Position Preview: Experienced Arms Will Lead Indy’s Bullpen

The Indianapolis Indians bullpen is projected to feature many returnees from last year's squad, anchored by Cam Alldred and Cody Bolton. An experienced bullpen will complement a prospect-laden starting rotation for the Indians going into the 2023 season.

Cam Alldred: In 2022, Alldred was the backbone of Indianapolis’ bullpen. He made 42 appearances with Indy, going 3-3 with a 4.07 ERA (30er/66.1ip) and 62 punchouts. The southpaw owned a 16.0-inning scoreless streak from April 20-May 24, the longest scoreless streak by an Indians pitcher all season. Alldred was excellent through his first eight appearances, owning a 1.53 ERA (3er/17.2ip) with 15 strikeouts compared to only three walks. That success led to Pittsburgh selecting his contract for the first time on May 11. He made his major league debut on May 12 vs. Cincinnati – his only appearance with the Pirates – and pitched a scoreless frame. The 26-year-old was selected by Pittsburgh in the 24th round (714th overall) of the 2018 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Cincinnati.

Cody Bolton: Bolton shined in a hybrid role with Indy last season en route to receiving the club’s Pitcher of the Year honor. After missing the 2021 season with a knee injury, he returned as Indy’s Opening Day starter. He eventually transitioned into a multi-inning reliever role – he hadn’t come out of the bullpen in his three prior seasons – and was at his best while in relief, going 4-0 with a 2.65 ERA (10er/34.0ip) in 16 games compared to 0-2 with a 3.46 ERA (16er/41.2ip) in 14 starts. His pitch mix kept hitters off balance; opponents hit just .207 (57-for-275) against the right-hander. He is currently Pittsburgh’s No. 23 rated prospect according to Baseball America. The 24-year-old was selected by Pittsburgh in the 6th round (178th overall) of the 2017 First-Year Player Draft out of Tracy (Calif.) High School.

Cristofer Melendez: Melendez spent most of last season in Indianapolis and was one of the team’s hardest throwers with a fastball that consistently reached triple digits. He had a 4.83 ERA (17er/31.2ip), 43 strikeouts and .189 (21-for-111) batting average against. His best outing of the season came in Game 2 of a doubleheader against Toledo on May 19, when he earned the win and recorded five of his six outs via strikeout. Pittsburgh acquired Melendez from San Diego in exchange for cash on Dec. 13, 2018 after he was selected by the Padres from the White Sox in the Triple-A phase of the Rule 5 Draft. He was originally signed by Houston as a non-drafted free agent on July 7, 2014.

Tyler Samaniego: Samaniego, projected to be one of the newcomers to Indy’s bullpen, put together a strong 2022 campaign as the Young Bucs Kent Tekulve Reliever of the Year. The left-hander began the season with High-A Greensboro and dominated in 14 appearances, surrendering only one run in 17.0 innings (0.53 ERA) with four saves, a 0.82 WHIP and .054 (3-for-56) opponents’ batting average. On May 31, he was promoted to Double-A Altoona for the remainder of the season and picked up where he left off with Greensboro, posting a 3.52 ERA (12er/30.2ip) in 24 games. He quickly assumed the Curve’s closing role and led the team with 10 saves. Hitters struggled to find barrels against him at both levels, hitting a combined .114 (18-for-158). The 24-year-old was selected by Pittsburgh in the 15th round (433rd overall) of the 2021 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of South Alabama (Mobile).

Colin Selby: Selby could be a key late-inning weapon for the Indians. He had an excellent start to last season in Altoona prior to being placed on the 60-day injured list and missing two months of action. Prior to his stint on the IL, he was Altoona’s closer and logged five saves with a 1.26 ERA (2er/14.1ip) and 1.05 WHIP. The right-hander returned in late July, appearing in 14 games before a Sept. 20 promotion to Indianapolis. He appeared in three games with Indy, allowing one run in 3.0 innings with two strikeouts and no walks. He had his contract first selected by the Pirates on Nov. 15, 2022. The 25-year-old was selected by Pittsburgh in the 16^th round (474^th overall) of the 2018 First-Year Player Draft out of Randolph-Macon (Ashland, Va.) College.

Hunter Stratton: The 26-year-old was a workhorse for Indianapolis in 2022, appearing in a team-high 47 games. His swing-and-miss stuff was on full display with 82 strikeouts in 63.0 innings, good for an 11.71 K/9. He put together his best month of the season in May, posting a 1.84 ERA (3er/14.2ip) with 23 strikeouts and a 1.16 WHIP. Stratton was selected by Pittsburgh in the 16th round (478th overall) of the 2017 First-Year Player Draft out of Walters State (Morristown, Tenn.) Community College.

Noe Toribio: Toribio is another familiar face from Indy’s 2022 relief corps who could return to fill a middle relief role. He began last season in Double-A, recording an impressive 1.85 ERA (8er/39.0ip) with 46 strikeouts in 15 games (one start). His strongest outing of the season came on May 24 at Harrisburg, where he tossed 5.0 scoreless innings in relief and struck out a career-high tying eight batters. He joined the Indianapolis bullpen on June 21 and went 5-3 with a 6.75 ERA (33er/44.0ip) in 22 appearances (two starts). The 23-year-old was signed by Pittsburgh as a non-drafted free agent on July 2, 2016.

J.C. Flowers: Flowers will look to make the jump to Triple-A after a solid campaign with Altoona in 2022. He tallied a team-high seven wins as a middle reliever and knocked his ERA down from 3.50 to 2.88 after allowing only five earned runs over his last 25.0 innings of the season. The 24-year-old was selected by Pittsburgh in the fourth round (124th overall) of the 2019 First-Year Player Draft out of Florida State (Tallahassee) University.