Elieser Hernandez proves he is better off in the Marlins bullpen
Elieser Hernandez has proven that he can be a starter and a reliever.
In his second year with the Miami Marlins, Hernandez came in place of Caleb Smith during his time on the injured list and posted a 4.05 ERA and a 5.33 strikeout-to-walk ratio (32 strikeouts, six walks) in five starts.
With Smith back in the rotation, Hernandez returned to the bullpen where he has spent most of his rookie year in and notched five strikeouts in five innings.
The timing may not be ideal considering he gave up a home run to Mets second baseman Robinson Cano in his most recent appearance but his ability to get at least one strikeout per inning is important for a reliever and is something that the Marlins need in their bullpen.
Hernandez said that his method has remained the same despite the role being different and the addition of the slider has helped him improve compared to last year, when he posted a 5.21 ERA in 32 appearances including six started after being a Rule 5 Draft pick from the Houston Astros.
“[Hernandez] throws some that don’t do anything and then throws the one that actually takes off a little bit, like the [Sergio] Romo slider that kind of parachutes on you,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said.
Because Hernandez has spent most of this season starting in Triple-A and last month with the Marlins, he is getting close to eclipsing last year’s combined mark of 83.1. He’s currently at 78.2 innings and has only hit triple digits once in his career, throwing 107 2/3 during the 2016 season in the Astros organization. The Marlins will likely keep him in the bullpen the rest of the season as a way to monitor his innings.
ICYMI Marlins manager Don Mattingly on why a reliever’s ERA can be misleading and the value of the strikeout stat even during a time where it has been inflated across the sport. @5ReasonsSports @CincoRazonesPod pic.twitter.com/NSy1SRQkwM
— Tony Capobianco (@TonyCapobianco) July 15, 2019
The Marlins bullpen as a whole has 320 total strikeouts in 305 innings. Pretty much every team in the National League but the Chicago Cubs and the Colorado Rockies has more strikeouts than innings pitched. Only three NL bullpens have a sub-4 ERA but that stat for relievers can be misleading.
Adam Conley has had a similar situation as Hernandez, being a starter turned reliever. He currently has a 7.43 ERA but 35 strikeouts in 36.1 innings. Wei-Yin Chen, with an 8.21 ERA, has 31 strikeouts in 34 innings. Both relievers are used in lower leverage situations where things that go south only go further south. Nick Anderson leads Marlins relievers with 56 strikeouts in only 38.1 innings and is trusted in more high leverage situations like Hernandez.
Simply put, so long as a relief pitcher can get strikeouts, he has a plan in the bullpen.
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