BRADENTON, Fla. — For the first time in his career, Felipe Rivero will be a major-league closer on opening day. He's not taking that job title for granted, either. It's why Rivero has worked tirelessly this spring to ensure his delivery is as crisp and effortless as it was a year ago.
He wants to repay the Pirates for having trust in him. After all, it wasn't until he arrived in Pittsburgh that Rivero went from erratic to downright scary for opposing hitters, as he finally gained command of a fastball that reached 103 mph. Clint Hurdle, Ray Searage and bullpen coach Euclides Rojas trust him explicitly.
It's why they moved him into the closer's role and will keep him there in 2018. However, the Pirates now must find a way to better take advantage of Rivero's talent, and they'll need each of their eight relief pitchers to accomplish that goal.
"Flip throws the ninth, I throw the eighth, but if the ball doesn’t even get to us it doesn’t matter," George Kontos, the Pirates' setup man, said. "Games can be won or lost in innings other than the eighth or ninth. Everybody is equally important in doing their job, whether it’s in the fifth or sixth or the eighth or ninth. Everyone brings something special to the table, something unique."
Rivero, 26, did not become the Pirates' closer until June, but he quickly established himself as one of Major League Baseball's best. He had a 1.67 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, 88 strikeouts and 20 walks with 20 saves. Only 36 of his 75 1/3 innings last season were in the ninth inning, but he thrived when asked to secure a win, recording a 0.83 WHIP in save situations.
Yet, his impact could have been far greater. Nearly one-third of Rivero's appearances in the ninth inning came when the club was trailing or the game was tied. The club's bullpen as a whole underperformed in 2017, despite having Juan Nicasio and Tony Watson.
The Pirates' relief pitchers recorded a 1.34 WHIP, which ranked 19th in Major League Baseball. That group was a strength during its three consecutive playoff appearances, ranking third and fourth in the league in WHIP in 2013 and 2015, respectively.
"The guys from the bullpen are gladiators," Searage explained. "They’re the gladiators. They’re in the ring. They’re mano-a-mano. The guys that are starters are the chariot drivers. They have to go laps and laps and laps. They’ve got to come in from the bullpen and have this mentality to attack, attack, attack. That’s what we strive for. Never give in. Always be confident in yourself and trust your stuff."
The late innings weren't the issue last season, despite both Watson and Daniel Hudson struggling in their roles. Nicasio had a 1.69 ERA and .213 batting average against in the eighth inning, and Kontos excelled in that spot upon being acquired from the Giants in August. It was middle relief that made it difficult for the Pirates to take advantage of having a shutdown closer.
Opponents batted .286/.373/.472 with 24 home runs against the Pirates in the seventh inning. Additionally, the club didn't have a consistent option in long relief, which is why it chose to structure its bullpen differently in 2018, including the decision to carry eight relief pitchers at the start of the season.
“Every man out there works in a chain to get the ball to Rivero when we’re ahead,” Hurdle said. “When we’re not, they work to keep the other three guys, the leverage guys, out of the game. So they’re all connected. You need some length. … There are going to be days where things happen and your starter isn’t going to give you the innings you’re looking for out of the gate and that’s an opportunity for that guy to pick it up. That’s why we’ve always had multiple guys be able to do it."
Tyler Glasnow and Steven Brault will fill that role in 2018, giving the Pirates two pitchers capable of making a spot start with the flexibility to throw one or multiple innings. Left-hander Wade LeBlanc excelled as a long reliever for the first two months of last season before a 6.42 ERA in his final 27 appearances.
LeBlanc's struggles and the absence of another multi-inning relief pitcher put a strain on the bullpen, which motivated Hurdle and Neal Huntington to use the two young starting pitchers in that role this season. It also doesn't help that none of the other relief pitchers proved capable of throwing more than one inning this spring.
Although final roster moves can be made, the Pirates' bullpen on opening day will include Rivero, Kontos, Glasnow, Brault, Michael Feliz, Josh Smoker, Dovydas Neverauskas and Edgar Santana. Rather than adding via free agency, the club chose to supplement the group using trades, acquiring Feliz from the Astros in the Gerrit Cole trade, Smoker from the Mets and Kyle Crick from the Giants for Andrew McCutchen.
Although the late-inning relief pitchers excelled — Rivero, Kontos and Feliz, who will man the seventh inning — this spring, the others were inconsistent, particularly when asked to go out for a second inning. Searage expressed some level of concern and indicated that improvement from a few will be needed for this bullpen to be elite again.
"As we go, we’ve been in a fortunate position to have the bullpens we’ve had in the past," Searage said. "This year, it’s not that we’re bad off. We’re not. We’re in a good position. But there could be some key pieces that make that bullpen even stronger."
Crick didn't make the opening day roster and neither did Kevin Siegrist, who was one of the top left-handed relief pitchers in baseball prior to last season. A group that was potentially a strength could suddenly be a weakness. That's not how Rivero views it, though.
He loves the different skillsets compiled by Huntington, particularly the presence of Kontos, who is the only experienced relief pitcher of the group. Rivero also knows he'll experience pushback from the league. His first foray as a closer gave opponents enough information to try to find a hole in his game.
Rivero, who signed a four-year contract extension this offseason, won't throw any of the same pitch sequences, though. It's the only change he'll make to his pitching. He made it clear his goal now is to repay the trust that his coaches, starting pitchers and fellow relievers have shown in him since he was acquired in July 2016.
"They trust me a lot," Rivero said. "It means a lot for me. The starter is going to do their best to keep the game on our side and the relievers will do their job knowing I’m going to do mine. I think I have a pretty good load on my back this year now, but I’m going to do what I did last year and have fun."