2015 Player Projection: Vinnie Pestano

In the battle for one of the last bullpen spots, Vinnie Pestano leads the field. Last season’s afterthought of an acquisition could prove to be a big part of the Halo bullpen.

[table id=90 /] *The MWAH projections are simply my best guess based off my own personal opinion and research (my wOBA calculation is approximate because my math skills are only “meh”)

What happened in 2014?
Vinnie Pestano started the season off with the Cleveland Indians, but because he couldn’t keep the ball in the yard, he spent a majority of his season in Triple-A. His struggles really dated back to 2013 when he started having arm problems that he claims he never really got over until midway through 2014.

Even with Pestano showing signs of progress in the minors, the Indians pretty much decided they were done with him, so they traded him to the Angels in August for a small return rather than just non-tendering him after the season. That turned out to be a good gamble for the Halos because Pestano continued his resurgence upon joining the Angels. Used primarily as a right-handed specialist, Pestano started racking up the strikeouts and was so impressive that he worked his way onto the ALDS roster (which proved to be a mistake as Pestano was a superfluous arm and the Halos could’ve used a pinch-runner instead, not that it was Pestano’s fault though). More importantly, the Angels liked Vinnie enough that they tendered him a contract for the season rather than cutting him loose.

What do the projections think he will do in 2015?
The good news is that the systems all see Pestano as being a useful reliever again and not the guy that got sent down to Triple-A for a big chunk of last season. We aren’t looking at vintage Pestano here though. The strikeout rates aren’t particularly impressive and the home run rates remain a concern. Still, there’s nothing wrong with the guy that is forecasted here. He just isn’t the “future closer” sort that folks thought Pestano might be when he first broke in with the Tribe.

Does the Monkey agree or disagree?
I’m all in on Vinnie Pestano. I don’t think he’s ever going to be considered closer material again, but Pestano has shown that he is absolute death on right-handed hitters. The Angels seem to recognize that and will surely try and take full advantage of it rather than trying to use him as an all-purpose late-inning reliever like Cleveland had been. While Vinnie may not be the same guy he was when he first came up, throwing a little slower and fighting his command a bit more, he still has that very special skill of just mowing down righties. In a deep Angels bullpen, that will work just fine.

THREE OPEN QUESTIONS FOR VINNIE PESTANO IN 2015
1) Is Pestano going to make the Opening Day roster?
Two weeks ago, I would’ve said no. However, Matt Lindstrom has since gone out and gotten touched up a few times while Pestano has not. Lindstrom is running out of time to impress the coaching staff, so it seems unlikely that he’ll beat out Pestano now. Pestano’s been flawless in the spring and no other reliever has really stepped forward. That being said, Pestano has options left so it remains possible that he could get sent down if only so the Halos can keep Lindstrom on the roster rather than lose him for nothing.

2) Do the Angels really need another sidearmer on the relief staff?
As an unrequited lover of sidearmers and submariners, I scoff at that notion. That being said, I kind of get it. The whole point of Jerry Dipoto putting together the bullpen he did was to assemble a staff that provided all sorts of different looks. Pestano and Smith have a very similar look, which sort of defeats the purpose. That’s a pretty superficial reading of it though. Pestano throws harder than Smith and, surprisingly, is a flyball pitcher, not a groundball pitcher. Pestano also misses a lot more bats and, consequently, issues a lot more walks. Smith is a more balanced pitcher while Pestano is pretty much a ROOGY at this point of his career. So, while he may not look a lot different than Smith, he does bring a much different specialization to this Swiss Army bullpen model.

3) Is Vinnie Pestano fixed now?
Pestano basically fell to pieces in 2013, attributing his drastic decline to some shoulder issues that he never allowed himself to recover from properly. He says he’s OK now and he certainly pitched well in his brief time with the Halos, but he also has lost some velocity and continues to be plagued by command problems. If his arm problems were as troublesome as he claims, he might never be fully fixed, but there is at least an indication that he’s most of the way fixed now.

The Final Word (and GIF)
“Vinnie/Vinny”

I’ll be honest, there’s nothing relevant about this GIF. I just can’t help but think of My Cousin Vinny every time I hear the name Vinnie Pestano.