Seattle Mariners Have Bullpen Star In The Making With Edwin Diaz

Back in 2014, the Seattle Mariners had arguably the best bullpen in all of baseball. That same bullpen fell flat on its face in 2015 to become one of the worst bullpens in MLB. After major transitions, both in the front office and to the roster, 2016 has been a little bit of both. After starting off the season with some of the best stats for a bullpen in the majors, they have now proceeded to completely fall apart.

Injuries can be blamed, but there has been a rotation of relief arms going to and from the Triple-A team, trying to find the right guys for the job. Some have definitely worked better than others. One shining example of the strategy working is 22-year old Edwin Diaz.

There should be no surprise that Diaz is starting to dominate MLB players. He was the number two prospect for the Mariners in 2016 and has been a top prospect for the last few years. His fastball (which averages over 96 MPH) has been dominate for years, but it is his development of a second pitch that has made him a true force when on the mound. Seeing opposing hitters swing and miss so wildly at his slider is entertaining, to say the least.

In his 15.1 innings pitched for Mariners this season, Diaz has 29 strikeouts, 1.76 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP. Sure, the ERA and WHIP are just a small sample size, but the strikeouts are mind-blowing. Not to mention, he already has seven GIDPO (ground into double play opportunities).

Diaz has already worked his way up the bullpen ladder, filling in at the setup role. He has seven holds in 14 appearances, so it’s not as if it took him too long to find his role on the team. Steve Cishek is the closer, but it is becoming more clear that the closer of the future for the Mariners is Diaz.

In his short Mariners career, Diaz has already tied a franchise record for most consecutive strikeouts with ten. If the Mariners were smart, they would start think of Diaz as there closer of forever, much like the way the New York Yankees did with Mariano Rivera. I’m not trying to compare the two skills wise, it’s more of what the player meant or could mean to the club.

The Mariners have had pitching issues throughout their existence. The problems lately have been the ups and downs of the bullpen, along with an ever rotating cast to fill it. Hopefully with Diaz, the Mariners have someone who can be a staple piece of the bullpen for years to come.