Cleveland Indians: Dan Otero had a quiet yet successful season in 2017

Dan Otero didn’t have a breakout season for the Cleveland Indians in 2017, but he did enough to warrant the team signing him to an extension.

Dan Otero has never been a star for the Cleveland Indians, but he may have to become one if both Cody Allen and Andrew Miller leave town after the 2018 season.

We don’t need to talk doom just yet, and it may be a stretch to rely on Otero to become the next big thing in the bullpen.

The veteran made 52 appearances last season after making 62 in 2016. His ERA also jumped from 1.53 in 2016 to 2.85 in 2017, although he only allowed seven more earned runs so it wasn’t a drastic difference.

More from Away Back Gone

• Cleveland Guardians tantalizingly close to locking up AL Central tiebreakers
• Cleveland Guardians: Terry Francona becomes meme in profanity-laced ejection
• Say goodbye to defensive shifts and hello to bigger bases, pitch clock in 2023
• Cleveland Guardians: Shane Bieber second-fastest to 800 strikeouts in major-league history
• The next week will make or break the Cleveland Guardians’ season

Otero was always the fourth option behind the trio of Shaw, Miller and Allen, and may have fallen even further behind after the breakout season from Tyler Olson.

But that will change this year now that Shaw is gone, and the Indians have committed to Otero with a new contract that keeps him in town at least through the 2019 season.

The fact Otero had a solid season and he flew under the radar shows how deep this bullpen was a year ago, as players like Olson and Nick Goody demanded some attention with breakout seasons.

The one thing holding Otero back as a highlight player out of the ‘pen is his low K/9. His mark of 5.7 was the lowest on the team a season ago when counting those who made more than just a few appearances.

If we’re getting technical, Michael Martinez didn’t strike out a batter in his single inning of work.

His WHIP of 1.200 was just above his career mark of 1.173 and his 2.85 ERA was actually under his career mark of 2.91. Nothing to blow away the fans, but enough to have a permanent spot in the bullpen for the next few seasons.

Next: How the starting catcher role could play out in 2018

You won’t see many Otero jerseys in the stands at Progressive Field this season, but it is hard to find anything negative to say about the reliever. Let’s just hope the Shaw angst doesn’t shift to Otero if he has one slightly bad April outing.