Pittsburgh Pirates: 2012 Bullpen Appears to Be Set and Strong

The Pittsburgh Pirates' bullpen appears to be strong but lacking southpaws.

The leader is obviously Joel Hanrahan, but he will have many suitable arms joining him in the pen.

Jason Grilli

Grilli, who has not thrown a pitch since 2009, arrived midseason in 2011 and pitched very well for the Pirates. He posted a 2-1 record with a 2.48 ERA and 1.19 WHIP.

He has an outside chance to take on the set-up role, but it's not likely.

Evan Meek

In 2011, the Pirates looked for Meek to be the set-up for Hanrahan, but injuries prevented him from doing so. In 2010 Meek earned All-Star honors and posted a 5-4 record with a 2.14 ERA and 1.05 WHIP.

If Meek can pitch as he did in 2010, look for him in the set-up role.

Chris Resop

The Pirates organization likes how Resop has performed when he inherited multiple baserunners, but he did struggle some, posting a 5-4 record with a 4.39 ERA and 1.48 WHIP in 2011.

Jose Veras

Last winter, Pirates manager Clint Hurdle was pleased with the addition of Veras. Hurdle felt he was a good get, and that he had a big arm.

He performed well in 2011, when not in a save opportunity. He posted a 2-2 record with a 2.78 ERA and 1.14 WHIP in those situations (71 games).

Daniel Moskos

Moskos made his major league debut in 2011 and did not disappoint. He posted a 1-1 record with a 2.96 ERA and 1.56 WHIP. He and fellow rookie Tony Watson are the only lefties in the pen.

Tony Watson

Watson also made his debut in 2011 and performed well. He posted a 2-2 record with a 3.95 ERA and 1.32 WHIP

While these may not be the arms that make up to 2012 bullpen, you can see that the Pirates look to have strength in there—with the exception that they might be a little weak from the left side.