Juan Gutierrez Supplies San Francisco Giants’ Bullpen With Depth
By John Shea
@real_johnshea
Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
The defending World Champion San Francisco Giants haven’t been as successful in free agency as they initially planned, but the club’s brain trust has continued to fill roster gaps. Right-handed reliever Juan Gutierrez didn’t earn a postseason roster spot with the Giants in 2014, but was a serviceable middle reliever during the regular season.
The re-addition of Gutierrez won’t excite Giants fans, but the beefy hurler is capable of eating chunks of innings, which increases his value. Gutierrez logged at least one full inning in 41 of his 61 appearances last season. Even though he was often consistently inconsistent, Gutierrez managed to post a positive WAR (0.1) for just the second time in his five-year career.
Gutierrez isn’t guaranteed a roster spot in 2015, but he adds depth to the Giants’ already vaunted bullpen. Gutierrez tosses a fastball that averages 93.5 mph, a 1.5 mph decrease from 2013, but his dip in velocity shouldn’t be of major concern. Gutierrez recorded a career-best 1.19 WHIP last season.
The Giants’ bullpen doesn’t receive the type of notoriety that other relief units do, but have proven to be a key part of each championship run. Gutierrez gives the Giants more flexibility in terms of how Bruce Bochy manages the bullpen, and also supplies the front office with a safety net if Hunter Strickland becomes the subject of trade talks.
Strickland flaunts a wicked fastball that touches 100 mph on the radar gun with zero movement. He allowed an MLB record six home runs in just eight postseason appearances in 2014, but his flame-throwing ability intrigues other clubs. It was recently speculated that Strickland was part of initial talks with the Miami Marlins regarding Casey McGehee, but the Giants eventually traded a pair of minor league prospects in exchange.
Even though the Giants presumably like the idea of Strickland being an important component of their ‘pen in 2015, he could help net the Giants a left fielder, like Ben Zobrist. If the Giants were able to swing a trade involving Strickland, bullpen depth would become an immediate necessity, which Gutierrez can help provide.
Gutierrez recorded a 3.96 ERA while averaging 6.2 K/9 in 63.2 innings of work in his lone season with the Giants so far. He’ll compete with George Kontos and Jean Machi for the final spot in San Francisco’s bullpen, assuming Strickland readopts his postseason role.
John Shea is an MLB writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @real_johnshea. Like him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
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