Cleveland Indians Closer Cody Allen Just Keeps Getting Better

Looking Back on Cody Allen’s 2015 Success

Cleveland Indians’ closer Cody Allen didn’t even have his best season in 2015, and yet he still put up some stellar numbers. The 26-year-old did have the second-best year of his career, however, posting a 2.99 ERA over 69.1 innings in 70 games.

Allen is one of the best relief pitchers the Tribe has seen in a long time. He was only a 23rd round draft pick out of college, but he raced through the Tribe’s system. After joining the organization in 2011, he made his major league debut just over a year later, only July 20, 2012. Allen posted a 3.72 ERA that season, pitching just 29 innings, but he made enough of an impression that he’s never been sent back to the minors.

In fact, despite what his ERA may say about 2015, Allen has steadily improved every season. In 2013, he sported a 2.43 ERA and a 2.99 FIP. Fielding independent pitching measures a pitcher’s success by weighting strikeouts, walks and home runs to account for both shoddy and stellar defense affecting the outcome of at-bats. In 2014, Allen’s FIP stayed the same – 2.99 – but his ERA decreased to 2.07. This year, while his ERA spiked to 2.99, his FIP was an astonishing 1.82.

The biggest reason for this change was Allen’s reduction in home runs. He’d always given up a fairly average amount of home runs – seven in each of the last two seasons – but this year, he gave up just two all year. Then, he reduced his walk rate from 9.3 percent to 8.7 percent, and he increased his already-astonishing 32.6 percent strikeout rate to 34.6 percent. To put it in perspective, the league average for strikeouts is 20.1 percent. Allen also converted 34 of his 38 save chances, proving his value as a closer.

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Heading into next season, it’s extremely hard to know what Allen will do. Everything about his history points to the idea that he will stay just as good or even get better. But relievers are fickle, and that makes them the most volatile of all positions. In Allen’s case, he’s young, healthy, and has added value as a closer.

He made just $547,100 last season, but he is eligible for arbitration this winter. The Tribe should pay him whatever his agent asks for, even though it’s projected to be quite an increase. Allen is under team control until 2019, and he’s easily one of the most valuable relievers in the league. He’s pitched on bad Indians teams as well as good ones, and he’s a vital part of their bullpen.

Would someone be willing to trade for Cody Allen? It seems as though they’d probably be reluctant to trade anything of worth. Consider Tyler Clippard, who was dealt by the Oakland Athletics’ this year. He’s been an established reliever for far longer, and yet he still fetched only one major prospect in return.

The Indians are best served by hanging on to Allen until closer to the end of his tenure with the Tribe. Sure, he might eventually wear down – especially if Terry Francona keeps abusing his key relievers – but if the Tribe can get a few more reliable arms in the ‘pen to prevent Allen’s overuse, there’s a good chance he’ll continue to be healthy and effective.

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