Texas Rangers: Bullpen The Biggest Question?

Going into  the Texas Rangers season the biggest strength was believed to be the bullpen. It didn’t take long to realize that what we thought was the biggest strength actually felt like the biggest question.

Sam Dyson, Jake Diekman, Shawn Tolleson, and Keone Kela were thought to be lights out for the Texas Rangers when the season started but then reality hit. After playing in 73 games in 2015 and recording 35 saves and only having 2 blown saves, Tolleson has had a difficult season. He has only played in 37 games, has 11 saves and 4 blown saves.

Dyson has become the “closer” for the Texas Rangers but he has not been the same player that he was last year. Diekman has recently experienced a slump that has left him and the coaches scratching their heads. Finally, Kela has experienced ups and downs this year as well as spent a good amount of time on the DL.

Throughout the season there have been sightings of Luke Jackson, a failed attempt with Tom Wilhelmsen, and a showing of the future in Jose Leclerc. Now the way that I have talked of the bullpen in the past and the picture I have painted of them so far seems dim but this is where I provide you with some confidence moving forward.

This Texas Rangers bullpen is actually one of the better ones in the MLB. They rank 1st in saves this year with a total of 52 to this point in the season. That is a big deal and could be a result of all of the close games that the Rangers have participated in this year. With save opportunities there will also be some blown saves, 17 is the number for the Rangers and that recently ranked 16th in the MLB.

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Okay so those blown saves weren’t too bad but what else have they done for the Rangers? Believe it or not but this bullpen ranks 1st in wins so far this year with 37 (last nights win was awesome).

There have been times when this bullpen was frustrating and I think those big moments were exaggerated but they do have 19 losses this year which is tied for 19th in the MLB. Finally, this collection of pitchers has the 5th best save percentage in all of the MLB and that may end up being the best among playoff teams this year.

I think that it is fair to say the bullpen hasn’t been the biggest strength for the Rangers this year but they have done their part. Yes they have been frustrating at times but they also have been special at other times. With the playoffs looming in a couple of weeks, this bullpen is getting ready to be a featured piece in this championship run the Rangers are on.

One last thing to point out is the return of Tanner Scheppers from injury, he has been exception in his time thus far and is making a case to be a key set up man moving forward which could be the wildcard the Rangers needed.

Next: Texas Rangers: An Outlook Of The Talented Outfield

Who are you most concerned about in the bullpen moving forward? Did these numbers surprise you? of the starting pitchers who won’t start in the playoffs, who are you most eager to see come out of the bullpen?