1 welcome skill Chase Silseth brings to Rangers bullpen, 1 that will frustrate fans

In a rare intra-divisional trade, the Texas Rangers and Los Angeles Angels have swung a deal that will bring the much- needed right-handed relief pitcher Chase Silseth to Arlington. Fans and experts have been clamoring that the team needed to upgrade from their current crop of mostly rookie right-handed bullpen hands, and Chris Young knew it was the most pressing area of need.

Chase Silseth has an impressive and electric skill set, but there are areas of his game that may test Rangers fans' patience and have them white-knuckling it whenever he comes in. Sort of like when Aroldis Chapman would come into games in 2023. You knew the stuff was solid, but he didn't always know where the ball was going to end up.

Chase Silseth is a strikeout pitcher, but is also prone to walks and lapses in control, which might be frustrating

The most appealing part of Silseth's game is his excellent velocity and ability to get swing-and-miss strikeouts, which is coveted in any late-inning reliever. He has fanned 48 batters in 39.2 innings pitched with an arsenal that includes a four-seam fastball that averages 96 mph, a splitter/split-finger that clocks in at 88, and a sweeper that he'll throw only about 16% of the time at 86.6 mph. His 32.3% whiff rate is among the best in baseball.

When he's on, he is extremely difficult to hit, as indicated by his impressive 2,72 ERA and 34 hits allowed. However. if you look at his 1.41 WHIP, it's clear he can sometimes lose control of his pitches. He has 22 walks and 5 wild pitches. His control problems can also lead to him needing to groove a pitch to get back in the count and occasionally lead to hard contact.

Walks are obviously something a leverage reliever cannot afford to hand out, with every out being of the utmost importance. Free passes late in games will drive Skip Schumaker and the fans up the wall for sure. It is an area that the current Rangers' bullpen has been effective in, allowing just 119 walks thus far, good for second in the entire league.

So while Silseth will look dominant at times, be aware that walks and bouts of control issues are his bugaboos, and it is an aspect of his game that Rangers fans should be prepared for now that he will likely be handling 6th and 7th-inning duties in front of Jakob Junis and Jacob Latz, though he'll temporarily get bumped up in the pecking order with Junis once again landing on the IL.

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