Red Sox v. Yankees '07: Relief Pitching

Red Sox Bullpen: The biggest problem the Red Sox are going to have this season will be closing out close games and allowing the starting pitchers to keep their “W”s after leaving the game in the sixth or seventh inning. After moving Jonathan Papelbon into the rotation in order to get more innings out of him and keep his arm healthy, the Sox now have several options to slide into the closer’s role (none of which is especially appealing). One thing the Sox do seem to have is farm depth, but many of those pitchers are young, inexperienced, and apparently not ready to handle the full load of a major-league relief pitcher. Of the seven available bullpen spots the Sox will likely begin the season with, six seem all but taken by the veterans on the staff. There are a whole bunch of arms looking to fill that last hole. In no particular order, this is what Boston’s bullpen should look like in ‘07:

1. RHP Joel Pineiro - Supposedly the leading candidate to fill the closer’s role, Pineiro is actually a converted starter out of Seattle who is trying to revamp his career by coming into the game in the late innings. Once considered one of the most talented young starters in the game (16-11, 3.78 ERA, 151 strikeouts with the Mariners in 2003), Pineiro pitched himself out of Seattle’s rotation last year and wasn’t exactly remarkable out of the bullpen, either. Scouts say that he has the stuff and the makeup to be a good reliever with experience, however, and the Sox are hoping they are right. In 37 career relief appearances, Joel (pronounced with two syllables like “jo-el”) has maintained a 3.21 ERA (that’s actually 1.37 runs lower than his career ERA as a starter) along with .88 strikeouts per inning compared to .64 as starter. So history says he may just be suited for relief duty, but he’s probably going to log about as many innings as a reliever this season as he has in his entire career (70). Time will tell if he’s suited for his first full season out of the bullpen.

2. RHP Mike Timlin - Timlin has been one of the most important pieces of the bullpen puzzle over his four seasons in Boston. In the past three seasons he has appeared in at least 75 games and logged at least 20 holds. With 139 careers saves, Timlin has the most closing experience of any other candidate in camp, but tradition says the Sox find him more valuable in a setup role. That said, Timlin sputtered a bit last season and has been experiencing some injury problems this spring. In fact, given that a strained oblique is likely to land him on the DL to begin the season, his slot in the bullpen will probably be filled by another candidate for the seventh slot or by a fifth outfielder (perhaps Alex Ochoa?) until he is healthy again. On his return sometime in the middle of April, Timlin will be hard-pressed to show that he can still be effective and stay healthy at 41 years old.

3. RHP Julian Tavarez - OK, I’m not going to say that Tavarez is a bad pitcher, because he certainly has some degree of talent. The problem comes in the fact that, at least when it comes to last season and this spring, Tavarez has pitched best when he goes for several innings at a time. In his six starts of 2006, Tavarez posted an ERA (4.01) that was 70 points lower than in all of his relief appearances combined. Named as one of the candidates for the closer role before spring training began, it’s clear that Tavarez’s inability to shut a lineup down for a single inning at a time makes him ill-suited for such a task. Yet Terry Francona has insisted that he has no intention of carrying a long-reliever on his staff, opting instead for six setup guys and one closer. Considering the depth of Boston’s starting rotation, I’d say Francona will get little value out of Tavarez by keeping him on as a spot-starter. My suggestion would be to trade him for a team that is looking for a fifth starter or long-reliever, possibly as part of a package for a true closer like Armando Benitez or Jorge Julio.

4. LHP J.C. Romero - During his years with the Minnesota Twins, Romero was considered one of the top left-handed arms in any major league bullpen. His best year came in 2002 when he went 9-2 with a 1.89 ERA in 81 innings. Then Romero was acquired by the Angels prior to the 2006 season and… well things just fell apart. Not only did he pitch in a career low 48.1 innings, but he also posted a career high 6.70 ERA. The Sox tried to acquire Romero from the Twins when he was still a hot property, so their ability to snatch him up from the free agent market this winter (when his down-year lowered his price considerably) may prove significant if he can bounce back from his struggles with the Angels.

5. LHP Hideki Okajima - Having been a consistent and productive reliever in Japan since 1995, Okajima had a career year in 2006 (his first with the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters), posting a nice little 2.14 ERA and 63 strikeouts in 54.2 innings. Now 1.16 strikeouts per inning pitched is about the most you could ask from any reliever, but expect that number to decrease somewhat in the States. Not known to be a left-handed specialist type, his deceptive changeup and over-the-top delivery make him more suited to fill a setup role, especially against right-handers. If Romero can’t prove that 2006 was just a bump in the road, Okajima may turn out to be Francona’s left-handed go-to guy late in the game.

6. RHP Brendan Donnelly - For the past five seasons, Donnelly has been a rock for one of the best bullpens in baseball, the Las Angeles Angels of Anaheim (formerly just the Anaheim Angels). Since his debut for the Angels in 2002, Donnelly has gone 23-8 with a 2.87 ERA and 295 strikeouts in as many innings. He posted career-worst ERA and strikeouts per inning pitched last year, but at 3.94 and .83 he was still better than Pineiro, Timlin, Tavarez, and Romero. He’s known to be a competitor and have a tough makeup on the mound, but he has only 4 career saves and may not have the experience needed to be the closer for the Sox. Also, don’t expect to play as Donnelly in your favorite baseball video game because he (like Kevin Millar before him) has been blacklisted by the MLBPA for his participation during the baseball strike of 1994.

7. a. RHP Manny Delcarmen - The Boston native is a fan favorite, but thus far has not succeeded in showcasing his supposedly killer breaking ball in the major leagues. In 53.1 innings last year Delcarmen went 2-0 with a 5.06 ERA and 45 strikeouts. If he doesn’t break camp with the team, chances are you will see him with the big club at some point during the season.

b. RHP Kyle Snyder - Snyder is out of options (he‘ll become a free agent if he doesn‘t break camp with the Red Sox), and may be a long-shot to fill the closer’s role, but he’s also a candidate for a late-spring trade. He’s pitching well in spring training, so far posting a 2.89 ERA and ten strikeouts in 9.1 innings pitched (three starts), but in his career with the Royals and the Sox Snyder has gone 6-14 with a 5.94 ERA and 115 strikeouts in 181.2 innings. For most pitchers, that is one season to forget, but for Snyder those numbers are spread out over four years. If you ask me Theo Epstein should take this opportunity to get some value for Snyder and trade him, Tavarez, and outfielder David Murphy for a top-of-the-line closer.

c. RHP Craig Hansen - Once billed as the Sox closer of the future, Hansen is now struggling to correct his mechanical problems and find that devastating slider that made him the best closer in college baseball two years ago. Hansen doesn’t seem to be taking well to the Red Sox tinkering with his delivery, and the fact that he was rushed into the majors the same year he was drafted and again last year has put the kid under an enormous amount of pressure that can’t have been good for his development. Last year Hansen posted a 6.63 ERA and 30 strikeouts in his 38 innings pitched. His walks were on the lower side with 15, but where he got into trouble was in the hits department. With an opponent’s batting average of .376 and 46 hits allowed, Hansen is going to have to figure out how to keep the ball away from the bat if he wants to stick in Boston’s bullpen.

d. LHP Javier Lopez - The Mike Myers-esque submariner appeared in 27 games for Boston last summer as a situational lefty and posted a 2.70 ERA. His strikeouts-to-walk ratio was right around 1-1 though, and Francona has said in the past that carrying a lefty specialist is like wasting a roster spot, so I wouldn’t expect to see him pitch for the Red Sox this year unless there are serious injury or performance problems.

e. LHP Kason Gabbard - He was decent in his 7 games for the Red Sox in 2006 and has impressed this spring going 1-1 with a 2.70 ERA in 4 starts (10 innings pitched). More likely to start the season in Pawtucket’s rotation and come up as needed in spot-start situations.

f. RHP Devern Hansack - Hansack made a name for himself by putting together a couple of memorable starts for the Red Sox in late 2006; a bright spot in an otherwise dismal time period for the Sox. Regarded in media circles as a dark-horse candidate for the closer role, it’s more likely that Hansack, like Gabbard, will begin the season as a starter for Pawtucket and come up to the Show as needed.

g. RHP Edgar Martinez - The converted catcher has impressed in the minors since the switch in 2004. Martinez is little known but coveted by the Red Sox, as he has spent a lot of time on the 40-man roster protected from the rule-5 draft, yet has never appeared in a game for the Sox. He spent last year in Portland and posted a 2.61 ERA with 59 strikeouts and 18 walks in 69 innings pitched. Unlikely to break camp with the team, Edgar is very likely to be called up before season’s end.

h. RHP Bryce Cox - Cox has taken on the role of Boston’s closer-of-the-future from the maligned Hansen. He tore apart every hitter he faced in college and did the same in A-ball last year. You probably won’t see him in Boston in 2007, but keep him on your radar screen as he’s just itching to make a name for himself on the big stage.


Yankees Bullpen: The Yankees are looking pretty good in regards to their bullpen, as long as management can keep emotions checked and arms healthy. They boast of the best closer in the game, a crew of some very talented setup arms and a few young guns that are ready to help out at some point during the season. Like the Sox, the seventh slot in the Yankees bullpen (if indeed they opt to carry 12 pitchers) could be filled by a number of candidates.

1. RHP Mariano Rivera - Though he has stated that the Yankees will have no advantage in signing him if he is allowed to reach free agency this offseason, Mariano Rivera is still in pinstripes for 2007. Therefore, if the Yankees have the lead going into the ninth inning, the game is essentially over. With a career 2.19 ERA and 413 saves, Rivera didn’t disappoint last season when he garnered 34 saves with his typically miniscule ERA of 1.80 to go along with 55 strikeouts. No good or bad the rest of the bullpen looks, Rivera is and always will be the ultimate closer.

2. RHP Kyle Farnsworth - Farnsworth wasn’t spectacular in his first season in pinstripes, posting a 4.36 ERA in 72 appearances. His strikeouts per inning pitched was a pretty nice 1.14 though. Chalk last year’s performance up to his adjusting to the New York pressure, and you can expect the flame-throwing Farnsworth to do a handy job setting up for Rivera in 2007.

3. RHP Luis Vizcaino - Acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks in the Randy Johnson trade, Vizcaino is widely regarded as one of the harder working setup men in baseball. Having averaged nearly 72 appearances a year for over the last five seasons, he’s the owner of a 4.00 ERA in that time (a number that would be much lower if it weren’t for his single down-year in 2003) and 318 strikeouts. He and Farnsworth figure to take turns as the primary setup men for Rivera.

4. LHP Mike Myers - Formerly of the Red Sox, Myers was acquired by the Yankees as a means of getting some of the big left-handers in the division out in late-game situations (David Ortiz, anyone?). Last season, however, his OBA against right handers (.224) was actually 33 points lower than against lefties. In nine at-bats against Ortiz, Myers allowed just two hits, but one of those hits accounted for one of Myers’ three homeruns allowed on the season. Still, the submariner is considered one of the better lefty specialists in the game, and he should keep that reputation up this year for the Yankees.

5. RHP Scott Proctor - Proctor was actually stretched out during the beginning of spring training as a starter, but it looks as if he’ll be back in a middle-relief role for the Yankees this season. Appearing in a team-high 83 games last season, Proctor impressed by putting up a 3.52 ERA to go along with his 89 strikeouts. At 30 years old, Proctor is just now hitting his prime as a major-league reliever, but expect him to match or improve upon all of his 2006 numbers in the coming season.

6. RHP Chris Britton - Acquired in the Jaret Wright trade from Baltimore, Britton impressed in his rookie year by posting a 3.35 ERA and 41 strikeouts in his 52 appearances with the Orioles. The OBA of .286 could stand to drop a couple points, but chances are Britton will continue to improve in a middle-relief role for the Yankees.

7. a. RHP Darrell Rasner - Groomed as a starter in his time as a minor leaguer, Rasner is the owner of a 3.44 ERA and 397 strikeouts in his 100 minor-league appearances. He appeared in six major league games with the Yankees last season (three starts) and held a 4.43 ERA to go along with 11 strikeouts in his 20.1 innings. May have a leg-up over the competition for his ability to go multiple innings and spot-start as needed.

b. RHP T.J. Beam - He’s allowed just two hits and no runs in his 4 innings this spring. With a sinking fastball that sits around 91-94 mph, Beam should be able to get more than a few groundballs at the major-league level.

c. RHP Colter Bean - The righty has been in the Yankees system since the 2000 draft and has posted a nifty 2.69 ERA and 587 strikeouts in his 459.2 minor league innings pitched. That hasn’t been quite enough to land him on the major league roster for any significant period of time, apparently, and Bean is once again spending the spring trying to prove that he belongs with the big club. Having not allowed a run in 6.2 exhibition innings, Bean certainly is proving himself capable, but that hasn’t stopped the Yankees from snubbing him in the past.

d. RHP Brian Bruney - Appeared in 19 games for the Yankees last season and threw for a 0.87 ERA and 25 strikeouts in his 20.2 innings. Struggled in 47 outings for the Diamondbacks in 2005 with a 7.43 ERA, but still had a high strikeouts per innings pitched rate at 1.11. If he can keep his hits and walks allowed down for a second year in a row, Bruney could prove to be a valuable part of the Yankees’ bullpen.

e. RHP Jeff Karstens - Not likely to appear in the bullpen before Rasner, Karstens will probably start the season at triple-A and come up to the big club as needed for starting help. In eight games (six starts) for the Yankees last season Karstens was 2-1 with a 3.80 ERA. The strikeouts-to-walks ratio could be higher at 1.45.

f. LHP Sean Henn - Another starter in the Yankees system that could spend some time in the bullpen this year, Henn owns a career 24-20 record, 3.62 ERA, and 347 strikeouts in 440 minor-league innings pitched (78 starts). Like Karstens, Henn is unlikely to reach the majors as a reliever before Rasner, but Henn has the advantage of being one of very few lefties in camp.


Bottom Line: The Red Sox acquired some proven veterans that are gunning to come back from off-years this winter, but the Yankees’ acquisition of Vizcaino to setup for the ultimate closer in the game alongside Kyle Farnsworth is more than enough to trump the Sox bullpen once again in 2007.