Inside the stable: A primer on the Rays' fearsome bullpen

The Tampa Bay Rays have crossed the desert on some no-name horses.

Advancing from the AL playoffs in San Diego to the World Series in Arlington, Texas, manager Kevin Cash leaned hard on his bullpen — a group he described as “a whole damn stable of guys who throw 98 miles per hour” during a memorable spat with the Yankees in September.

The tagline has come to define the small-market Rays. The relief corps has no thoroughbreds, no All-Stars, no big-money headliners — Aaron Loup is the highest-paid reliever on the roster after signing a $1.65 million, one-year deal.

Yet the bullpen has dominated all year. Twelve different pitchers converted at least one save during the regular season, matching the major league record despite the compressed schedule, and the group had a 3.37 ERA, third in the majors. They've been just as overpowering in October.

Cash has the utmost confidence in the crew, a fact that showed when he gave notably early hooks to starters Blake Snell and Charlie Morton in Games 6 and 7 of the AL Championship Series to hold off the Houston Astros.

“I wouldn't want to hit our group right now,” Rays general manager Erik Neander said.

The bullpen is versatile and deep, shoving high heat at hitters from all angles. Yet for most baseball fans, the individuals remain largely anonymous.

For viewers curious who's waiting behind those stable doors, here's a compendium on Cash's top horses:

NICK ANDERSON, RHP — The Rays’ best reliever also may be its most unlikely. Anderson finished his college career at NAIA Mayville State in 2012, then was a 32nd-round pick by the Brewers but didn’t sign. He played two years of independent ball, spent a year remodeling homes, then returned to indy ball in ’15. The Twins snatched him up for their minor league...

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/Inside-the-stable-A-primer-on-the-Rays-fearsome-15657420.php