[牛棚] Red Sox bullpen now goes a full 7 deep

看板RedSox作者bj26bj (逼街)時間17年前 (2009/01/24 19:55)推噓2(2推 0噓 1→)

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原文:http://0rz.tw/b5cKD from http://www.projo.com/ 想像一下把去年牛棚的 Mike Timlin(5.66 ERA) 和 David Aardsma(5.55 ERA) 兩位換成 Ramon Ramirez (2.64 ERA) 和齋藤隆 (2.49 ERA) 今年的牛棚相當值得期待 Red Sox bullpen now goes a full 7 deep 01:00 AM EST on Friday, January 23, 2009 BY DANIEL BARBARISI (Journal Sports Writer) Managers and front-office types love to repeat that a team can never, ever have enough bullpen depth. This year, the Red Sox just might prove that old adage wrong. On paper, the Red Sox boast a bullpen top seven that matches up with any in the American League, and talent waiting in the wings when the inevitable injuries occur. In fact, when comparing the ERAs of the seven projected Red Sox relievers with the projected top sevens for the other American league teams, only Tampa Bay’s projected bullpen stacks up better. What makes this group special is how deep the talent goes. While some teams may have two or perhaps four elite relievers, most are running out one or two subpar arms at the back end of the bullpen. Based on 2008 statistics, the Red Sox can expect excellence from each of their projected relievers, a statement none of the other top teams can make. In 2008, the Red Sox bullpen ranked seventh in the American League in ERA. The top five bullpens were the Toronto Blue Jays, the Tampa Bay Rays, and the Oakland Athletics, New York Yankees and Los Angeles Angels. Boston’s problem last year was bullpen depth. The Red Sox had an excellent top four group of relievers –– Jonathan Papelbon, Hideki Okajima, Manny Delcarmen, and Javier Lopez, with a strong half-year from Justin Masterson on top of that. But the rest of the bullpen was poor. Mike Timlin, David Aardsma and Craig Hansen all had ERAs well over 5.00 for the season. Now depth is their greatest asset, and it may allow them to climb the ladder of the league’s top pens. With Lopez and Papelbon having signed one-year deals Tuesday, the team’s bullpen appears set, and it is shaping up to be far superior to the 2008 edition. Replacing Aardsma with Ramon Ramirez (2.64 ERA) and Timlin with Takashi Saito (2.49 ERA), and adding a full season of Masterson should yield excellent results. Using the 2008 numbers for the seven projected Red Sox relievers yields a staff with a combined a 2.75 ERA, which allowed only 1.17 walks and hits per inning, and struck out 8.5 men per nine innings. All are totals that rank among the best in the AL. Those numbers factor in Masterson’s entire 2008 season, both his average numbers as a starter, and his excellent numbers as a reliever. If only his numbers as a reliever are used, and his 2.34 ERA, the pen would look even better. And the Red Sox have capable reinforcements ready to take over if injuries strike. The team traded for Wes Littleton, who has a 3.69 ERA in 102 big-league innings, but will probably wait in reserve in Pawtucket. Fireballing prospect Daniel Bard could also be ready for the majors by midseason. Red Sox assistant general manager Jed Hoyer said Tuesday that building depth in the pitching staff has been a priority for the club. “I don’t think we have had this much depth in the past,” Hoyer said. “I think it’s something we’ve learned a little bit through trial and error. We ’ve had some seasons where we got a little bit thinner, and at certain times it hurt us. Certainly, a priority of ours going into the offseason was to make sure we had enough depth to get through a whole season.” Boston’s chief adversaries don’t have that luxury. The Yankees boast the greatest closer of all time in Mariano Rivera, and players who have had success, such as Damaso Marte and Brian Bruney. But their seventh pitcher is expected to be David Robertson, a second-year pitcher who compiled a 5.34 ERA in 30 innings last year. The seven relievers they expect to use had an ERA of 3.26, a 1.14 WHIP, and an impressive 9.85 strikeouts per nine innings. The Rays have a stellar middle-relief crew in J.P. Howell, Grant Balfour, Joe Nelson and Rhode Island’s Dan Wheeler, but they will fill their seventh spot with converted third baseman Juan Salas, who had a 7.11 ERA in 6 innings last year. The projected Rays bullpen had a 2.59 ERA, a 1.11 WHIP and 8.3 strikeouts per nine innings. Of course, both of those teams have aces in the hole who could return to the bullpen if the situation demands. The Rays have David Price, who impressed when holding back the Red Sox in the American League Championship Series. The Yankees have Joba Chamberlain, who has been dominant during his bullpen stints, but had health problems as a starter. If either pitcher returns to their teams’ relief corps, they could make good bullpens great ones. The Blue Jays, Athletics and Angels, the other good bullpens in 2008, have some excellent pitchers, and some arms who might be better used against Triple-A pitching. The Blue Jays’ top seven relievers had a 2.95 ERA, and the Angels. It’s not clear who will take the Athletics’ seventh bullpen spot. As the season plays out, the truisms about bullpen depth will probably be proven right, and circumstances may prove that the Red Sox should have stockpiled even more pitching. But as it stands now, the Red Sox can expect one-through-seven competence without having to make a move, a statement their top competitors can’t make. -- ξ 所以我說 ●▃ 這 ╔═╮═╦╮ ∫BJ╯ 就是人生啊 ╠═╮╮║ █》 ╚═╯╰╯ -- ※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc) ◆ From: 218.166.48.70