Eric O’Flaherty

WTM’S PIRATE PLAYER PROFILES

2003
R:  3-0-0, 1.95 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, 27.2 IP, 2.3 BB/9, 6.5 K/9
A-:  1-0-0, 3.38 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 10.2 IP, 2.5 BB/9, 5.9 K/9

O’Flaherty pitched very well in his debut, although he didn’t strike out many hitters.

2004
A:  3-3-0, 6.12 ERA, 1.85 WHIP, 57.1 IP, 3.6 BB/9, 6.0 K/9

The Mariners moved O’Flaherty up to full season ball and tried him as a starter for about half a season.  He struggled badly, with opponents hitting .344 against him.

2005
A:  4-4-13, 3.75 ERA, 1.48 WHIP, 69.2 IP, 3.9 BB/9, 6.6 K/9

Seattle sent O’Flaherty back to low A and moved him to the bullpen, where he stayed for the rest of his career.  He pitched better but not especially well.

2006
A+:  0-1-1, 3.45 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 28.2 IP, 1.9 BB/9, 10.4 K/9
AA:  2-2-7, 1.14 ERA, 1.53 WHIP, 39.1 IP, 3.4 BB/9, 8.2 K/9
AAA:  1-0-0, 0.00 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 3.2 IP, 2.5 BB/9, 9.8 K/9
MLB:  0-0-0, 4.09 ERA, 2.18 WHIP, 11.0 IP, 4.9 BB/9, 4.9 K/9

O’Flaherty moved up through three levels of the minors and made his major league debut in mid-August.  He didn’t pitch as well as his ERAs showed; in high A and AA, he allowed a lot of baserunners, with opponents hitting .292 and .300 against him, respectively.  He struggled in the majors, partly because of fatigue that led to lowered velocity.

2007
AAA:  0-0-3, 1.13 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 8.0 IP, 4.5 BB/9, 9.0 K/9
MLB:  7-1-0, 4.47 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 52.1 IP, 3.4 BB/9, 6.2 K/9

The Mariners sent O’Flaherty back to AAA to start the season, but called him up in late April.  He spent the rest of the season in their bullpen, pitching decently.

2008
AA:  0-0-0, 0.00 ERA, 0.50 WHIP, 2.0 IP, 0.0 BB/9, 9.0 K/9
AAA:  1-0-2, 4.96 ERA, 1.96 WHIP, 16.1 IP, 5.0 BB/9, 10.5 K/9
MLB:  0-1-0, 20.25 ERA, 3.00 WHIP, 6.2 IP, 5.4 BB/9, 5.4 K/9

O’Flaherty opened the season with the Mariners, but struggled badly through seven outings.  Seattle sent him to the minors, but he didn’t pitch after June 2 due to a back injury.  The Mariners put him on waivers after the season and Atlanta claimed him.

2009
MLB:  2-1-0, 3.04 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 56.1 IP, 2.9 BB/9, 6.2 K/9

O’Flaherty spent the season with the Braves and pitched well.  He got into 78 games, pitching primarily as a lefty specialist.  In what would be a trend during his time with the Braves, his xFIP (4.11) was much higher than his ERA.

2010
AAA:  0-0-0, 0.00 ERA, 0.50 WHIP, 4.0 IP, 2.2 BB/9, 11.2 K/9
MLB:  3-2-0, 2.45 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 44.0 IP, 3.7 BB/9, 7.4 K/9

O’Flaherty again put up a good ERA, and again his xFIP was higher at 3.51.  A career high walk rate was a minor problem.  The Braves again used him primarily as a lefty specialist.  He missed time during second half of the season due to a viral infection.

2011
MLB:  2-4-0, 0.98 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 73.2 IP, 2.6 BB/9, 8.2 K/9

O’Flaherty appeared in 78 games and became the first reliever ever to appear in 70+ games with an ERA below 1.00.  His xFIP, as usual, was much higher at 3.05.  The Braves no longer utilized him as a lefty specialist.

2012
MLB: 3-0-0, 1.73 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 57.1 IP, 3.0 BB/9, 7.2 K/9

The Braves employed O’Flaherty a little more sparingly, but he again posted an excellent ERA.  His xFIP was 3.31.

2013
MLB:  3-0-0, 2.50 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 18.0 IP, 2.5 BB/9, 5.5 K/9

O’Flaherty continued to get good results for the Braves, but by mid-May his velocity was down by one mph and he went on the disabled list.  He ended up having Tommy John surgery.  The Braves removed him from their roster after the season and he signed a two-year contract with Oakland.

2014
A+:  1-0-0, 0.00 ERA, 0.00 WHIP, 1.0 IP, 0.0 BB/9, 27.0 K/9
AAA:  0-1-0, 4.32 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 8.1 IP, 3.2 BB/9, 5.4 K/9
MLB:  1-0-1, 2.25 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 20.0 IP, 1.8 BB/9, 6.8 K/9

O’Flaherty went on a minor league rehab in June and made it back to the majors in early July.  He got good results in 21 games with the A’s.

2015
A+ (Oak):  0-0-0, 0.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 1.0 IP, 0.0 BB/9, 0.0 K/9
AAA (Oak):  0-0-0, 0.00 ERA, 2.00 WHIP, 1.0 IP, 0.0 BB/9, 0.0 K/9
MLB (Oak):  1-2-0, 5.91 ERA, 1.97 WHIP, 21.1 IP, 5.5 BB/9, 6.3 K/9
MLB (NYM):  0-0-0, 13.50 ERA, 2.65 WHIP, 8.2 IP, 5.2 BB/9, 6.2 K/9

O’Flaherty opened the season with Oakland, but didn’t pitch well and went on the disabled list for the month of May with a shoulder strain.  He continued to struggle with his control after he returned.  Oakland traded him to the Mets in a waiver deal in early August.  He struggled severely in New York.

With Tony Watson the only lefty set for the Pirates’ bullpen, they likely will give O’Flaherty a chance to win a spot in spring training.