The Orioles bullpen in May has not quite capped off to the dominant performance that we anticipated after the start of the year they had.
But through the grind, the Orioles are still holding on to a 29-16 record, which is good for second in the AL East and third in the American League overall.
Manager Brandon Hyde announced during his media scrum on Monday that the Orioles will move to a six-man rotation after the returns of Kyle Bradish and John Means. These returns have also slid Albert Suárez into a distinctive bullpen role, with Cole Irvin fluctuating between the rotation and pen.
As predicted in the April’s power rankings, these returns have led to the DFA’s of Yohan Ramirez and Mike Baumann. Ramirez was claimed off waivers by the New York Mets, the team that originally DFA’d him. The Mets then traded Ramirez to the Los Angeles Dodgers for fan favorite, cash considerations.
Baumann was DFA’d on May 18, and there has been no word on his next destination as of this writing.
Let’s take a look at the latest edition of our Battery Bullpen Power Rankings:
1. DANNY COULOMBE
Danny Coulombe has just been reliable in the assignments he has been given. Until the Seattle game on May 18, Coulombe had a 0.00 ERA and had only given up two hits in 5.1 innings of work.
His early success can be attributed to pitching to contact. Coulombe has a walk percentage of 3.3%, which places him in the top 4% of the league. His weighted OBP is .123, which is good for the top 5% of the league and tells analysts that this success is potentially sustainable for 2024.
It’s also noticeable that his average launch angle for hitters is 8.5%, his lowest since 2016. This is only important to note because the pull side percentage is 38.2% and topped ball percentage is 40.7%. These statistics correlate to many of the opposing batters rolling over on his pitches, meaning his out pitches have been effective, although they have not necessarily equated to strikeouts.
2. ALBERT SUÁREZ
This has been a fun experiment so far hasn’t it? But if you think about it, Suárez matches well with what Hyde has normally looked for in a reliever; someone who has one very dominant pitch.
Suárez started in the bullpen in May, and he has not disappointed. In 9.1 innings of work, the 34-year-old has posted a 0.96 ERA by only giving up one earned run, three walks and adding six strikeouts to add up to a 0.75 WHIP.
So what about his fastball is so effective? Well, for starters, he throws his four-seamer at an average of 95 mph. Couple that with an active spin percentage of 95% to lead to 19.1 inches of total movement, and you get the whiff percentage of 31.6%.
Although his age and not being in the future plans of this club could make him a potential trade deadline casualty, let’s enjoy the Cinderella story until the clock strikes midnight.
3. YENNIER CANÓ
Thanks to a rough few outings for another reliever on this list, Canó has been slotted into the ninth inning a few times this season out of necessity.
Fans know the ninth inning is not a particularly good place for Canó, and May has been a little rocky for The Rock. In 5.1 innings so far in May, Canó has posted a 5.06 ERA with five hits, five walks and only two strikeouts.
One of the concerns in his analytics is that all of his RPM’s on his pitches are down by an average of 125 rotations. His sinker has also slowed down by an average of one mph, which is his dominant pitch that still posts as above grade.
Hopefully, this anomaly is due to a high workload in April, and we see dominant Canó as we get into the summer.
4. KEEGAN AKIN
Akin has figured something out early in 2024. So far this season, he’s posted a 27.8% K rate and a 7.6% BB rate, the best of his career since entering the league in 2020.
Baseball analytics point to this being sustainable as well, with his xBA at .173 and xERA at 1.92, good for the top 2% of all pitchers in MLB.
As the only player in the bullpen left with an option (besides Canó), Akin will need to continue this success to solidify himself in this rotation.
5. CRAIG KIMBREL
Is everyone ready to step back from the ledge yet? Everything is fine.
Since the Nationals series, Kimbrel has been solid. In his four outings since, he has a 0.00 ERA with zero runs allowed, zero walks and six strikeouts. Do not forget that his 37.5% K rate is good for the top 2% in Major League Baseball.
Kimbrel is a veteran and one of the greatest closers of all time. All pitchers have their struggles, but it takes someone like Kimbrel to bounce back and go back to being dominant. All signs point to a bounce back for him moving forward.
The Bubble Line:
Those guys that are in danger of being DFA’d when Tyler Wells returns, the potential addition of Cade Povich in the near future or a potential trade deadline addition.
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6. JACOB WEBB
The beginning of the 2024 season for Webb was solid. But as the year is progressing, he is starting to fall back into old habits.
One metric that needed to be sustainable was his 6.7% walk rate that he produced at the beginning of the season. That walk rate has dropped 13.4%, which is the worst of his career.
Also, the month of May saw Webb post 6.1 innings of four-run, eight-walk, six-strikeout baseball. This has accumulated to a scary 2.05 WHIP.
Neither of Webb’s pitches grade above average for Major League Baseball and are what make him fall below the bubble line at this point in the year.
7. CIONEL PÉREZ
Pérez was a fun addition to this team in 2022. But with Coulombe and Akin pitching so well, does this put him on the hot seat?
Since coming off the injured list in April, Pérez has just not been good. In 9.2 innings, the lefty has allowed six earned runs on 10 hits. Pérez also tallied six walks, which accumulated a 1.66 WHIP.
A 5.59 ERA is not going to cut it to stick in this bullpen for the remainder of 2024. Let’s hope Pérez reverts back to his 2022 self.
What are your thoughts on our bullpen rankings for May? Let us know in the comments below! Make sure to follow The Baltimore Battery on Facebook, Twitter (X) and TikTok, and use the hashtag #baltimorebattery when sharing our content!
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