After a brief hiatus, let’s return to the breakdown of the NL East. Today, we’ll examine each team’s bullpen and rank them. In 2007, it’s not a stretch to say the Nationals’ bullpen saved their season. They logged more innings than any other team in the division, as the Nats’ patchwork starting rotation usually struggled. They likely will have to turn in a similar performance in 2008, especially if John Patterson and Shawn Hill, as they usually do, struggle to stay healthy. So, let’s look at the bullpens.
Closers – Chad Cordero is the cardiac kid of this group, with Billy Wagner the most reliable. Watching Cordero is akin to seeing a high wire act every night. More often than not, though, he gets the job done. Wagner, when he is healthy and on his game, is a lights out closer, but he does seem to struggle with elite line-ups like the Yankees, Red Sox, and Phillies. He’s more reliable than Cordero, but I look at how he pitches and wonder how his keeps his elbow from exploding. When the Mets come to DC, go watch a game or two. If Wagner comes in (an unpleasant thought) look at how much torque he puts on that elbow! The Phillies may have upgraded their closer with Brad Lidge, but he got off to a bad start with a minor knee injury. His confidence appeared fragile after his last two years in Houston. It will be interesting to see how he handles the bandbox Philly ballpark, though he thrived 2005 and before in an even more biased-toward-hitters park in Houston. The Braves’ Soriano throws heat, but is vulnerable to left-handed batters and wildness. Florida’s Kevin Gregg is solid, if unspectacular.
Overall, I’d rank the closers like this: 1 – Wagner (NY) 2 – Cordero (Was) 3 – Lidge (Phi) 4 – Gregg (Fla) 5 – Soriano (Atl) – though, I will admit, the new ballpark and Cordero’s flyball tendencies could be interesting. I think 2-5 are very close, but Wagner a clear #1.
The Nationals’ strength lies more in the depth of their pen then in Cordero. On the right-hand side they have proven veteran Luis Ayala, Jon Rauch, one of baseball’s best set-up men in 2007 and a possible closer if Cordero falters plus Saul Rivera, who allowed only one HR last year and Jesus Colome, who seemed to recapture his ability last year. No other team has that kind of depth on the right side. Chris Schroeder might be a budding star and Joel Hanrahan could do better in relief, with his 95+ MPH stuff.
On the southpaw side, the Nats might be a little thin. They have Ray King as a lefty specialist, but little else. They might need some help on the left side.
The Marlins are relying on a lot of young pitchers or journeymen in their pen. They got hit hard last year and probably will again.
The Phillies got some unexpected help from J.C. Romero last year and their pen held together for their playoff run, only to implode in the NLDS. You have to wonder how much longer Tom Gordon will last.
If Duaner Sanchez is healthy and returns to form, the Mets might have a much better bullpen, but their relievers fell apart last season at the end.
The Braves upgraded their pen with Will Ohman and Mike Gonzalez, acquired through trades. This might be their secret weapon this season.
So, Steve, how about the grades? Ok, this is always a tough area to judge, but here’s how I see it:
1 – Nationals 2 – Braves 3 – Phillies 4 – Mets 5 – Marlins
So, the total scores now are:
Mets – 24
Braves – 27
Phillies – 30
Nationals – 32
Marlines – 37
Next, the benches, then the managers. Will the Phils and Braves inch closer to New York? Will the Nats climb a bit? We’ll soon see.