The Island of Misfit Toys

Welcome to the Bullpen, baseball’s island of misfit toys. The names have been changed to protect the innocent. (actually that's not true, it's something I wrote awhile ago, but I think is relevant because of some of the free agent signings we are about to witness......whenever that may be.)

Stats are based on 2007 (as I wrote it earlier this summer).

Quick, which Major League pitcher won 20 games last year? Beckett.

Or how about who had the top three strikeout totals? That’s right Peavy, Kazmir, and Santana.

Can you name the top three save totals in order? OK, it’s a slightly more difficult question, but I am sure there were some of you saying it was Velverde, Borowski, and Cordero, was I right?

But who led the major leagues in holds? I am sure it was only a true baseball junkie that came up with the name Brandon Lyons.

What did we find out? The bullpen is baseballs special teams, like a tackler on an NFL kickoff they have the potential to make the play in unspectacular fashion, or blow it and turn it into a highlight reel. Like special teams in football, it is a group guys just filling out the roster.

In 2007 Red Sox starters combined to pitcher 1006 1/3 innings. In the same year we saw the Diamondbacks starters combine for 899.7 innings of work. Now in the case of the Diamondbacks starter account for about 62.5 percent of all innings logged.

In the case of the Red Sox the starting pitchers put in 70 percent of innings thrown over the course of the regular season. So I know what you are asking yourself, what the hell does this have to do with anything?

Well I think it has everything to do with the teams that win year in and year out in the major leagues. To me it’s less about how good your starters are and how long they stay in the game; because both these teams were among the eight playoff participants in 2007. What is more telling is that between 30 and 40 percent of innings pitched in the majors these days are by relief pitchers.

The collective groups of quiet and unheralded seed chewers that enter in the worst possible situation to earth shaking rock anthems are often the forgotten link in the team.

When do relievers pitcher? In the most critical innings of a game, coming and pitching out of jams where they are protecting leads and inheriting runners. And who do we put in these all important rolls?

Japanese imports that we know little or nothing about like Okajima, a move that obviously paid dividends for the Red Sox in 2006, but who could have seen that coming? He is coupled with other casts off like former, Jays, Red Sox castoff Brandon Lyons. Or guys like Julian Tavarez that has proven time and time again with Colorado, Cleveland, St. Louis, Giants, Cubs, Marlins and Pirates, with a career ERA of 4.50 and WHIP of 1.47.

Joba Chamberlin and Jonathan Papelbon have shown promise and in the case of Papelbon the plan to make him a starter has been scrapped, but it was there at the start of 2007, and as the rumblings that Joba “Justin” Chamberlin will one day start in pin stripes.

Why does filling the pen seem to be a game of trial and error? Especially when the error in the bottom of the eight can be so critical? A perfect example of critical times in the game came with Josh Beckett leaving the Sox vs. Jay’s game on Sunday.

The bases were loaded; a veteran with power was coming to the plate in Frank Thomas, and out of the pen comes, not Papelbon but Delcarmen? I mean in a 2-2 game with a Dangerous hitter and the bases loaded isn’t this the most critical juncture in the game? I would think so, instead of sending out Papelbon to get one out, they decide to save him, send out Manny and by the time Jonathan entered the game in the ninth his appearance and three strikes out did nothing. Nothing but show us, why he was a better choice to try to get Thomas out.