San Francisco Giants: Quality bullpen reinforcements await opportunity

Sam Moll pitched 6.2 forgetful innings for the Oakland Athletics back in 2017, allowing 13 hits and eight earned runs in 11 appearances for an unsightly 10.80 ERA.

A third-round pick by the Colorado Rockies in 2013, Moll has posted solid numbers throughout his time in the minors, though his 4.19 ERA at Triple-A has not necessarily demanded a promotion.

This season has been a different story.

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In 8.2 innings of work at Triple-A Sacramento, he has a 1.04 ERA and a 10-to-10 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He’s been a bit more hittable than Selman with 8.3 H/9, but he has still limited base runners with a solid 1.07 WHIP.

Moll was recently reassigned to Double-A Richmond, but this is likely a temporary assignment. Many of the Giants affiliates are thin on pitching, so pitchers are being moved around to fill organizational needs.

Lastly, Jandel Gustave recently joined the Sacramento bullpen after making a couple of rehab appearances in San Jose.

The hard-throwing right-hander debuted in impressive fashion with the Houston Astros in 2016, posting a 3.52 ERA with 16 strikeouts in 15.1 innings over 14 appearances.

However, he struggled the following season before ultimately needing Tommy John surgery, and he spent the 2018 season recovering.

The 26-year-old is back healthy and his fastball has returned to form:

Aside from Reyes Moronta, the San Francisco Giants bullpen does not have any arms who can pump a high 90’s fastball consistently the way that Gustave can.

Gustave has appeared in two games since earning a call-up to Sacramento. He struck out two in a perfect inning of work in his first outing for the team but was touched up for three earned runs in two-thirds of an inning in his second appearance.

That leaves him with a 16.20 ERA as he swims in small-sample territory. Unfortunately, it can take a long time for a reliever to fully recover his ERA after a rough appearance or two.

In the meantime, he still has a reputation for generating plenty of swings-and-misses.

While bullpens blow up all across baseball, the Sacramento relief contingent gives the Giants an intriguing stable of reinforcements to back an already strong bullpen at the big league level.

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Once the San Francisco Giants begin to sell off pieces from their MLB bullpen this summer, Farhan Zaidi has ensured that they will have plenty of depth to restock their bullpen.