Yusmeiro Petit
Chances are, even if one was given five or more chances, they would not be able to guess who the Oakland A’s leader in bWAR is.
Yusmeiro Petit‘s place atop that team leaderboard just underscores how important he has been to the bullpen over the years. One of Bob Melvin‘s most trusted relievers since he signed prior to the 2018 season, Petit has been the pitcher that the A’s have turned to in order to quell a rally in the late innings.
That has been the case again this year. Petit leads the American League with 14 appearances, maintaining his typical place atop the leaderboard. He has posted a 3-0 record with a 1.10 ERA and a 0.918 WHiP in his 16.1 innings, striking out 11 batters with three walks.
Retaining Petit was a key to the A’s offseason. Even though he was not going to be in line for saves, he has been a solid bridge to the ninth inning, entering the game whenever needed. That is not going to change this year, as Petit has once again proven to be a key part of the bullpen, regardless of age or a lack of a blazing fastball.
The Oakland A’s knew that Yusmeiro Petit would be a solid piece to their bullpen puzzle once again. They just could not have expected that he would be their bWAR leader after the first month.