Cincinnati Reds need Raisel Iglesias to be the primary set-up man for the bullpen to be successful

The Cincinnati Reds have reset their bullpen, but it will only work if Raisel Iglesias is the set-up man.

The Cincinnati Reds entered last year with a veteran reliever as closer, but he never stood a chance.  Now the closer’s role is a three headed monster, but one pitcher stands out.  Michael Lorenzen has experience closing from college and showed that he could relieve last year.  It was always the plan to have Iglesias start..

This new reality needs the relievers to have defined roles.  In the first half of last year, the disaster was that no one knew when he would pitch on any given night.  Ross Ohlendorf was pitching all over the place during the game.

Even though, the Reds signed Drew Storen this off-season, Lorenzen is the Reds best option to close this season.  He can pitch the eighth and ninth innings three times per week.  That just means that the Reds need to get him the lead.

To do that the Reds need to get from a young starting rotation to Lorenzen with the lead.  The best way to do that is to not give up any runs in the bullpen.  That means using Iglesias to get from the starter to Lorenzen.

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The Cincinnati Reds will have such a young staff this year that they need to plan to cover three or more innings every night.

In a traditional bullpen you would have to use Drew Storen, Tony Cingrani, Blake Wood and maybe someone else to get to the end of the game.  If one of them isn’t available that night, the system falls apart.  That’s why the dynamic duo makes sense this year.

Lorenzen has the last two innings.  Iglesias can enter anytime beginning in the sixth and go two.

If Iglesias enters in seventh, he can pitch two innings and save Lorenzen an inning.

The more that the Reds can limit Lorenzen’s innings and appearances, the better the bullpen should be.  Iglesias can also stay in the game to close, if Lorenzen is unavailable.  He can do the same thing on those night meaning that the other relievers only have to get the game to eighth.

That means the best pitchers would pitch the most innings at the most important times.  It also should allow for five pitchers to be available the night after a Lorenzen save.  The additional relievers should keep the Reds in more games, especially if Scott Feldman is eventually part of the bullpen.

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Lorenzen is the key to the bullpen, but Iglesias is the key to the Reds’ new strategy.  Iglesias  has a future in the bullpen.  This is the season he needs to show that he can be succsessful for an entire season.