'Mosh pit': How wide-ranging personalities jell in O's 'pen

SARASOTA, Fla. -- When assembling a big league bullpen, it’s important to have a good mix. The Orioles know that, and they’re factoring it in as they try to decide which relief pitchers should make their Opening Day roster this season.

There needs to be some electric, high-octane arms for leverage situations. Make sure at least one or two left-handers are included for balance. Several guys should be capable of pitching multiple innings, with somebody available to provide length in case of a short outing by a starter.

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It’s also important to have personalities that mesh well together. And nobody knows the importance of that better than Tim Cossins, Baltimore’s Major League field coordinator and catching instructor. After all, the 52-year-old has spent a large percentage of his baseball life watching games from the 'pen as a former bullpen catcher and longtime catching instructor.

For his first three seasons on the Orioles’ staff, from 2019-21, Cossins spent games in the dugout. Last year, he was moved to the bullpen. And he was anticipating the relievers would be quirky, zany people, based on his previous experiences.

The O’s stable lived up to those expectations. Cossins even has a nickname for them: “The Mosh Pit.”

“These guys come down, different days, they’re on different planets,” Cossins said. “They come down high and low, great moods, bad moods. And the way they interact with each other, it’s like being in a mosh pit. You’re just getting pushed from side to side.”

Cossins uses a great analogy to explain how relief pitchers morph over the course of a game.

In the early innings, relievers act like “children,” elementary schoolers if you will, with constant jokes and ribbing. By the fourth or fifth, they’re closer to high schoolers. Then, when the later innings arrive and they're preparing to pitch, they’re college graduates.

“By the time that phone rings, every single one of them is laser-locked and ready to compete,” Cossins said.

It’s the early parts of games that can be the most fun in the 'pen, especially with the personalities featured in the Orioles’ relief corps. Nobody has the exact same style of humor, but they each bring something to the table.

Cossins says the comedic scale of the bullpen is wide ranging. Bryan Baker delivers the “dry” humor. Dillon Tate is “sneaky” funny. There are playful jabs, more in-depth jokes, you name it.

“We’ve got some people that are very young at heart, I would say, for sure,” Baker said. “Keeps everything kind of light. I think that pays off over the long haul of a season.”

Ask around the clubhouse about who the funniest reliever is and every name will come up at least once, from Baker to Tate, Félix Bautista to Cionel Pérez. There isn’t a wrong response.

A popular choice is Joey Krehbiel -- who was one of five O's relievers to hold the Yankees scoreless in a 7-6 win on Friday -- although the 30-year-old right-hander isn’t sure that should necessarily be the case.

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“I wouldn’t say I’m the funniest, by any means. But I would say I log the most words, that’s for sure,” Krehbiel said. “I’ll talk for some other people as well, just in case they’re being quiet. But you’ve got to keep it loose, that’s a part of the bullpen, it’s part of being a reliever. It’s a controlled focus.

“If you lock in for nine innings, you’re going to burn out mentally. You’ve got to know how to play the game a little bit and relax and know how to turn it on when you need it.”

Perhaps that’s a reason why Baltimore’s bullpen had so much success last season. The O’s 3.49 relief ERA ranked ninth in the Majors, and the following relievers each had an ERA below 4.00: Pérez (1.40), Bautista (2.19), Tate (3.05), Keegan Akin (3.20), Baker (3.49) and Krehbiel (3.90).

The breakout performance was a bit of a surprise because of the collective inexperience of the group. Bautista had never pitched in the big leagues before. Baker had only one inning under his belt.

Despite a shortage of relievers with MLB track records on Baltimore's roster -- the only two with more than 200 career innings are Mychal Givens (457 2/3) and Akin (202 1/3) -- there’s confidence the unit is poised for a repeat performance in 2023.

“I feel really strongly about the chances of having success again,” Baker said. “The depth is there, too. Everybody I’ve seen in camp has got serious stuff that is going to be able to get big league hitters out.”

They should also have plenty of fun while preparing to do so.

"I'm really looking forward to it," Cossins said with a grin.