Drey Jameson Embraces Role in Bullpen
Drey Jameson and Ryne Nelson were the last two pitchers standing in the competition for the final rotation spot. Ultimately Nelson was given the nod for the rotation, but the team felt that Jameson could still contribute as a long reliever in the bullpen.
"At the end of the day, I'm in the big leagues and ultimately that's my goal" said the Diamondbacks No. 5 prospect. "I'm going to take this role, I think it's a cool opportunity and a way to kind of put yourself in a different situation. I think that's going to help me as a starter in general, to be able to develop and start attacking hitters a lot sooner than I have been."
Attacking hitters sooner is a mindset Jameson looks to develop, especially considering the type of stuff that comes out of his hand. His 4-seam fastball sits in the upper 90s and can touch 100, a sinker that gets a lot of arm-side movement, and a slider with two-plane break that embarrasses hitters that mistakenly sit on his fastballs. Those trio of pitches gives Jameson a high floor of either being a high-leverage arm in the backend of the bullpen or a middle of the rotation starter should he put it all together.
Jameson found out about the move to the bullpen when he met with general manager Mike Hazen and manager Torey Lovullo after the team made the decision about the final rotation spot. The team let him know they want to keep him stretched out in case a spot opens up in the rotation later in the season. When asked about about it Jameson said, "At the end of the day I don't really want to think about that kind of stuff, I just want to take the ball whenever they call down for me". Lovullo also recalled that when he delivered the news to his young hurler that Jameson cared only about winning baseball games.
If the D-backs commit to Jameson as a starter, they may need to send him to Triple-A if a spot in the rotation doesn't open up for him. Even though that decision could hurt the bullpen in the short term, the team needs to think about the long term health of their players. In the past the team has had issues yo-yoing pitchers between starting and relief, with Randall Delgado and Jon Duplantier sustaining injuries.
Jameson has pitched primarily in a starter's role in the D-backs system, save for a couple relief outings in 2022 Spring Training. On paper, it seems Jameson would make for a good conversion candidate for the backend of the pen given his stuff and impressive makeup. In short bursts, could just utilize his fastball, sinker, and slider to baffle hitters.
