What To Expect From Guardians Newest Reliever Andrew Walters

The Cleveland Guardians already have one of the best bullpens in baseball and just added prospect Andrew Walters into the mix.

Jun 27, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; A general view a Cleveland Guardians hat and glove on the dugout railing before a game against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Aiken-Imagn Images / Peter Aiken-Imagn Images

Stephen Vogt has a new arm he can deploy from the bullpen.

The Cleveland Guardians placed starting pitcher Alex Cobb on the injured list on Thursday afternoon but promoted right-handed pitching prospect Andrew Walters to take his spot on the big league roster.

Cleveland already has the best bullpen in baseball, and now they're adding arguably their best minor league reliever to the major league team. What exactly can we expect from Walters and his role with the Guardians?

Starting with Walters himself, the 23-year-old has established himself as an elite back-of-the-bullpen threat since being drafted 62nd overall in the 2023 MLB Draft.

The first reason is his pitch mix. Walters' best pitch is his fastball, which can reach triple digits at times. He also has a few off-speed and breaking pitches, including a slider and curveball, which leaves hitters guessing what's coming next.

Because of this variety of pitches, Walters has been a fantastic strikeout pitcher in the minors this season. He has a strikeout percentage of 31.8 and a K/9 of 12.16 over his 30 games at Triple-A.

One slight concern with Walters may be his command. He's walked about five batters per nine innings and has a walk percentage of 13.2 with the Clippers. This command hasn't gotten Walters into too much trouble yet, but he's now going to be going up against better and more disciplined hitters, so it is something to keep an eye on.

So, where may Stephen Vogt opt to use Walters out of the bullpen?

It's hard to say for sure right now. Walters was used in many high-leverage situations in Columbus due to his ability and the team's needs. However, the Guardians already have the best closer in baseball with Emmanuel Clase and multiple elite set-up guys such as Hunter Gaddis, Cam Smith, and Tim Herrin.

It seems unlikely that Vogt will change any of their roles, given how much success each of them has found there.

Depending on who's available for a given game, Walters could find himself pitching in the later inning. But if Cleveland has a fully rested staff, Walters could be the Guardians' fifth or sixth-inning stopper.

The bottom line is that the Guardians already had a reliever core that has single-handedly won them games so far this season. Now, with Walters' arrival, the bullpen gets even better.