Reds news: Reliever Cam Bedrosian brings veteran presence to bullpen

After much turnover in the bullpen, the Cincinnati Reds need as many relief pitchers as they can get. Former first-round draft pick Cam Bedrosian adds a veteran presence after signing a minor-league deal with an invite to spring training.

Bedrosian is the latest addition to a Cincinnati bullpen that has seen a few prominent players exit this winter. Raisel Iglesias was traded to Bedrosian’s former team, the Los Angeles Angels, and the Philadelphia Phillies signed Archie Bradley to a one-year deal after he was non-tendered by the Redlegs.

Cam Bedrosian gives the Reds another reliable reliever.

What exactly is the Cincinnati Reds bullpen going to look like in 2021? That question may take until the final day of spring training to answer, as David Bell and Derek Johnson have a lot of new faces in camp this year.

Cam Bedrosian is a seven-year veteran with a career-ERA of 3.70. Bedrosian posted a very respectable 2.45 ERA over 14.2 innings in last year’s pandemic-shortened season. The right-hander punched out 11 batters and put up a 2.92 FIP. There’s a good chance, despite being signed to minor-league deal, Bedrosian will make the Opening Day lineup.

While Bedrosian’s ERA was solid in 2020, some other statistics may give fans cause to pause. The right-hander saw the worst strikeout-rate (19.0%) of his career last season, and according to FanGraphs, Bedrosian seems to have lost the knack to keep the ball on the ground. While not a ground ball pitcher per say, his 34.1% ground ball percentage was a career worst.

On the positive side, Cam Bedrosian did not surrender a single home run last season. He also tied a career-best with a WHIP of 1.091 and has posted an ERA+ above 100 for the past three seasons in the City of Angels.

Cam Bedrosian will fill a similar role to past Reds relievers.

Remember former Cincinnati Reds relievers David Hernandez, Jared Hughes, and Nate Jones? That’s the role I think most fans can expect to see Cam Bedrosian fill in 2021. Bedrosian is an experienced reliever who’ll bring a calming presence to the bullpen.

I still expect a combination of Amir Garrett, Lucas Sims, and Sean Doolittle to be Bell’s go-to trio late in games with his team in the lead, but having an arm like Bedrosian’s is a plus. The 29-year-old even started seven games back in 2019.