Charlie Goldsmith @CharlieG__
I’ll show some of my work here and explain why David Bell says Tejay Antone would be more valuable in the bullpen than as a starting pitcher.
Take out his starts in 2020 and look at how he did in the bullpen or facing batters for the first time.
Rookie of the Year Devin Williams was the only reliever more effective than Antone.
As a starter, Antone had a 3.86 ERA, and opposing hitters had a .789 OPS. As a reliever, Antone had a 1.89 ERA and opposing hitters had a .097 batting average and a .337 OPS.
In his first time through the order last season, Antone allowed 11 total hits and one home run while striking out 40 percent of opposing hitters in 85 at-bats.
In 36 at-bats where Antone had already faced an opposing hitter, Antone allowed nine hits and two home runs while striking out just 31 percent of opposing hitters.
Here’s the kicker: Antone had the second lowest opposing batting average in MLB as a relief pitcher and the second lowest opposing OPS among relief pitchers who threw 19 innings last season.
The only player who was more effective in those areas out of the bullpen was Devin Williams of the Milwaukee Brewers, who won NL Rookie of the Year and finished seventh in Cy Young Award voting.