In case your head has been under a rock lately, you would know that the Nationals bullpen is god awful. It feels like we are at the point where Paul Toboni needs to just throw stuff at the wall and hope something sticks. Along those lines, I am taking a look at a few even remotely interesting AAA arms.<\/p>\n
Carson Palmquist got sent down yesterday, so we can\u2019t see him for a couple weeks, unless there is an injury. However, I would be very surprised if Palmquist is not given a shot very quickly once he is eligible. He was the opener on Wednesday, and did a very nice job. The funky lefty got through 3.1 innings, allowing just one run.<\/p>\n
Unlike so many guys in this bullpen, Palmquist did not look scared out there. Maybe it was because it was early in the game, but I loved how he attacked hitters. Palmquist does not throw hard, but he has a super funky motion and a really low arm slot. The Nats have given<\/a> him a sinker, and that pitch was very effective for him.<\/p>\n With Palmquist not being available for a few days after he threw 3.1 innings, I get why he got sent down. However, once he is eligible, slotting him into the role they are using Mitchell Parker in feels like a no brainer. Since joining the Nats organization, Palmquist has posted<\/a> a 3.27 ERA in AAA and had a good big league outing. That already should place him above Parker in the pecking order.<\/p>\n The next guy I want to talk about is Eddy Yean, who is a bit of a wild card, but has good stuff. Yean is not on the 40-man roster, but that should not be a huge issue, since there is no shortage of DFA candidates. What I like about Yean is that he brings much needed velocity to the table. He averages 97 with a heavy sinker that gets a ton of ground balls.<\/p>\n This data is from last year, but the 25 year old has pretty much the same mix. His ERA of 3.50 in AAA is good, not great. However, we are in such a dire situation that it is worth giving him a shot. Yean is striking out<\/a> 25% of hitters and his 4.50 walks per nine innings is not good, but it is also not a complete disaster.<\/p>\n Yean is extremely fastball heavy, but he does have a slider and changeup. Those pitches can be nasty, but the heater is his bread and butter. I am not going to sit here and say Eddy Yean is going to be some huge answer, but he has better stuff than the likes of Lovelady and Parker.<\/p>\n There are also a couple relievers down in the minors that have already shown they are not great big league answers, but may get a shot anyway because the situation is so dark. The first one is Zak Kent, who got called up today for Gus Varland. While Kent posted<\/a> an ERA over 6 with the Nats in his four outings, his WHIP was only 1.06.<\/p>\n Kent has an interesting 4-seam fastball that moves more like a cutter. Interestingly, his velocity has been up since being sent to the minors. His heater went<\/a> from 92.2 MPH in the MLB to 93.4 in the minors. Kent also has a slider and curveball which can generate whiffs. I don\u2019t think he has closer stuff or anything, but he has a more interesting and diverse arsenal than Varland.<\/p>\n Another pitcher in this retread category is Cole Henry. Last year, Henry showed a ton of promise, especially in the first half. Coming off of Thoracic Outlet Syndrome surgery, he was a great story. However, he faded down the stretch last year and was rough in the MLB this year.<\/p>\n