2009 Milwaukee Brewers Bullpen Outlook

The Milwaukee Brewers’ new-look bullpen has a lot to prove in the 2009 season. The losses of key contributors Salomon Torres, Eric Gagne, Guillermo Mota, and Brian Shouse is worrisome, but the Brewers have done a nice job this offseason in restocking the ‘pen.  Newcomers to the franchise include Trevor Hoffman, Jorge Julio, Eduardo Morlan, and RJ Swindle, and the in-hose candidates include Mitch Stetter, Tim Dillard, Mark DiFelice, and Todd Coffey. 

Trevor Hoffman, Carlos Villanueva, and David Riske are the only three locks in the bullpen. Here is a look at the other candidates.

Jorge Julio

Julio could be this years version of Guillermo Mota.  He’s a hard throwing righty, with closing experience, and plenty of upside.  Over the past two seasons, he has bounced between four franchises (FLA, COL, CLE, ATL) which is primarily due to his early season struggles.  After his change of scenery both years, he put up very solid numbers, including a stellar September last year with the Braves. Barring an injury or ineffectiveness in Spring Training, Julio should have a place in the Brewers' bullpen. 

Todd Coffey

After coming over to Milwaukee as a waiver wire pick-up at the end of last season, Coffey played a big role in the Brewers' bullpen down the stretch.  While with the Reds in 2006, many in the franchise had hopes of him being their closer of the future, but struggles in 2007 and 2008 led to him being placed on waivers.  He has good stuff and hopefully can continue where he left off last September with Milwaukee.  He seems to have a good shot at making the team out of Spring Training.

Eduardo Morlan

Morlan was the Brewers' selection in December’s Rule 5 Draft. Morlan has never pitched above the AA level which makes him a question mark.  Being a Rule 5 pick, Morlan must stay on the Brewers' roster all season long or else he will be offered back to Tampa.  Hopefully he can handle the big league hitters and stick with the team because he has a lot of potential.  

Mitch Stetter and RJ Swindle

Stetter and Swindle are competing to replace Brian Shouse as the lefty specialist in the Brewers' bullpen.  Swindle has only a few games of Major League experience, but he has been very impressive in the minor leagues.  He has good control and power, and he has proven himself effective against lefties. 

Mitch Stetter has more experience and played a significant role in the Brewers bullpen on a few occasions last year.  He got out of several jams as a mid-inning replacement and was effective against both righties and lefties.  His 2008 success puts him as the front runner over Swindle, but if Stetter can continue to be effective against righties, both pitchers could make the Opening Day roster.

Tim Dillard

Dillard is an average middle relief option for the Brewers in 2009.  His numbers are not all that impressive, but he did put together a strong 2008 season between AAA and Milwaukee. He’s got a 50/50 chance of making the Opening Day roster. 

Mark DiFelice

The journeyman DiFelice had a very nice 2008 season splitting time between AAA and Milwaukee.  DiFelice could be this year's version of Seth McClung. He has a decent chance to make the team as the long reliever and could work his way into the Brewers' shallow rotation at some point during the season.  

Other names to watch include: Joe Bateman, Ramiro Mendoza, and Luis Pena.

Weaknesses

Many will say that this year's bullpen lacks the experience that last year’s bullpen had, and they are certainly right.  Morlan, Swindle, Dillard, DiFelice, and Stetter have very limited, if any, experience in the majors.  

Then, with Coffey and Julio, you have two big question marks.  Will they finally regain confidence and success, or will they succumb to the struggles they’ve faced over the past two years? 

Strengths

Hoffman, Villanueva, and Riske have all established themselves as effective bullpen options.  Before signing Hoffman, Doug Melvin was ready to name Villanueva the team’s closer.  Coming out of the bullpen the past two season, Villanueva has posted an ERA just north of 2.00.  Hoffman is arguably the best closer the game has ever seen and is still just as effective as he was ten years ago.  Riske started strong last year, but he battled through injury down the stretch but should bounce back strong in 2009.

The other strength the Brewers have is they seem to have a surplus of relievers.  They have ten players competing for seven or eight spots, so they definitely will have some reinforcements in the minors

The Brewers' bullpen will have many new faces in 2009 but hopefully they can repeat the success of the 2008 relief corp.