Ranking The Orioles Bullpen Options Heading Into The Divisional Round

Before the Orioles take the field against the Rangers in the opening game of the ALDS on Saturday, they will have to determine which 26 players will be eligible to participate. Having spent the last month with 28 players on the roster, Mike Elias and his team will have some difficult decisions to make as they narrow down the pool of players. Among those are deciding who will get a spot in the starting rotation and who will be given an opportunity to come out of the bullpen. 

For the purposes of this article, let’s assume that the Orioles use a four-man starting rotation consisting of Kyle Bradish, Grayson Rodriguez, John Means, and Dean Kremer. That leaves approximately nine available spots in the bullpen and at least 12 players worthy of consideration. Let’s take a look at each of those candidates and where they rank relative to each other heading into the postseason. 

 1. Yennier Cano

 Cano is the obvious choice for the top spot on this list after a season in which he established himself as not just one of the best relievers in Baltimore, but one of the best relievers in the entire league. Despite some second-half struggles, he finished first on the team in strikeout-to-walk ratio (5.00), second in ERA (2.11) and third in WHIP (1.00) while landing in the 85th percentile or higher among all MLB pitchers in expected ERA, chase rate, barrel rate, and pitching run value. The immunity to pressure that Cano has displayed over the past five months will make him an invaluable piece throughout the playoffs, especially as the Orioles continue to try to fill the Felix Bautista-sized hole in the roster.  

 2. Danny Coulombe

Much like Cano, Coulombe has enjoyed a breakout 2023 campaign that has seen him go from a fringe roster player to a key member of the bullpen. His 1.11 WHIP and 10.2 K/9 are the best marks of his career and are indicative of the dominance he has displayed since joining the Orioles. His ability to solicit soft contact is perhaps his best attribute, as evidenced by his average exit velocity allowed of 85.6 MPH and his hard hit rate of 30.4%, which rank in the 96th percentile and 95th percentile of MLB pitchers respectively. Coulombe should see his name called a number of times throughout the postseason, especially against some of the left-handed heavy lineups present among the remaining AL teams. 

 3. DL Hall

It’s hard to believe how important Hall has become to the Orioles bullpen given that he joined the major league roster just over a month ago. Since his call up, Hall leads all Baltimore pitchers in appearances (17) while pitching to an impressive 2.76 ERA with a 1.04 WHIP. Even more impressive, however, is that he has walked just four batters in 16.1 innings over that span, suggesting that he has finally found the control that has always evaded him. He’s also one of the freshest arms on the roster, having taken two months away from pitching over the summer, so fatigue should not be a problem for him should the Orioles make a deep playoff run.  

 4. Tyler Wells

After a phenomenal first half of the season that saw him post a 3.18 ERA while holding opponents to a measly .193 batting average, Wells imploded after the all-star break and was ultimately sent down to Triple-A. Still, while he may have lost a spot in the postseason rotation, he could be an important part of the bullpen over the next few weeks. Since returning to Baltimore, he has tossed five scoreless innings with six strikeouts, no hits, and just one walk, suggesting that he may have gotten his confidence back at the perfect time. It should also be noted that Hyde has shown a willingness to pitch Wells in the late innings of close games, having already used him in the 9th inning against Washington and Boston, so don’t be surprised if he gets a chance to close at some point this postseason. 

 5. Cionel Perez

A few months into the 2023 season, it looked as though Perez might be cut from the roster entirely. Over the second half of the season, however, he regained his 2022 form, allowing an earned run in just one of his 26 outings since the start of August. While the strikeout numbers remain unimpressive, he has found a way to limit walks, create soft contact, and minimize damage all while regaining the confidence of the coaching staff. Furthermore, Perez is one of the few pitchers on the roster who is significantly better against left-handed hitters than he is against right-handed hitters, so he could take on the role of a specialist in the postseason.  

 6. Jacob Webb

Webb’s introduction to Baltimore went about as well as it could have, as he produced scoreless outings in his first nine appearances after being claimed off waivers from the Angels. Since then, he has endured a string of difficult outings that have caused his ERA to rise from 3.12 to 3.69 and his WHIP to rise from 1.17 to 1.29 over the final month of the season. That being said, while he seems unlikely to be given the ball in a high-leverage situation in the postseason, Webb could still be handed the fifth or sixth inning on multiple occasions should a starter be pulled early. His body of work throughout the season and the underlying metrics behind his pitch arsenal suggest that the Orioles should have full confidence in his ability to fill that role.  

 7. Kyle Gibson

There was a time when Gibson seemed like a lock for the postseason rotation, but the rise of Rodriguez, the return of Means, and the consistency of Kremer have made that seem like a long shot at this point. His own performance, which saw him post a mediocre 4.73 ERA and rank in the bottom half of the league in expected batting average, average exit velocity, and hard hit rate, among other statistics, has also done little to help his case. That being said, Gibson did exactly what this team needed from him throughout the regular season: he ate innings, never missed a start, and gave the offense a chance to win more often than not. Now it’s time for him to take a back seat, let the young arms take over, and be ready to come out of the bullpen should he be needed.  

 8. Jack Flaherty

Flaherty’s arrival in Baltimore was met with much excitement and anticipation and his first start with the team, in which he tossed six innings of one run ball in a win over Toronto, only elevated expectations. Since then, however, he has been nothing short of a tremendous disappointment, surrendering 25 earned runs in just 28.2 innings of work. Still, there’s something to be said for having a veteran who has pitched and found success in the postseason on the roster. While it’s unlikely that Flaherty will see much, if any, action in October, he should get a spot in the bullpen as a long reliever who can coach up some of the less experienced arms as they prepare for their first taste of playoff baseball.  

 9. Mike Baumann

 Baumann was one of the more reliable Orioles relievers for much of the 2023 season, but it always felt like regression was inevitable. His advanced metrics, which place him in the bottom half of major league pitchers in just about every statistic imaginable, finally caught up to him in August, during which a trio of bad outings caused his ERA to rise from 3.42 to 3.82.  He was sent down to Triple-A as a result and posted six  appearances there before being brought back up to Baltimore in mid-September.  “The Vulture” looked solid in his first four outings back at the major league level, but whether or not it was enough to earn him a spot on the postseason roster remains to be seen.  

 10. Cole Irvin

Irvin never quite found his footing in Baltimore after coming over from the Athletics during the offseason. He fell out of favor with both management and the fanbase after a rocky month of April, and while he looked solid after returning from Triple-A in mid-June, he always felt like more of an innings-eater than a reliable starting pitcher. With Gibson and Flaherty likely to hold down that role in the postseason, Irvin seems like a long shot to make the roster. His saving grace could be the fact that he’s left-handed, which only three other contenders for the bullpen can lay claim to. 

 11. Shintaro Fujinami

Hopes were high for Fujinami when the Orioles acquired him from Oakland back in July, but while he has shown flashes of his potential from time-to-time, he has remained very inconsistent throughout his tenure in Baltimore. Thanks to his high velocity fastball, he has been able to solicit plenty of whiffs and hold opponents to a .195 batting average over the second half of the season. At the same time, however, he has had multiple outings where he has displayed a complete lack of control and an inability to get anyone out. There is very little room for error in the playoffs and one bad relief appearance can be the difference between advancing and seeing your season come to an end, so Fujinami’s inconsistency may place him on the outside looking in when roster decisions are made.  

 12. Bryan Baker

Baker’s absence from the major league roster is the primary reason behind this ranking. His 3.60 ERA and 1.27 WHIP would be good enough to make most postseason rosters, but the fact that he has faced MLB hitters just once since the start of August is a major knock on his chances to earn a spot in the Orioles bullpen. Baker should get another shot in Baltimore next season, especially with Bautista sidelined for all of 2024, but bringing him back for a postseason run seems highly unlikely.