Joel Kuhnel's stuff+ grades told a different story than his ERA, and the A's acted accordingly
After last night's bullpen meltdown in the ninth inning against the Chicago Cubs, we wrote about three relief pitchers the A's could be going after sooner rather than later. Instead, the Athletics wanted to make a move today, and have recalled hard-throwing right-hander Elvis Alvarado from Triple-A Las Vegas.
To make room for Alvarado on the roster and Kade Morris on the 40-man, the A's designated right-handed pitcher Joel Kuhnel for assignment.
It was Kuhnel who allowed four runs on five hits in two-thirds of an inning on Thursday night at Wrigley, which brought his ERA on the season to 4.21. The 31-year-old righty was also the one who helped settle down the A's bullpen earlier in the season in New York, earning a save against the Yankees on April 8.
He'd pitched well during his time with the A's, holding a 2.88 ERA going into last night's loss.
Reason For Kuhnel's DFA
While his ERA was solid on the season before last night, his stuff+ grades showed that it could have been smoke and mirrors.
Only one pitch — his curveball — had a stuff+ grade above league average at 102, while his four-seamer (89), sinker (98), cutter (93), slider (89) and changeup (75) were all well below league average.
With the A's needing a roster spot, there weren't a ton of other options either. Mason Barnett is up for length out of the 'pen, and hasn't been utilized just yet. He may go back to Vegas at some point, but the A's need innings right now. José Suarez is a second left-hander who has been pitching well, providing value to the club.
Those would have been the two other arms in the mix at this point in the season, but given Kuhnel's stuff+ grades, it makes sense that they may have felt that Kuhnel's trajectory isn't as high as some of the other options available.
Alvarado Gives A's a Ninth Inning Option
Alvarado began the season with the A's, but ended up posting an 8.38 ERA across 9 2/3 innings, giving up 11 hits, walking seven and striking out nine. His WHIP sat at 1.86.
He went 2-0 with four saves, a 2.25 ERA and .544 OPS in 12 relief appearances with the Aviators. He also walked just four and struck out 16. He's also fresh, last pitching on May 31.
While Hogan Harris is the A's best ninth inning option at the moment, when he's not available, Alvarado could be the power arm the A's look to. His four-seamer (112), sinker (94), splitter (122) and slider (128) give him three excellent offerings to dominate opponents.
The trick for him finding success with the A's this time around will be getting into the zone enough to let his pure stuff go to work and get those whiffs. The A's will find out quickly if this version of the right-hander is worth keeping around.
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