Why Rangers’ bullpen is among MLB’s best

This story was excerpted from Kennedi Landry's Rangers Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

NEW YORK -- Way back in Spring Training, I wrote that the Rangers’ bullpen could, and should, be a strength of this team going into the season. It wasn’t a particularly bold prediction at the time, but the ’pen was likely the piece of the club with the least amount of experience surrounding it.

While not everything I wrote then came to fruition -- Spencer Patton was designated for assignment last week and hadn’t pitched in the big leagues since April -- the bullpen has risen to the occasion and become the highlight of this Rangers team.

Entering Sunday, Texas’ bullpen ERA was the seventh best in the Majors at 3.33 on the year. Of the bullpen pitchers, six have an ERA+ over 100.

• Brock Burke, 333
• Dennis Santana, 265
• Matt Moore, 192
• Joe Barlow, 143
• Garrett Richards, 118
• Brett Martin, 117

Santana has become an elite reliever in mop-up duty, while Moore, Burke and Barlow have thrived in high-leverage situations. No matter the pitcher or the situation, the Rangers have come out on top more often than not.

So what’s the key to that success?

Rangers manager Chris Woodward says it’s two-fold. First, he points to co-pitching coaches Doug Mathis and Brendan Sagara and their ability to get the best out of every pitcher.

“They’ve done a really good job of getting them to buy into things like ‘What's my best stuff? What do I have to throw to be successful? Where do I throw it to be successful?’” Woodward explained. “We looked at those arms and I thought, out of Spring Training, that we were going to have a good bullpen if these guys can execute.

“We've also tried really hard, from a matchup standpoint, to really match them to opposing pockets of the other team. They’ve all pitched really well. I have no fear in putting anybody in big spots.”

Woodward’s other emphasis is the camaraderie of the bullpen arms and their ability to push each other each and every day.

“It’s a brotherhood down there,” Woodward said. “It's a really good group of guys down there, and they're just pulling for each other every night. They take a lot of pride in putting up zeros as a group. Not just one guy. They take a lot of pride if they have to come in and bail somebody out. They know how important that is. … They have each other’s backs.”

Former starters Moore and Burke agreed, saying it’s a different vibe when you’re in the bullpen, but one that encourages you to friendly competition every day.

For Moore, the best part of this season has been getting to know his bullpen teammates and building that exact camaraderie that Woodward emphasized. That ultimately builds success of its own on the field.

“I think we've done a really good job of just being able to feed off each other,” Moore said. “Just kind of using the guy in front of us to kind of set the road for you and give you a little bit of a path to success too. You just want to pass the stick, and that's what it feels like we're doing, just feeding off each other and trying to keep it rolling.”