Cubs bullpen ranked #1 in ESPN's MLB Rankings |
CHICAGO -- ESPN released their
latest article with their best bullpens in major league baseball and has the Chicago Cubs stable of talented relievers ranked No. 1 in the rankings. The Cubs bullpen has a projected WAR of 5.5 and a projected ERA of 3.37.
"The Cubs' goal was to make sure they weren't using the same three or four relievers with late-game leads, so they added veterans Koji Uehara and Wade Davis," ESPN.com said. "The result is a pen with three relievers with closing experience (Davis, Uehara, Hector Rondon) and three more with tons of playoff experience now (Justin Grimm, Pedro Strop and Mike Montgomery), plus an emerging arm in Carl Edwards Jr. The Cubs view their relief crew as interchangeable in their effectiveness, so asking for back-to-back-to-back appearances from anyone won't be as necessary." How well the Cubs bullpen does will largely be a result if Davis can solidify the closer role and if Hector Rondon and Pedro Strop can get back to the days where they were quality above-average pieces in the bullpen. Regardless, Carl Edwards Jr. looks to be a future elite closer if he keeps progressing at such a rapid pace. The Top 10 teams with regards to bullpen were the Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Indians, Baltimore Orioles, Los Angeles Dodgers, Texas Rangers, New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, Washington Nationals, and New York Met. Usually, but not always, the teams with elite bullpens will make a yearly appearance in the playoff.
