Best Of The Best – Bullpens

Part two of the series brings up the important issue of team relief corps. The men who shut the door and close out the game are vital to a teams’ success. The Phillies showed this last year en route to a World Series title. It was not just Brad Lidge that played a significant role, but J.C. Romero and Ryan Madson as well. The Rays’ bullpen also showed life and was as strong as any down the stretch and a main reason they made it to the World Series. Once again, pitching and defense are crucial to a teams’ success, and the bullpen is just one aspect of that.

1) Boston Red Sox: The Red Sox helped the bullpen even more by signing Takashi Saito. Saito is a great pitcher who averages 11.65 K/9 innings. Not to mention his career ERA in under 2 (1.95). The Red Sox also feature one of the most solid middle relief pitchers around. Manny Delcarmen is a fireballer who came off a great season (1-2, 3.27). Justin Masterson proved he can pitch late in ball games as he turned in a fine rookie season. Hideki Okajima is the lefty specialist who can handle any situation, including many right handed hitters. If that wasn’t enough, the Red Sox showcase one of the best closers in the game in Jonathan Papelbon. Papelbon was good for 41 saves last year and his 2.34 ERA actually raised his career ERA (up to 1.84). He is one of the most feared and intimidating closers around and a perfect fit to be #1 on the list.

2) Los Angeles Angels: Some people might wonder how the Angels are still this high considering they lost their closer, Francisco Rodriguez, to the Mets. The reason is because he was replaced by a very capable man in Brian Fuentes. Fuentes put up great numbers including a 2.73 ERA and 30 of 34 saves last season. Pair that with the fact that he pitched in hitters friendly Coors Field, and you’ve got yourself a great pitcher. Scot Shields is a man who has setup the 9th inning for the Angels for so many years and has always done a great job. His career ERA of 2.93 would be good to be a closer in some places. A breakout season from rookie phenom Jose Arrendondo only helped sell the fact that the Angels bullpen is one of the best. Throw in Justin Speier and lefty Darren Oliver and this team is set for another deep playoff run.

3) Tampa Bay Rays: The emergence of a solid bullpen was a huge reason the Rays made such a turnaround from the 2007 season. Here’s a couple of numbers for you to ponder: 6.16 and 3.55. The first number represents the teams’ 2007 bullpen ERA and the second represents this years’ team ERA—quite a difference. A healthy Troy Percival will be nice to have; however, fans shouldn’t panic if he gets hurt again. Dan Wheeler did a fine job filling in as closer. Grant Balfour found his niche in Tampa Bay and turned out a fine season. J.P. Howell was the lefty specialist who turned out a fine season (6-1, 2.22). With virtually the same bullpen as the team that went to the World Series, the Rays are bound for success next year.

4) Cleveland Indians: A weak spot for the Indians last season; however, a strong spot for the team in 2007. Rafael Betancourt struggled last season and Indians fans hope he can return to his 2007 form. Rafael Perez has some Major League ready stuff and is also coming off on okay season. Masahide Kobayashi has potential to be a late-inning reliever as well. The main reason the Indians made the list is because of their free agent signing of Kerry Wood. Wood turned out to be a fantastic closer for the Cubs last season and should continue his success in the bullpen for the Indians.

5) Toronto Blue Jays: Another strong point for the Blue Jays is their bullpen. Injuries hurt this team and they still managed to top all of Major League baseball with a 2.94 bullpen ERA. B.J. Ryan looked like the same old player he was before he was hurt and missed most of the 2007 season. Jeremy Accardo, who closed games in ’07 after Ryan went down, went down himself in ’08. Accardo will be a big part to this bullpen if he can remain healthy (2007: 4-4, 2.14, 30 SV). Scott Downs, Brian Tallet, Brandon League, and Jesse Carlson are all guys that can be counted on in the late innings to shut the door. Each one of them had ERAs under 2.90. Pretty solid to have five guys on one team with ERAs under 2.90. Even without a healthy team, this team is deep enough to do fine.

Other teams with solid bullpens:
New York Yankees: No one really thought the Yankees would be left off of any list. The Yankees make this list solely because of their closer. One of the best in baseball and continues to play well even at the age of 39—Mariano Rivera. Rivera is coming off a career year in which he blew only one save and had the second lowest ERA of any closer at 1.40. The men who will get the ball to Rivera in the 9th might be hard to come by. Damaso Marte is a solid option, but he can’t be called upon night in and night out. This could be the Achilles heel for a team that is solid in every other aspect.

Minnesota Twins: This team is always known for their strong bullpen performance from year to year. Joe Nathan is back and led all closers with a 1.33 ERA last year. Pat Neshek is coming off an injury but is a great 8th inning man. Matt Guerrier and Jesse Crain both have experience and have been good in big games.

The National League bullpens have a lot to live up to considering the AL bullpens are rock solid.

1) New York Mets: The Mets turned what used to be the weak link of the team and made it one of their strongest. Signing prized free agent Francisco Rodriguez and trading for another top-notch reliever, J.J. Putz, puts the Mets as one of the frontrunners to win the World Series. Don’t forget this team still has Billy Wagner, (for the time being) Duaner Sanchez and lefty Pedro Feliciano.

2) Chicago Cubs: Even with losing Kerry Wood to the Indians, the Cubs still have a very strong bullpen. Carlos Marmol (with his 11.75 K/9 innings) is ready to step into the closer role. Neal Cotts and Sean Marshall are the lefties, with Jeff Samardzija and Michael Wuertz as the righties who return from last season. The Cubs brought in two other players via trades in the offseason to help with the bullpen. Former Marlins closer Kevin Gregg was acquired in November for pitcher Jose Ceda. Then in January, the team acquired Luis Vizcaino for Jason Marquis. Both players have experience in the late innings of ballgames and will be a nice upgrade to the Cubs’ bullpen.

3) Philadelphia Phillies: A strong point for the Phillies in their pursuit for a championship. Brad Lidge was a perfect 41 for 41 in save chances last season and he is primed for another big year. Ryan Madson just signed a three-year contract to remain a Phillie. That’s good news for Philadelphia fans because he can overpower hitters with his fastball and is coming off a great year. Scott Eyre is also back from last year. The one letdown is J.C. Romero. Romero was suspended in the offseason for violating Major League Baseball’s drug policy. He is out for the first 50 games. Even without him, the Phillies should push for another deep playoff push thanks to their pitching.

4) Los Angeles Dodgers: Takashi Saito has moved on and is now a member of the Boston Red Sox. The bullpen won’t shed a tear as many young arms are ready for their chance. The Dodgers’ 3.34 team bullpen ERA was third best in all of the majors last season. Jonathan Broxton is the team’s next closer and with 11.48 K/9 innings rate and a career 3.02 ERA, he is ready for the challenge. Hong-Chih Kuo was fantastic last season compiling a 5-3 record with a 2.14 ERA in 42 games. The young Cory Wade pitched brilliantly down the stretch as he helped the Dodgers knock off the Cubs in the playoffs. New signee Guillermo Mota brings experience and heat to a Dodgers team that knows all about fireballers.

5) Houston Astros: Most of the relievers are back from a team that was tied for 6th best in the National League. Closer Jose Valverde did a nice job last year as his first year with the Astros. The 7th and 8th innings are manned by Doug Brocail, Geoff Geary, LaTroy Hawkins, and Tim Byrdak. None of the four had ERAs over 4.00. Long relief is even covered. Depending on who makes the rotation, Felipe Paulino or Fernando Nieve could be a solid long relief option.

Other teams with solid bullpens:
Milwaukee Brewers: They lost some key players to free agency and retirement, but brought a sure thing Hall of Famer in to replace their closer. With Salomon Torres, Brian Shouse, Eric Gagne, and Guillermo Mota gone, this team needed to upgrade. Upgrade is just what they did when they signed 41-year old Trevor Hoffman. Hoffman is the all-time saves leader with 554 and at the age of 41 is still affective. He finished 30 for 34 in saves last season. Jorge Julio was also signed by the Brewers to replace much of the help that was lost for the 8th inning. Julio can be up and down but has closer experience. David Riske, Mitch Stetter, and Carlos Villanueva are three pretty solid options for new manager Ken Macha to work with.

Cincinnati Reds: The Reds’ bullpen finished third in the National League with a 3.81 team ERA. The bullpen is anchored by Francisco Cordero, the former all-star. Bill Bray had a fine season, and paired with Arthur Rhodes, those two lefties should be nice options in key situations. Jared Burton’s career 2.92 ERA is great considering he is only 27. Nick Masset and Mike Lincoln are solid long relief options to round out a nicely balanced bullpen.

As the Rays and Phillies showed last season, the bullpen is crucial to a team’s success down the stretch. Being able to put a team away when leading is huge, not only in the win-loss column, but in the minds of the players.

The next column is going to be on the best infields around—not including the catcher.