Cincinnati Reds consider fates of veteran relievers

The Cincinnati Reds must decide what to do with Alfredo Simon and Ross Ohlendorf.

I just completed an assessment of the front end of the Cincinnati Reds’ bullpen in 2017 with the assumption that Simon and Ohlendorf would be gone, but is that right assumption?  Do Simon and Ohlendorf fit on the 2017 Reds?

I would only ask that you take a step back and look what has happened in 2016.  Simon was signed off of the street at the end of spring training and given only one pre-season start.  It appeared that he was injured all year, but played through it because the Reds were in a pinch.

Simon is no longer an MLB starting pitcher.  We can all agree to that.  Is he, however, the multi-inning reliever that the Reds’ bullpen lacks going into next season?  In his first two seasons in Cincinnati Simon pitched exclusively out of the bullpen and did admirably in that role.  The Reds have tried both Josh Smith and Keyvius Sampson in that role this year with little success.

Alfredo Simon

How good was Ohlendorf really this season?

Then you have the case of Ohlendorf.  The most under appreciated reliever on the Reds since David Weathers is Ross Ohlendorf.  Weathers pitched for the Reds from 2005 through most of 2009, excluding a cup of coffee in 1998.  He lead the team in saves and the National League in appearances in 2007.  That’s the sort of pitcher Ohlendorf is.

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In April Ohlendorf led the Reds in WHIP at .87 and only gave up one homerun.  Yet he had an ERA of 6.10 because of the high number of inherited runners other relievers allowed to score after he left the game.  Ohlendorf went 2-0 in May and had the lowest ERA of any pitcher who completed one full inning.

June saw a twist of fate for Ohlendorf.  His batting average against rose to close to the league average at .259.  His WHIP correspondingly rose to 1.74.  This blip cost him the first WHIP title as Tony Cingrani caught him just before the All-Star Game.  Since the ASG he has kept the BAA around .250 and his WHIP under 1.50.  In other words he has stayed just better than a replacement level player.

So where do Simon and Ohlendorf fit in 2017?  In this Reds team they are probably the 12th and 13th members of the bullpen.  That may sound defeatist to many fans, but they are the best options out there.

Next: Cincinnati Reds set rotation for 2017

What the Reds need are a pair of pitchers who can deliver innings in any scenario.  That is exactly what Simon proved he could do his first time with the Cincinnati Reds and Ohlendorf has proven all season long.  They don’t belong in high leverage situations, but they both deserve a chance in spring to show that they still belong on the team.