To call the 2009 bullpen a jungle would be an understatement. Arrival of new acquisitions along with the unsurety of second year players and the return of some previously injured talent shall create for some interesting situations entering the season.
The offseason’s big moves were the additions of veterans Bob Howry and Jeremy Affeldt. Howry, a right hander, had an off year in 2008, posting an ERA of 5.35. However, he also turned in his fourth straight season of 70+ games. He is a workhorse who shall help to get the ball into the hands of the closer. The job of primary left handed setup will fall on Jeremy Affeldt, who turned in his second straight 70+ appearance season.
Of course, their responsibility is to get the lead to All-Star closer Brian Wilson. It would be hard to overstate how important he is to the bullpen. Yes, his ERA last year was a bit high (4.62). However, this doesn’t take into account that he had several appearances in mopup where teams dropped nukes onto his ERA. One look at his % of success in save situations should suffice as to his abilities. One concern I did have was that he blew a few late in the year. His performance in the spring (10 appearances, no runs scored) should (hopefully) put to rest these worries.
Going a little deeper into the roster, we find reliever Luis Perdomo. He appears to have won a spot on the team due to his spring. This is fortunate as he can’t be optioned due to his rule 5 status.
Another one to watch will be second year man Sergio Romo. He was excellent in ’08 but has been a bit banged up in this spring training and, as a result, only had one appearance. He might open the season on the disabled list. His ability to play is a key this year.
Another key would be the performance of lefty second year player Alex Hinshaw. Much the same as Romo, he was great in ’08. However, spring of this season hasn’t been quite as forgiving. He needs to get on track in order to make an impact this season.
Coming back is Merkin Valdez. This is an arm that would be very nice to have healthy over an entire season. Again, this is a question mark as he’s been in the infirmary so much since he arrived here. When he’s pitched, he’s been great.
Other hurlers to see possibly make an impact are: Osiris Matos, Brandon Medders, and Justin Miller.
Keiichi Yabu is gone, he’s back, he’s gone. He was good last season (at times) and bad too (at times). Do the Giants need this kind of a headache? I’m saying no.
Billy Sadler might have finally played his way out of the Giants immediate future. He’s always had potential but he’s going to have to prove himself if he wants to stick.
With discussions of a possible 11 man pitching staff, it’ll be incredibly important for the Giants to have a dependable long reliever for times when the starter can’t get out of the third inning. The best options for this would be a converted starter. Either Noah Lowry (when healthy), Joseph Martinez, or Kevin Pucetas would be possible candidates for this position.
