Building a bullpen is much like a study in alchemy: A little science, some philosophy and maybe a touch of magic. You never know when a great bullpen may materialize out of nowhere. Take the Texas Rangers. For the first four months of 2015, the bullpen was an issue. It had a 4.38 ERA in the first half, and that ballooned to 5.65 in July. Yet, by the time the Rangers clinched the AL West title, the bullpen had emerged as a strength, so much so that if there was one thing the Rangers were confident about heading into 2016, it was their bullpen depth would help support a potentially shaky rotation.
Like a lot of bullpens, it's motley collection of relievers, each with an interesting background story on how he got to Arlington.
Shawn Tolleson: A lowly 30th-round draft pick out of Baylor by the Dodgers in 2010, he reached the majors in 2012, but the Dodgers cut him after 2013 and the Rangers claimed him on waivers. After Neftali Feliz struggled early on in 2015, Tolleson became the closer and saved 35 games in 37 chances. Tolleson is the soft-tosser of this bunch, as his fastball averaged a mere 93.2 mph in 2015.
Sam Dyson: In some ways, he had the most conventional path to a big league bullpen. He was primarily a starter in the minors, but he had some twists and turns along the way. The Blue Jays drafted him in the fourth round out of South Carolina in 2010, but he immediately underwent Tommy John surgery. He returned to the mound in 2012 and reached the majors that year. Even though they had given Dyson a $600,000 signing bonus, the Jays needed a roster spot in January of 2013 for veteran infielder and Mark DeRosa and put Dyson on waivers. The Marlins claimed him for $20,000. Dyson moved to the bullpen upon reaching the majors with Miami and was now throwing a vicious sinking fastball in the mid-90s. The Rangers acquired him at the trade deadline and he posted a 1.15 ERA in 31 innings with just four walks and 30 strikeouts. His fastball averaged 96.0 mph.
Jake Diekman: Diekman grew up in Wymore, Nebraska, a small town near the Kansas border with one caution light. No scouts saw him pitch in high school. "I threw puss," he told me in spring training. After a stint at Doane College, an NAIA school, he ended up at Cloud County Community College in Kansas. The Phillies drafted him in the 30th round in 2007 and he signed rather than go to Nebraska. "I didn't want to go to school," he said. The lefty reached the majors in 2012 and came to Texas in the Cole Hamels trade. With the Phillies he had averaged 5.9 walks per nine innings; he suddenly cut that to 2.9 with the Rangers while averaging 96.7 mph on his fastball and touching 100.
Keone Kela: Kela grew up in California and then moved to Seattle his senior year of high school. He attended Chief Sealth High School, part of Seattle's Metro League. "You can say it," Kela laughed: "It wasn't a good league." He played center field and pitched and thought he might get drafted as a hitter. He wasn't. He went to Everett CC, started throwing in the mid-90s and the Rangers drafted him in the 12th round in 2012. "I was wild as heck and had no idea what I was doing out on the mound, as far as working through an at-bat," he said. Still, he advanced quickly and reached the majors after just 99 minor league innings. His fastball averaged 95.4 mph.
Tom Wilhelmsen: Acquired this offseason from the Mariners, Wilhelmsen had been drafted by the Brewers way back in 2002 but twice tested positive for marijuana and then quit the game, backpacked around Europe and worked as a bartender. After five years away from baseball, he gave it another shot and then-Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik, who had drafted him for Milwaukee, gave him a chance. He has 67 career saves and his fastball averaged 95.0 mph last season.
Then there's Tony Barnette, a 32-year-old in the majors for the first time after pitching the past six seasons in a Japan.
Bullpens, of course, can be notoriously volatile. Wilhelmsen turned a 4-2 deficit against Seattle in the season's second game into a 9-2 deficit when his former teammates scorched him for five runs without recording an out. The next day, Tolleson blew a save when the Mariners scored five runs off him in the ninth -- again with recording an out. On Thursday, Dyson picked up the loss when the Angels scored a run off him in the bottom of the ninth.
Wilhelmsen knows the potential ups and downs of a bullpen. The Mariners led the majors in bullpen ERA in 2014 and then were one of the worst in 2015. "You can definitely feed off each other," he says. "Relievers are kind of a brotherhood. Success can breed more success and then you get on a roll and everybody's confidence goes up."
In a pen with so many hard-throwers, it may be easy to try and out-do the others. Dyson said it's not the velocity readings that he gets him pumped up coming out of the pen but a zero on the scoreboard. "If the last guy just put up a zero, you want to do the same, otherwise you feel like you're letting the entire crew down."
It's also a group that seems to like each other. As I interviewed Dyson and Diekman, they sat in front of their lockers performing a comedy routine of sorts. Diekman says he has to use a catcher's glove when he plays catch with Dyson. Asked for proof, sure enough, he pulled out a left-handed catcher's mitt from his locker. We were surveying players and asking them who the most intimidating pitcher was in the majors. Diekman deadpanned "Sam Dyson." Dyson deadpanned "Shawn Tolleson. Because of his tight pants. And I think he's going to wear them even tighter this year."
Of course, the ultimate act is throwing those fastballs past hitters. The pen has struggled the first week, but expect them to be one of the toughest groups in the majors. If that happens, there's a good chance we'll see the Rangers back in the postseason.
