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Cleveland Indians: Breaking down the Opening Day bullpen

By Steven Kubitza

Oct 19, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Cleveland Indians relief pitcher Cody Allen (37) pitches during the ninth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays in game five of the 2016 ALCS playoff baseball series at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 19, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Cleveland Indians relief pitcher Cody Allen (37) pitches during the ninth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays in game five of the 2016 ALCS playoff baseball series at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports /
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Sep 10, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Cleveland Indians relief pitcher Shawn Armstrong (51) delivers a pitch during the seventh inning against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. Minnesota Twins won 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 10, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Cleveland Indians relief pitcher Shawn Armstrong (51) delivers a pitch during the seventh inning against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. Minnesota Twins won 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /

Shawn Armstrong

Six players knew they would earn a spot in the bullpen, leaving one final spot available for the taking, and Shawn Armstrong did enough in March to win that spot.

Armstrong will enter the year far down on the bullpen depth chart, and may serve in more of a utility role unless he proves to be dominant.

He can come in when a game is out of reach to eat up innings, or can enter a close game to face a single batter. His role will be fluid, and as long as he can be effective, he should be here all season.

The right-hander spent much of 2016 in Columbus, where he appeared in 47 games, finishing with a 1.84 ERA in 49 innings pitched. He even racked up nine saves, showing some ability to finish games, although he won’t be needed to do that in Cleveland this year.

He did get some experience with the big league club last year, appearing in 10 games, primarily at the end of the season. Six of those games saw the Indians lose by at least four runs, showing his role as someone to eat up innings to keep the other pitchers fresh.

But he will need to do well in every appearance, regardless of the score of the game, as players like Kyle Crockett, Nick Goody and Carlos Frias will be down in Columbus, hungry for a spot in Cleveland.

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