Relief pitchers in most cases are the left-overs. In general, teams put their priority players in the starting pitcher spots and if you are not a priority player you are usually a reliever. This often changes in AA or AAA where players need to change roles in order to succeed. Some players have bullpen roles due to an unusual delivery, Danny Farquhar, or due to being injury prone, Alan Farina. As the Jays accumulate pitching prospects, some good pitchers will be forced into relief roles. They can try to pitch their way out of the pen, or show their worth as a future major league reliever, or make themselves attractive to another team. There is always an opportunity on a baseball team.
Las Vegas
Las Vegas will have a surplus of players looking for playing time in the bullpen. There are six spots in AAA, plus an injury or two, plus a phantom injury spot, so most players can be accomodated.
In the mix for the six plus spots are:
Chad Beck
Danny Farquhar
Andrew Carpenter
Jesse Chavez
Trystan Magnuson
Jerry Gil
Evan Crawford
Robert Coello
Jim Hoey
Stephen Marek
Plus the losers of the starters competition, let's assume they are:
Garrett Mock, Scott Richmond and Nelson Figueroa.
That's thirteen players for 7-9 spots. One or two might have to pitch in AA and one or two might get released.
New Hampshire
The AA list is long also:
Bobby Korecky
Matthew Daly
Ronald Uviedo
Yohan Pino
Boomer Potts
Aaron Loup
Alan Farina
Wes Etheridge
Miguel Castro
Matthew Wright
Graylor Conde
Clint Everts
Willie Collazo
That's another thirteen guys for 7-9 spots.
Dunedin
Dunedin's list is smaller, just ten guys for 8-10 spots. The roster in A ball is bigger than in AA and AAA leaving room for an extra reliever.
Marcus Walden
Scott Gracey
Vince Bongiovanni
Sean Shoffit
Casey Beck
Dustin Antolin
Steven Turnbull
Daniel Barnes
Javier Avenado
Lansing
Lansing's list of potential bullpen arms could be the longest if players from extended were added. I have only shown the more likely pitchers. Remember, if the Jays use the tandem starting option in Lansing there may only be four pure reliever jobs on the Luggies.
Misual Diaz
Brandon Berl
David Rollins
Dayton Marze
Sam Strickland
Tyler Powell
Shawn Griffith
Brian Slover
John Anderson
Mitchell Taylor
Carlos Pina
Alex Pepe
Griffin Murphy
Spring training will be an anxious time for these players. Many will get released at the end of March. It is survival of the fittest and one of the least fun parts of being a professional ballplayer.
This is the end of our spring training preview. The next two months will be interesting.
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