White Sox 2019 Season Preview: The Revamped Bullpen
White Sox bullpen has some new faces for this season. With a new closer and setup man, can the bullpen be a major strength for this team in 2019?
The Chicago White Sox made two stellar moves this offseason to help strengthen their bullpen for 2019. The first move was trading for a pitcher that has plenty of experience as a closer and the other move was signing a reliever that they’re very familiar with seeing from his playing time with a division rival.
These two moves from the White Sox this past offseason could do more to help the team this season than many could people could imagine. However, the bullpen entering this season might have been revamped by those moves, but developing young pitchers throughout the minors could also have a huge impact.
While most of the focus for the Sox prospects have been on players in the top of most rankings. Other prospects within the Sox farm system have also had success and have seen their progression to the majors come faster than others. These prospects are entering their first Opening Day with the Sox and will be in the bullpen.
There are also other pitchers in the Sox bullpen who just missed out on being a part of the starting rotation, but could find success as relievers. The Sox bullpen for 2019 is certainly revamped and could pose as a major strength for the team this season. If the Sox are going to surprise this season, it would be mainly because of their bullpen.
Long Relief
Manny Banuelos hasn’t pitched in the major leagues since 2015 when he was with the Atlanta Braves. He was battling for the fifth starter spot this Spring Training and although he pitched well, he did make the team as a reliever to start this season.
The 28-year-old left-handed pitcher compiled a 4.16 ERA in 19 innings pitched with 17 strikeouts during Spring Training for the White Sox. He started just six games for the Braves in 2015 and hasn’t come close to reaching the Majors since that season. If he can sustain success this year with the Sox, expect him to become another successful turnaround story for pitching coach Don Cooper.
Another pitcher that could find success in the Sox bullpen this season is Dylan Covey. Covey was a Rule 5 draft pick by the Sox in 2016 and had a disastrous 2017 campaign. That season, Covey finished with an 0-7 record, 7.71 ERA through 18 total appearances. He made 12 starts in 2017 and only came close to pitching seven innings once.
In 2018, Covey again struggled as a starter but found success as a reliever. He finished the season with a 5.18 ERA but had a 2.25 ERA through six appearances out of the bullpen. This season, Covey will start in the bullpen and won’t likely start a game unless it’s to replace an injured starter. If both Covey and Banuelos can have success as long relievers in 2019, it will bode well for the rest of the bullpen.
Middle Relief
Ryan Burr, the Sox 30th ranked prospect didn’t have a good start to his major league career in 2018. In eight appearances out of the bullpen, Burr had a 7.45 ERA. He gave up three home runs through 9.2 total innings pitched.
Burr was promoted after compiling an impressive 2.72 ERA through 30 games with Double-A Birmingham last season. This Spring, Burr recorded 15 strikeouts through 10.1 innings pitched to go along with a 2.61 ERA. Last season, Burr recorded 43 strikeouts through 43.1 innings pitched with the Barons.
The Sox could certainly use more strikeout pitchers in their bullpen and Burr could be a welcome sight. Certainly, he would need to limit the number of home runs he allows while pitching out of the bullpen. If he can replicate his success this Spring over a full season, the Sox bullpen could hold a lot of leads.
Another overlooked prospect, Caleb Frare, ranked 25th, also made the team out of Spring Training. Frare, much like Burr, didn’t have the best of starts to his major league career in 2018. Through just seven innings pitched, Frare compiled a 5.14 ERA but recorded nine strikeouts and didn’t give up any home runs.
Entering this season, Frare will give the Sox yet another left-handed option out of the bullpen. His Spring Training stats weren’t impressive as he had a 7.88 ERA through eight innings pitched. The Sox won’t have much success out of the bullpen in 2019 if Frare can’t be a viable option as a left-handed reliever.
Setup Men, Closer
The Sox made the best addition to their bullpen with two moves as they acquired a closer and setup man this offseason. Trading Omar Narvaez to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for Alex Colome could become a very important trade for the Sox from this past offseason.
Colome has been an All-Star closer in the past and could likely help the Sox prevent many blown saves this season. The Sox had 19 blown saves last season. For his career, Colome has just 19 blown saves through six major league seasons. He had a career-high 47 saves in 2017 with the Tampa Bay Rays.
The Sox need a shutdown closer and Colome could fit in this role for the team. While Colome’s acquisition was important for the Sox, so was the signing of Kelvin Herrera. Herrera tormented Sox hitters while a member of the Kansas City Royals bullpen. His signing could help the Sox bullpen become one of the best in the game if he is healthy.
With Colome as the closer and Herrera as a setup man, it could take a lot of pressure off Sox veteran reliever Nate Jones and also Jace Fry. For Jones, he will need to remain healthy throughout this season as he hasn’t appeared in more than 50 games since 2016 when he pitched in 71 games.
Fry had better results in 2018 in a larger sample size than his 2017 season. But they weren’t great results. In 59 games. Fry had a 4.38 ERA but also recorded 70 strikeouts through 51.1 innings pitched. If Fry can limit the number of runs he allows and maintain an above-average strikeout per nine innings pitched (K/9) ratio, the Sox bullpen will greatly benefit from his production.