Bullpen Report, Week 12 – We’ve Got Bush

Whatever your cultivation of choice may be, go with it.  Oscar Gamble was, and is still a pimp in social culture, as is California sensemilia.  So whatever your subset of life is, that’s cool with me.  My obsession is a little of column A, a lot of column B, and I incorporate column C.  Column C being my love and passion for the deliverance of the most finite bullpen jargon on the web.  Go look, there isn’t anything better than me.  I checked, if I added a pretty colorful chart with catchy funny names, then I would literally have to kick my own ass.  So here we sit, and look at what the Rangers are doing.  They have been doing, in the last 30 days what the Cubs did over the first 30.  They are, in no large part, being buoyed by a stout bullpen.  Their starters are all hitting the DL and fast.  The trio of Matt Bush, Jake Diekman, and Sam Dyson are about as tight as a bullpen can get, and the best group I have seen since the Isley Brothers concert Prospector Ralph and I went to see.  I have talked about Dyson and Diekman on separate occasions this year.  So no, it’s the one without voting privileges turn.  Bush has basically been a la machina since promotion on May 12th.  He has appeared in 13 games for the Rangers to date, and his usage has only recently spiked having pitched in 13 of the last 22 overall for the Rangers.  His 10-plus K-rate over that time is coupled with an ERA under a buck and his xFIP is basically what David Phelps is giving you.  Who, in most hold leagues right now, is pretty much a must own and isn’t a guy you yawn at in mixed company leagues either.  Bush is a feel good story that I think can continue as long as the Rangers can duct tape their starting rotation together long enough to maintain their AL West dominance.  He should be rostered in most leagues going forward for his usage potential as the remaining Rangers starters, minus Cole Hamels, average less than 6 innings per start.  So head for the mountains and roster some Bush.  Stick with me for some other diatribes of greatness…

• Next week when the reliever rankings come out, there will be a new king, and I don’t care who knows it.  Zach Britton is the kitten with silk mittens for me. He K’s 31% of the batters he faces and then gets 80%, an absolutely ridiculous 80% GB rate!  He has given up 6 fly balls all year in 114 batters faced.  He is the human buzz saw.
• Hey Jason Motte, it is not 2012 Pete’s sake.  For all the alcoholics in the room, that is sake not Sake. Motte with 5 holds over the past fortnight leads the way.
• Kyle Barraclough is basically the non-latino Dellin Betances.  Check the past 30 days, but the past 14 are just as nice.  Seven appearances, 11 K’s, 5 holds ties him with the apple sauce giant in Motte.  On the year he is on pace for 70 appearances, 120 K’s and 30 Holds for a wildcard bound Marlins team.
• Not a bullpen note, but interesting none the less…  The Astros have the lowest average velocity as a staff, but the most K’s for an AL team.  But that in your stat grinder and smoke it geek!
• The Tigers have the other, other Rondon and he is throwing gas.  Back to the form that made him a great bullpen prospect two years ago. Second highest fastball avg (Chapman) in MLB since his return to MLB action.  No leverage situations just yet but they are coming.
• Looking for a great team to stream for relievers look no further then the Padres, they are so hit and miss with splits and lead MLB bullpens in K’s by a relief corps.
• The Reds have two pitchers with 5 wins on the year, Blake Wood and Ross Ohlendorf.  Neither has started a game for them this year.