Projecting the 2022 SF Giants bullpen

In a season full of surprises, the SF Giants had the best bullpen in baseball as it registered a 2.99 ERA in 2021. Most of that unit is set to return next season, and they could be positioned to improve upon that mark if Camilo Doval and Kervin Castro take the next step.

Projecting the 2022 SF Giants bullpen

Currently, the only two key arms who will not be returning are hard-throwing righty Jay Jackson and veteran lefty Tony Watson. Jackson was traded to the Atlanta Braves earlier in the offseason, whereas Watson is a free agent.

The Giants could bring back the 11-year veteran as his quirky delivery is an excellent fit in a bullpen that offers a variety of different looks. Outside of these two pitchers, the Giants will see plenty of familiar faces. This projection looks at pitchers who are currently on the 40-man roster while considering that the bullpen only has eight open slots.

High leverage - Camilo Doval, Jake McGee, and Tyler Rogers

Giants managed Gabe Kapler is not necessarily committed to the idea of having only one closer but he does not employee a closer-by-committee either. He typically sticks with one closer, but he is not afraid to deviate from that plan.

In terms of high-leverage arms, Kapler will have a trio of arms at his disposal including Camilo Doval, Jake McGee, and Tyler Rogers. If all goes according to plan, Doval will get the majority of the save situations in the ninth inning.

However, Kapler could play the matchups for McGee and Rogers in the eighth inning depending on the situation. Rogers is better at inducing ground balls, posting a 57.6 percent ground ball rate in 2021, due in part to his submarine-style delivery.

On the other hand, McGee brings a lot of late-inning experience with a fastball-heavy approach that he commands well in the strike zone. Incredibly, the lefty used his fastball 94.9 percent of the time while recording 8.7 K/9 and 1.5 BB/9 in 2021. Opposing hitters know what is coming, but they struggle to do any damage against McGee's fastball.

Nevertheless, the ninth inning will go to Doval. The hard-throwing righty can reach triple digits on his fastball that he pairs with a biting slider. Doval did not allow an earned run in his final 15 appearances of the season in a stretch that opened a lot of eyes.

Projecting the 2022 SF Giants bullpen

Medium leverage - Dominic Leone, Kervin Castro, José Álvarez, Zack Littell

The Giants have a lot of reliable arms that they can depend on in the middle innings. The high-leverage relievers including Camilo Doval, Jake McGee, and Tyler Rogers will likely fill very specific roles in the bullpen.

Outside of these three pitchers, Giants manager Gabe Kapler will have a handful of arms that he can leverage depending on the situation. For example, Dominic Leone, has experience serving as a team's closer while flashing a fastball that sits comfortably in the mid-90's that he pairs with a quality slider.

Surprisingly, Leone does not generate as many strikeouts (8.4 K/9 in 2021) as many would think given the velocity of his fastball. However, he does avoid the sweet spot of the bat as he induced a ground ball in 47.5 percent of batted ball events last season.

Kervin Castro is a reliever that I could envision assuming more high-leverage situations if any one of Rogers, Doval or McGee falters. He has an impressive streak going to begin his career and it is fair to say that his rookie campaign was overshadowed by Doval's emergence. Regardless, Castro has not allowed an earned run in his first 10 appearances and showed good command of the strikezone as he recorded a 3.25 SO/W ratio.

Zack Littell was reeled in on a minor-league pact last season and exceeded any expectations that come with it. He posted a 2.92 ERA in 61.2 innings while having one of the best beards in the bullpen. The 26-year-old pitcher does not throw hard but he gets a fair amount ground balls (46.9 percent), which is a good strategy with a shortstop like Brandon Crawford in the infield.

José Álvarez excels as a situational lefty, limiting left-handed hitters to a paltry .510 OPS in 2021. However, with the advent of the three-batter minimum, situational lefties are a thing of the past but
Álvarez proved to be much more than that.

He does not overpower opposing hitters with his fastball, but he has three quality offerings including a slider and a changeup that keeps hitters off balance. He posted a strong 2.37 ERA in 67 appearances last year while doing well to avoid mistakes.