3 SF Giants players who are on the roster bubble for 2023

3 SF Giants players who are on the roster bubble for 2023

3. Relief pitcher Tyler Rogers

Every bullpen needs a reliever with a funky delivery and that is Tyler Rogers for the Giants. Since he debuted in 2019, the submarine-style reliever has quietly been one of the better bullpen arms in baseball.

That has not been the case in 2022. Rogers does not get a ton of swinging strikes, but rather he relies on contact to produce outs. That can be a great strategy and many pitchers have thrived with that approach, but it is tough to be successful with a Giants defense behind him that has struggled as badly as it has.

This is not to say that Rogers' struggles have been due entirely to the defense. He has been part of the problem as well.

On the year, the 31-year-old hurler has registered a 4.72 ERA, 3.56 FIP, 1.33 WHIP, 5.5 K9, 2.00 SO/W ratio, and a 55.8 percent ground ball rate in 54 appearances. He posted a 1.86 ERA in his first 10 appearances of the season, but he has struggled to a 5.32 ERA in 44 appearances since then.

On one hand, Rogers has done well to avoid hard contract as he has yielded an 84.5-MPH average exit velocity and a 1.7-degree launch angle. Hitters are not getting any lift against Rogers, but it feels like a lot of that soft contact has found holes. The defense has been an issue as well as it has generated -5 Outs Above Average (OAA) with Rogers on the mound.

However, his strikeout rate (5.5 K/9) and walk rate (2.8 BB/9) represent career worsts, which is not something you want to see from a pitcher who is already in his 30's.

The Giants will need to rebuild the bullpen this offseason. Rogers will likely be part of that equation given his track record and the fact that he has three minor league options remaining, but there should be no assurance of a spot on the active roster. He will need to prove that he can be a leverage reliever again.