metal-head, signed a minor-league deal earlier in January and is entering his third stint with the Giants. He owns a career 5.23 ERA, but is much better as a reliever. If he can make the San Francisco roster for the third time, he could become a long reliever, or specialist.

Partch, a former Cincinnati Red, signed a minor league-deal this offseason. He brings 20 games of big league experience, but has a 4.75 ERA and more walks (24) than strikeouts (22) in 30.1 innings. His farm ERA is 4.84 with a 1.497 WHIP. Partch is unpolished, but the Giants have turned coal into diamonds before.

Law is a 24-year old right-handed prospect, and if not for Tommy John last season, he could have made the expanded roster in September. The sinker specialist has a 2.57 minor league ERA, and could be a late-season call-up, depending on his recovery. A more complete scouting report can be found here.

Okert is a great left-handed prospect, and seems to have the potential to be an Affeldt-type, who can retire lefties and righties. He has improved greatly as a pro, tweaking his delivery and cutting down on walks. He owns a career 2.45 ERA and .165 opponent average against lefties. He appears very close to a call-up. A more complete scouting report can be found here.

Nepotism doesn’t matter when you’re talented, and Bruce Bochy‘s son, Brett, is very talented. He made his big league debut last year, and gave up two runs in 3.1 innings. He’s a good strikeout pitcher (10 K/9 in minors) with three good pitches, and at 27 years old, his time could be coming.

These obviously are not the only options for the Giants in the bullpen. There’s plenty of other young players on the farm, but these are the closest to the big league bullpen.

This concludes the series on the Giants’ depth charts. There are some strengths and weakness, some question marks and exclamation points. A lot of people are panicking after the quiet offseason, but the roster is good as it is. Brian Sabean has never made moves based on rivals, and that didn’t change this year.

Next: Giants' Rotation Depth Chart