Chatwood Embracing and Thriving in Bullpen Role

Toronto's Tyler Chatwood has allowed just one run in 13.1 inning pitched out of the bullpen this season

Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

Tyler Chatwood started Ronald Acuña with a fastball away.

In the eighth inning of Tuesday’s game, Chatwood forced the ball outside to the Braves star outfielder. He got ahead with the fastball and then turned to his cutter. Painted on the outside corner, Chatwood’s pitch snapped away from the zone and induced a swing and miss to retire Acuña.

It was the first of six straight outs Chatwood registered against the top of the Braves lineup this series. A month and a half into 2021, the righty has a .68 ERA. He was recently mentioned as one of MLB.com’s top under-the-radar additions, is a pivotal player in one of the league’s best bullpens, and has earned Manager Charlie Montoyo’s trust to pitch in the biggest moments.

“He’s got good stuff,” Montoyo said. “He’s been like that since Spring Training, he’s been lights out.”

Chatwood has started 118 games in his 10-year MLB career, but in 2021 the Blue Jays signed him to buy into something new. Just over 13 innings into the year, a full-time move to the bullpen is working. Chatwood is inducing an elite 98th percentile whiff rate, has struck out 19 batters, has one of the best expected ERAs in the league.

Tossing a cutter almost half the time, a move to the first base side of the pitching rubber has allowed the Toronto reliever to control the outside part of the plate against righties. Against right-handed hitters, Chatwood has allowed a .152 batting average this year, striking out 14 and walking just two.

In the eighth inning Wednesday night, Freddie Freeman worked ahead, taking three straight pitches below the zone. Command issues have plagued Chatwood for most of his career — he has a 4.7 career BB/9 and led the league in walks in 2018. But against Freeman, Chatwood relocated and trusted his stuff, putting three straight fastballs by the first basemen to end the at bat.

The former Cub’s two walks per nine are a full walk lower than any other season mark in his career, and less than half his 2020 metric. Like starter Robbie Ray, Chatwood is throwing in the zone and working ahead at an unprecedented mark. His 60.9% first-pitch strike rate is the highest of his career.

“That was [Pitching Coach] Pete Walker’s thing from the beginning in training was to throw strikes,” Montoyo said. “And we have.”

Even though there is a part of Chatwood that misses starting, he said, walking across the outfield grass to face Acuña, Freeman, and Marcell Ozuna in a game’s biggest moment excites him. The Blue Jays gave Chatwood $3 million to do something he’d never fully committed to before and he is embracing the role, enjoying it, and succeeding.

“I was never really bought in as a full-time reliever,” Chatwood said. “But this year coming into it once you bought in it’s a totally different mentality and you’re ready to go attack.”