Koji Uehara in the bullpen: Long Man or Set-up Arm

by OsandRoyals on Aug 6, 2009 1:29 AM EDT

With Koji currently on the DL and the Orioles already declaring it most likely he will return as a member of the bullpen, I started wondering what kind of bullpen role he should have. Assuming there are no set-backs in his rehab Koji will return late in the season for the Orioles.

Koji has experience closing so it is possible he could close for the Orioles. This would seem unlikely as the Orioles will be using Jim Johnson as their closer and then probably Danys Baez as the back-up. However if either are injured or Baez is traded, it is fairly likely he could be the back-up closer.

Koji as a set-up man, probably in the eight-inning role is the most likely role. As a former closer Koji has had to deal with high-leverage situations and with another closer on the team he's unlikely to be closing. This role would allow Koji to go all out like his fellow Japanese counterpart Takashi Saito is doing for the Red Sox. This runs the risk of Koji blowing his arm out as he overdoes his pitches. It also potentially doesn't allow him to fully use his starter's reportoire. However, Koji this year has suffered from fatigue. Keeping him to one inning should prevent this

Koji as a long-man is another likely possibility. Most likely he would be a two-inning pitcher like Baez is or Mark Hendrickson. This role may be predicated on the Orioles trading either Baez or Hendrickson because as it is the Orioles have three (3!) longmen the most on any team. Of course they actually need the multiple long men as starters like Jason Berken and Rich Hill have had trouble making it through five innings consistently. This would allow Koji to use all his pitches including his change-up and hopefully maximize his value. This situation seems to presume that some reliever gets traded.

So what do you guys think? What bullpen role do you believe Koji would best serve in? My vote is for long man. What's yours?

Poll

What bullpen role should Koji Uehara be placed in?

Closer

11 votes

Set-up

13 votes

Long Man

24 votes

Other

0 votes

48 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

I Dunno....

Maybe its just me, but I don’t see how a guy whose fastball maxes at 88-89 can be a setup man/closer.

by No More Steroids Please on Aug 6, 2009 1:44 AM EDT reply actions

Most players can throw faster when they’re throwing one inning instead of five. See Phil Hughes this year, who’s move to the bullpen has helped him increase his velocity significantly.
Then again there are a few cases like Mark Defelice (for some reason I thought he was a member of the Padres) who can succeed without velocity. Mind you it becomes much much harder to do

by OsandRoyals on Aug 6, 2009 6:34 AM EDT reply actions

It seems to me he'd be best suited as a long reliever

When he’s healthy and starting he almost always got through 5 innings without a problem and then started to break down. If he’s capable of going that many innings it seems a shame to waste him on just one inning.

I will lead these Peoples to the promised land, also known as "Slightly Ahead of the Blue Jays." ~WietersRunDry

by Stacey on Aug 6, 2009 7:49 AM EDT reply actions

My exact thoughts

And as the comment above says he could not be much of a setup man/closer in MLB with that slow of a fastball.

by John Stephens on Aug 6, 2009 8:52 AM EDT up reply actions

That's nonsense

Trevor Hoffman has more saves than any other player in MLB history, and his fastball is SLOWER than Koji’s.

Hoffman’s fastball has averaged 85.5 MPH over the last 8 years (which is all we have data for), while Uehara’s fastball averages 87.0 MPH.

And as someone pointed out above, most pitchers can throw harder in relief.

by dkdc on Aug 6, 2009 10:21 AM EDT up reply actions

I'm assuming

That Trevor Hoff man had much better stuff than Koji.

I just read up on wikipedia, which I will quote cause I am too lazy to paraphrase:

Hoffman’s repertoire now includes one of the game’s best changeups, a more modest four-seam fastball in the 84–88 MPH range, a slower cut fastball that moves in towards a left-handed batter, and he even mixes in a slider and a curveball

So that guy had what, 5 pitches, and one of the best change-ups in baseball history? I mean I like Koji, but is he on that level?

by John Stephens on Aug 6, 2009 11:12 AM EDT up reply actions

Probably not

My point isn’t that Koji is as good as hoofman, but that having a slow fastball doesn’t preclude you from being a late-inning reliever. Command and depth of repertoire plays just as well in the 9th as it does in the 1st-7th.

by dkdc on Aug 6, 2009 1:56 PM EDT up reply actions

It's also a shame

To waste one of our best pitchers in typically low-leverage long-relief innings.

by dkdc on Aug 6, 2009 10:16 AM EDT up reply actions

I don't think it's a waste

If you have a highly reliable long man then I’d say more focus can be put on assembling the rest of the bullpen to meet the high leverage situations.

I will lead these Peoples to the promised land, also known as "Slightly Ahead of the Blue Jays." ~WietersRunDry

by Stacey on Aug 6, 2009 10:45 AM EDT up reply actions

I’m not sure what you mean by low leverage innigs but long relievers can often pitch in close games or protect leads.

Huff has gone back to being Huff. Deal with it.

by birdman on Aug 6, 2009 1:48 PM EDT up reply actions

Theres a difference between a long relief and mop up duty.

by kba26 on Aug 6, 2009 4:12 PM EDT up reply actions

Does the question have 2 parts?

Role this year vs. role next year?

I answerered set up thinking the question was role this year — give him 1 inning only to let him fully come back and get healthy. Sending him out for 2+, I think the reinjury risk is higher. I don’t see Koji as the kind of guy who overthrows badly because he’s only got one inning to work. No data there — just a read on his temperament, for the little that’s worth.

Next year, I’d agree with the majority and say he has the most value as a long man. But hopefully we won’t have as desperate a need for long men then either.

Has there ever been a cooler Oriole than Eddie Murray? I mean, just straight up cool. Like a bad, suave dude. You know what I'm sayin'. COOL. SC 7/24/08

by 33 on Aug 6, 2009 10:43 AM EDT reply actions

I hadn't planned on it but...

why not. I have a feeling that next year will depend on his spring training. If he has a spring training without setbacks, I believe he’ll be a starter (and probably more effective than this year when he probably wasn’t as stretched out as he should have been.)
I can also see him as a swingman/long reliever because he does very well through his first few innings but then seems to leave balls up as fatigue sets in

by OsandRoyals on Aug 6, 2009 6:57 PM EDT up reply actions

I'm not convinced he'll be back

this year at all. If he does return, he will likely be a two inning reliever.
Next year is a different story. I think it’s likely that if he returns effectively this year, he will be traded over the winter. If he returns next year, he will likely be a “middle reliever”. The kind that pitches when one of our starters gets yanked after two or three innings.

by fuddnelson on Aug 8, 2009 10:09 AM EDT up reply actions