Neftali Feliz signed with the Pirates over the off-season after spending time with both the Detroit Tigers and Texas Rangers last season. After a rough go, he is looking to rebound for the Pirates in 2016.
There are two great pitchers already in place to finish out ball games in Tony Watson and Mark Melancon, but the Pirates are looking for someone who can bridge the gap between the starters and those two. Enter Neftali Feliz, former closer for the Texas Rangers and set-up man for the Detroit Tigers. The Pirates signed Feliz in the off-season to add bullpen depth to the team.
The 2010 AL Rookie of the year is coming off of a rough 2015 season where he posted a 6.38 ERA in 48 games pitched between the Rangers and Tigers. In those 48 innings he struck out 39 batters and walked 18. This was one of the worst years of Feliz's seven year career as his ERA was a career high and he bounced around from team to team.
Prior to the 2015 season, Feliz has played some good baseball throughout his career. The former closer of the Texas Rangers converted 97 of his 115 save opportunities presented that year. Throughout his career, we see decent strike out numbers but nothing that lights up the scoreboard. His 39 strikeouts over 48 innings last season were about average for his career. Feliz has relied on his defense throughout his career to make outs when the ball is put in play.
His strikeout to walk ratio sat at 2.17 last season showing some promise in the control department. Throughout his career, Feliz has been up and down when it comes to control. In his 2010 AL Rookie of the Year campaign he only walked 18 batters in 69.1 innings pitched. However, the very next season, he walked 30 batters in 62.1 innings pitched. If he wants to succeed in Pittsburgh, Feliz will have to get his numbers back down to where they were in that 2010 campaign. As a late inning guy, you do not want to give opposing hitters a free base.
Another thing that plagued Feliz last year was his average against which was .298, the highest of his career. A pitch-to-contact pitcher throughout his career, Feliz has kept that opponent batting average below .200 for all but last year and the 2013 season. With a Pirates defense behind him that played very well last year and looks even better this year, that number should decrease and be back to where it was a couple of seasons ago.
Another stat that will be helped by the Pirates defense is Feliz's BABIP. Last season he had a BABIP of .351 allowing a lot of the balls that were put in play to find a gap in the field. The Pirates should be able to help with that stat with the fielding upgrades at first base and the stability at the third base position in 2016. If Feliz can keep the ball on the ground, he should have no problem finding success with the Pirates.
A positive for Feliz is how efficient he is during the at bats. Last season, he averaged throwing 3.95 pitches per at bat. This is a good stat to have because as a late inning guy, your job is to get the opponent out as quickly as you can, and get back to the bench so your bats can add on key insurance runs. If Feliz can limit the number of runs he gives up during the season and the number of pitches he throws, he could have a very successful season with the Pirates.
I feel that the Feliz signing was a steal for the Pirates. He was signed on to a one year 3.9 million dollar contract back on January 6th. He will fit in nicely to the middle of the Pirates rotation offering a guy who has had success in the past and knows how to win baseball games. He was named an All-star in the 2010 season and was a top 10 closer that year with 40 saves. He could also provide more innings if necessary because he does have starting experience back in 2012 where he was 3-1 with a 1.87 ERA in seven starts.
Jared Hughes and Feliz will most likely be used as the sixth and seventh inning guys in the Pirates bullpen. If all things work out and Feliz pitches to his potential, the Pirates have the possibility of the game being over if they have a lead into the sixth inning. This 2016 Pirates bullpen is shaping up to be one of the best bullpens in recent memory for the Pirates. With reliable arms who have major league experience, the 2016 bullpen will look to lead the charge into the 2016 season and hopefully to a playoff run.
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