Colorado Rockies: An In-Depth Look at Bud Black and Bullpen Management

“The innings, for me, don’t matter,” Black told Rox Pile and other members of the media on Thursday. “It’s the number of pitches certain guys threw that might tax them. There were high pitch counts and that’s a little bit of concern. We’ll keep an eye on their arms.”

That’s one part of it. But read what Black said in this next quote, particularly about the “feel” involved when it comes to when to use a reliever and when not.

“There’s an expectation that relievers put on themselves that I am acutely aware of,” Black told Rox Pile and other media members last week. “Because of my past, I understand where those guys are coming from. There’s an ongoing discussion every day between Darren (Holmes, bullpen coach), Steve (Foster, pitching coach), me and our pitchers about how they’re doing on many different levels, physically, just the pure pitching aspect and the mechanics. Being in tune with where they are, what they’re doing and how they’re feeling. Their confidence level, both physically and mentally and performance. You can sort of gauge how to use them. I can tell when guys are sort of rolling and feeling it and you want them back out there. I can also tell when guys are maybe needing an inning here or a day off or a couple of innings here or a couple of days off. Then maybe you can get them into that position when they’re truly confident. “A lot of it is feel and how to use those guys. That feel is inherently, for me, I just sort of get it because I’ve been in their shoes before. These guys have been honest with their pitching coaches and I about how they’ve been feeling. This goes back to spring training about how their arms are and what they need. There’s been great dialogue about how they’re feeling physically.”

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Colorado is unique from other teams in Major League Baseball because of the effects of Coors Field. Yes, let the discussion begin about playing at altitude but it is something Black learned early in his Colorado managerial career. He mentioned at spring training how Colorado’s roster was built differently, with an extra reliever at the ready, compared to the majority of other Major League clubs.

“That’s part of the reason that we carry eight relievers and we do have some flexibility with our goals and what roles they have with us,” Black said.” These guys will play catch here and we’ll talk to them and see how they feel. We’ll monitor that.”

But don’t let the Coors Field narrative dominate the discussion, Black is quick to point out.

“It’s still baseball,” Black said. “The games can get chaotic and you never know how they’re going to play out. There are things, at times, that happen here than other parks but it’s still one team against the next. That’s the thing that I always go back to. On that given night and that given game, we’re still playing the same conditions. Somebody’s going to win that game. That’s the mindset that I want our guys to have.”

So what does all of this mean? Simply put, Black and his staff will rely on not only scouting reports but also communication and instincts when it comes to bullpen usage this season. Yes, even after series where the bullpen is used more than normal.

Colorado Rockies

Absolutely, there are roles that are defined, such as Chris Rusin and Lyles serving as more middle-of-the-game relievers and Greg Holland as the team’s closer and finisher. However, as we saw in Friday night’s win in Arizona, Rusin could be brought in to serve as a specialty role as he did when he struck out two left-handed Diamondbacks before turning the ball over to Adam Ottavino.

Colorado’s bullpen this season has been one of the biggest reasons for the team’s improvement and impressive early record. However, it’s still a work in progress and seems that it will be in somewhat flux for the remainder of the season. If a starting pitcher can go six solid innings and turn it over to the bullpen like Kyle Freeland did on Friday night in Arizona, it’s an advantage for Colorado, even without Dunn.

Don’t be surprised if another move or two is made to strengthen the bullpen. Much like when the team designated Jason Motte for assignment, Colorado management has shown they’re not afraid to do whatever it takes to make the 2017 Colorado bullpen a strength and chip away at the weaker links.

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With this in the background and Black’s penchant for bullpen management through a number of means, Colorado is set up (barring injuries) for success in the game’s late innings throughout the rest of the campaign.