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SAN FRANCISCO - Robb Nen 33 R and Felix Rodriguez 30 R and Tim Worrell 36 R and Chad Zerbe 31 L
YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA
NEN
2000 SF 4 3 68 0 0 0 41 66 37 19 92 150
2001 SF 4 5 79 0 0 0 45 78 58 22 93 301
2002 SF 6 2 68 0 0 0 43 74 64 20 81 220
RODRIGUEZ
2000 SF 4 2 76 0 0 0 3 82 65 42 95 264
2001 SF 9 1 80 0 0 0 0 80 53 27 91 168
2002 SF 8 6 71 0 0 0 0 69 53 29 58 417
WORRELL
2000 BAL-CHC 5 6 59 0 0 0 3 69 72 29 57 299
2001 SF 2 5 73 0 0 0 0 78 71 33 63 345
2002 SF 8 2 80 0 0 0 0 72 55 30 55 225
ZERBE
2000 AA-AAA 10 7 34 11 0 0 5 107 122 26 58 369
2001 SF 3 0 27 1 0 0 0 39 41 10 22 392
2002 SF 2 0 50 0 0 0 0 56 52 21 26 304
      As expected, the Giants' bullpen was effective and helped lead them into the World Series. Nen and Jay Witasick were outstanding, and Tim Worrell also contributed a very good season. The only bummer was Felix Rodriguez, who pitched so magnificently in 2001; Rodriguez was awful the first four months. But he found his groove in August and had a decent postseason.
      Witasick has left and joined the Padres. Rodriguez, presumably, will be given a chance to pick up where he left off last year, as the setup man, and he'll probably be good. Worrell will also be back in a key role, though he is starting to pack on the years. Nen has now pitched in the World Series with both the Marlins and the Giants; he now has to rank as the NL's top closer, better than everyone in baseball except Rivera.
HOUSTON - Billy Wagner 32 L and Octavio Dotel 29 R and Ricky Stone 28 R and Brandon Puffer 27 R
YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA
WAGNER
2000 HOU 2 4 28 0 0 0 6 28 28 18 28 618
2001 HOU 2 5 64 0 0 0 39 63 44 20 79 273
2002 HOU 4 2 70 0 0 0 35 75 51 22 88 252
DOTEL
2000 HOU 3 7 50 16 0 0 16 125 127 61 142 540
2001 HOU 7 5 61 4 0 0 2 105 79 47 145 266
2002 HOU 6 4 83 0 0 0 6 97 58 27 118 185
STONE
2000 AAA 9 5 48 7 0 0 5 120 146 42 75 494
2001 AAA 6 3 51 8 0 0 2 95 98 27 78 359
2002 HOU 3 3 78 0 0 0 1 77 78 34 63 361
PUFFER
2000 A 4 5 33 0 0 0 15 59 62 31 62 384
2001 AA 6 1 56 0 0 0 8 83 52 35 91 207
2002 HOU 3 3 55 0 0 0 0 69 67 38 48 443
      Wagner set career highs in games and innings pitched. How cool is that? This is a guy who makes a lot of money saving games and who just had his elbow reattached a couple of years ago. Because he has the mystical designation of "closer", he can get paid millions to pitch as infrequently as possible. But he's pitching more often than ever and pitching great.
      So, the pressure is on the Astros to trade Wagner and make Dotel the closer. Dotel is brilliant and would do a great job, but how would this help the team? Isn't it better to have both Wagner and Dotel? I know that the closer's role brings fame and fortune, but this is still a team game, yes?
      Puffer pitched brilliantly at Round Rock in 2001, and starting last season pitching brilliantly at New Orleans, at which point the Astros decided to stop wasting time and let him get on with his career.
FLORIDA - Braden Looper 28 R and Tim Spooneybarger 23 R and Armando Almanza 30 L and Vladimir Nunez 28 R
YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA
LOOPER
2000 FLO 5 1 73 0 0 0 2 67 71 36 29 441
2001 FLO 3 3 71 0 0 0 3 71 63 30 52 355
2002 FLO 2 5 78 0 0 0 13 86 73 28 55 314
NUNEZ
2000 FLO 0 6 17 12 0 0 0 68 88 34 45 790
2001 FLO 4 5 52 3 0 0 0 92 79 30 64 274
2002 FLO 6 5 77 0 0 0 20 98 80 37 73 341
SPOONEYBARGER
2000 A 3 0 19 6 0 0 0 50 18 19 57 091
2001 AA-AAA 4 1 57 0 0 0 5 72 53 25 82 201
2002 ATL 1 0 51 0 0 0 1 51 38 26 33 263
ALMANZA
2000 FLO 4 2 67 0 0 0 0 46 38 43 46 486
2001 FLO 2 2 52 0 0 0 0 41 34 26 45 483
2002 FLO 3 2 51 0 0 0 2 46 36 23 57 434
      This is a nice group of pitchers. Nunez and Looper shared closing duties and were both very good, proving that there is life after Antonio Alfonseca. Armando Almanza had troubles with elbow soreness, though he still managed to strike out over 11 batters per game.
      The new addition is Tim Spooneybarger, who had a nice rookie season with the Braves. He also appears to have developed a problem with authority but that's OK. These four guys are all good, they're all young, and they're all huge (their combined weight is 890 pounds).
ATLANTA - John Smoltz 36 R and Ray King 29 L and Darren Holmes 37 R and Roberto Hernandez 38 R
YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA
SMOLTZ
2001 ATL 3 3 36 5 0 0 10 59 53 10 57 336
2002 ATL 3 2 75 0 0 0 55 80 59 24 85 325
KING
2000 MIL 3 2 36 0 0 0 0 29 18 10 19 126
2001 MIL 0 4 82 0 0 0 1 55 49 25 49 360
2002 MIL 3 2 76 0 0 0 0 65 61 24 50 305
HOLMES
2000 ARI-BAL-STL 0 1 18 0 0 0 1 19 37 9 16 1303
2001
DID NOT PLAY
2002 ATL 2 2 55 0 0 0 1 55 41 12 47 181
HERNANDEZ
2000 TAM 4 7 68 0 0 0 32 73 76 23 61 319
2001 KC 5 6 63 0 0 0 28 68 69 26 46 412
2002 KC 1 3 53 0 0 0 26 52 62 12 39 433
      The Atlanta Braves had by far the best bullpen in baseball last season. They were led, of course, by Smoltz and his 55 saves, and also the reliable Mike Remlinger. They had brilliant performances from two veteran pitchers, Chris Hammond and Darren Holmes, who didn't even pitch a single inning in 2001. Throw in good performances from Tim Spooneybarger, Kerry Ligtenberg and Kevin Gryboski, and the Braves had seven relievers whose performances ranged from good to brilliant.
      And now, they're almost all gone. Remlinger, Hammond and Ligtenberg all signed elsewhere, and Spooneybarger was traded. Smoltz is still around but may be itching to return to the starting rotation. The Braves also signed Ray King and Roberto Hernandez to help patch things up. On paper, there isn't a lot that is impressive about this group... but then, I thought the same thing last year. You have to respect a team that can make a great pitcher out of Chris Hammond.
NEW YORK METS - Armando Benitez 30 R and Scott Strickland 27 R and David Weathers 34 R and Mike Stanton 36 L
YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA
BENITEZ
2000 NYM 4 4 76 0 0 0 41 76 39 38 106 261
2001 NYM 6 4 73 0 0 0 43 76 59 40 93 377
2002 NYM 1 0 62 0 0 0 33 67 46 25 79 227
STRICKLAND
2001 MON 2 6 77 0 0 0 9 81 67 41 85 321
2002 MON 6 9 69 0 0 0 2 69 61 33 69 354
WEATHERS
2000 MIL 3 5 69 0 0 0 1 76 73 32 50 307
2001 MIL 4 5 80 0 0 0 4 86 65 34 66 241
2002 NYM 6 3 71 0 0 0 0 77 69 36 61 291
STANTON
2000 NYY 2 3 69 0 0 0 0 68 68 24 75 410
2001 NYY 9 4 76 0 0 0 0 80 80 29 78 258
2002 NYY 7 1 79 0 0 0 6 78 73 28 44 300
      A scary thought: the Mets have more good closers than they do outfielders.
      The Mets have a solid bullpen. There are some who don't think that Armando Benitez is a championship-quality closer, but that's OK, because the Mets aren't a championship calibre team at the moment. Benitez is still young and still has overpowering stuff, and the Mets don't have to worry about him. As opposed to, say, Mo Vaughn or Pedro Astacio or Jeromy Burnitz or the rest of the roster.
CINCINNATI - Scott Williamson 27 R and Scott Sullivan 32 R and Gabe White 31 L and Chris Reitsma 25
YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA
WILLIAMSON
2000 CIN 5 8 48 10 0 0 6 112 92 75 136 329
2001
INJURED
2002 CIN 3 4 63 0 0 0 8 74 46 36 84 292
SULLIVAN
2000 CIN 3 6 79 0 0 0 3 106 87 38 96 347
2001 CIN 7 1 79 0 0 0 0 103 94 36 82 331
2002 CIN 6 5 71 0 0 0 1 79 93 31 78 606
G WHITE
2000 CIN-COL 11 2 68 0 0 0 5 84 64 15 84 236
2001 COL 1 7 69 0 0 0 0 68 70 26 47 625
2002 CIN 6 1 62 0 0 0 0 54 49 10 41 298
REITSMA
2000 AA 7 2 14 14 1 0 0 91 78 21 58 258
2001 CIN 7 15 36 29 0 0 0 182 209 49 96 529
2002 CIN 6 12 32 21 1 1 0 138 144 45 84 364
      The Reds have consistently had a solid bullpen over the past few years, though it got shook up a little last year. Closer Danny Graves was moved to the starting rotation, and setup man Scott Sullivan was mostly ineffective. But the return to form of Scott Williamson and the addition of Gabe White helped to smoothe over the rough waters. Sullivan will have a better season, and Williamson is tremendous if he can stay healthy, so I expect the Reds to have solid help from the pen this season.
LOS ANGELES - Eric Gagne 27 R and Paul Quantrill 34 R and Giovanni Carrara 35 R and Guillermo Mota 30 R
YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA
GAGNE
2000 LA 4 6 20 19 0 0 0 101 106 60 79 515
2001 LA 6 7 33 24 0 0 0 153 144 46 130 475
2002 LA 4 1 77 0 0 0 52 82 55 16 114 197
QUANTRILL
2000 TOR 2 5 68 0 0 0 1 84 100 25 47 452
2001 TOR 11 2 80 0 0 0 2 83 86 12 58 304
2002 LA 5 4 86 0 0 0 1 77 80 25 53 270
CARRARA
2001 LA 6 1 47 3 0 0 0 85 73 24 70 316
2002 LA 6 3 63 1 0 0 1 91 83 32 56 328
MOTA
2000 MON 1 1 29 0 0 0 0 30 27 12 24 600
2001 MON 1 3 53 0 0 0 0 50 51 18 31 526
2002 LA 1 3 43 0 0 0 0 61 45 27 49 415
      The best closer in baseball last year was Eric Gagne of the Dodgers, whom everyone thought was a starting pitcher but you can never tell. Gagne was a throwback to the 70's, complete with goofy-looking goggles and ugly facial hair. He was also pretty amazing, especially in the first half when he was untouchable.
      No one can pitch that well every year, but Gagne should be good for another 40 saves this season; he's always been a good pitcher, but just needed to find himself. Fellow Canadian Paul Quantrill is a durable and consistent setup man; these four pitchers and Paul Shuey are all quality pitchers.
ST. LOUIS - Jason Isringhausen 31 R and Steve Kline 31 L and Al Levine 35 R and Mike Crudale 26 R
YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA
ISRINGHAUSEN
2000 OAK 6 4 66 0 0 0 33 69 67 32 57 378
2001 OAK 4 3 65 0 0 0 34 71 54 23 74 265
2002 STL 3 2 60 0 0 0 32 65 46 18 68 248
KLINE
2000 MON 1 5 83 0 0 0 14 82 88 27 64 350
2001 STL 3 3 89 0 0 0 9 75 53 29 54 180
2002 STL 2 1 66 0 0 0 6 58 54 21 41 339
LEVINE
2000 ANA 3 4 51 5 0 0 2 95 98 49 42 387
2001 ANA 8 10 64 1 0 0 2 76 71 28 40 238
2002 ANA 4 4 52 0 0 0 5 64 61 34 40 424
CRUDALE
2000 A 8 5 59 0 0 0 7 76 71 27 73 307
2001 AA 4 9 62 0 0 0 9 80 76 22 85 325
2002 STL 3 0 49 1 0 0 0 53 43 14 47 188
      Isringhausen's first year with the Cardinals was a good one. Unfortunately, after the Cardinals were eliminated he had surgery to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder. He is expected to be ready for spring, though likely with a reduced workload.
      Of course, we have seen this before. Isringhausen has already had surgery once before, which ended his promising career as a starter. He's made a fine comeback as a closer, but now is going under the knife again. Even if he does regain his effectiveness, you have to wonder if his workload if just going to keep declining to the point where he hardly ever pitches.
ARIZONA - Byung Hyun-Kim 24 R and Mike Jackson 38 R and Mike Koplove 27 R and Mike Myers 34 L
YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA
KIM
2000 ARI 6 6 61 1 0 0 14 71 52 46 111 446
2001 ARI 5 6 78 0 0 0 19 98 58 44 113 294
2002 ARI 8 3 72 0 0 0 36 84 64 26 92 204
JACKSON
2001 HOU 5 3 67 0 0 0 4 69 68 22 46 470
2002 MIN 2 3 58 0 0 0 0 55 59 13 29 327
KOPLOVE
2000 AA 4 3 35 0 0 0 6 46 38 19 47 388
2001 AA-AAA 7 3 51 0 0 0 13 66 61 29 65 271
2002 ARI 6 1 55 0 0 0 0 62 47 23 46 336
MYERS
2000 COL 0 1 78 0 0 0 1 45 24 24 41 199
2001 COL 2 3 73 0 0 0 0 40 32 24 36 360
2002 ARI 4 3 69 0 0 0 4 37 39 17 31 438
      You can take your Byung Hyun-Kim jokes and stick them in a sock; this guy is one of the best pitchers in baseball. Kim recovered from a disastrous World Series experience in 2001 and had his best season.
      In fact, it is only because of Kim that I have as much respect as I do for this ragtag bunch of misfits that Bob Brenly calls a bullpen. Tell me again, how did the Diamondbacks win the World Series? Oh yeah, they used Randy Johnson in relief...
PITTSBURGH - Mike Williams 35 R and Matt Herges 33 R and Scott Sauerbeck 31 L and Mike Lincoln 28 R
YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA
WILLIAMS
2000 PIT 3 4 72 0 0 0 24 72 56 40 71 350
2001 PIT-HOU 6 4 65 0 0 0 22 64 60 35 59 380
2002 PIT 2 6 59 0 0 0 46 62 54 21 43 293
HERGES
2000 LA 11 3 59 4 0 0 1 111 100 40 75 317
2001 LA 9 8 75 0 0 0 1 99 97 46 76 344
2002 MON 2 5 62 0 0 0 6 65 80 26 50 404
SAUERBECK
2000 PIT 5 4 75 0 0 0 1 76 76 61 83 404
2001 PIT 2 2 70 0 0 0 2 63 61 40 79 560
2002 PIT 5 4 78 0 0 0 0 63 50 27 70 230
LINCOLN
2001 AAA 5 4 18 13 1 0 0 92 90 25 71 344
2001 PIT 2 1 31 0 0 0 0 40 34 11 24 268
2002 PIT 2 4 55 0 0 0 0 73 80 27 50 311
      The Pirates' bullpen was wowsers early in the season, shutting down opponents on the odd occasions when the offense scored enough runs to win. Mike Williams was untouchable for four months, struggled badly in August and September but still saved 46 games. Likewise, Mike Lincoln and Brian Boehringer started strong, faded a little as the season wore on. Lefty Joe Beimel started brilliantly, was moved to the starting rotation, struggled, was moved back to the bullpen and finished strong.
      Scott Sauerbeck was terrific all year, demonstrating that good strikeout rates often result in good pitchers. The Pirates are coming back with the same group, and have added workhorse Matt Herges to the mix. This bullpen can pitch; even if a couple of guys falter, there are plenty of arms to get the job done. Now, if those hitters could ever get the team the lead, the Pirates might do OK this year.
MILWAUKEE - Mike DeJean 32 R and Valerio de los Santos 30 L and Luis Vizcaino 28 R and Jayson Durocher 29 R
YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA
DEJEAN
2000 COL 4 4 54 0 0 0 0 53 54 30 34 489
2001 MIL 4 2 75 0 0 0 2 84 75 39 68 277
2002 MIL 1 5 68 0 0 0 27 75 66 39 65 312
DE LOS SANTOS
2000 MIL 2 3 66 2 0 0 0 74 72 33 70 513
2002 MIL 2 3 51 0 0 0 0 58 42 26 38 312
VIZCAINO
2000 OAK 0 1 12 0 0 0 0 19 25 11 18 745
2001 OAK 2 1 36 0 0 0 1 37 38 12 31 466
2002 MIL 5 3 76 0 0 0 5 81 55 30 79 299
DUROCHER
2000 AA-AAA 4 6 58 0 0 0 21 70 70 37 81 371
2001 AAA 4 1 31 0 0 0 6 40 34 23 52 499
2002 AAA 1 0 20 0 0 0 2 26 19 15 39 273
2002 MIL 1 1 39 0 0 0 0 48 27 21 44 188
      The only bright spot for the Brewers last season was the solid performance of their bullpen. They lost closer Leskanic for the whole season, but Mike DeJean saved 27 games, and the rest of the pen was good as well. DeJean probably isn't a good long-term solution as the closer, plus they also dealt workhorse Ray King. The youngest and brightest of this group is Luis Vizcaino, who needs to stay healthy.
      Leskanic appears to be done; he had shoulder surgery after the 2001 season, and was expected back by June, but the shoulder never healed properly.
PHILADELPHIA - Jose Mesa 36 R and Terry Adams 30 R and Dave Coggin 26 R and Carlos Silva 24 R
YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA
MESA
2000 SEA 4 6 66 0 0 0 1 81 89 41 84 536
2001 PHI 3 3 71 0 0 0 42 69 65 20 59 234
2002 PHI 4 6 74 0 0 0 45 76 65 39 64 297
ADAMS
2000 LA 6 9 66 0 0 0 2 84 80 39 56 352
2001 LA 12 8 43 22 0 0 0 166 172 54 141 433
2002 PHI 7 9 46 19 0 0 0 137 132 58 96 435
COGGIN
2000 PHI 2 0 5 5 0 0 0 27 35 12 17 533
2001 PHI 6 7 17 17 0 0 0 95 99 39 62 417
2002 PHI 2 5 38 7 0 0 0 77 65 51 64 468
SILVA
2000 A 8 13 26 24 4 0 0 176 229 26 82 357
2001 AA 15 8 28 28 4 1 0 180 197 27 100 390
2002 PHI 5 0 68 0 0 0 1 84 88 22 41 321
      Is there optimism in Philadelphia this year? Dan Plesac announced his retirement last season, but apparently is coming back for one more kick at the can. Plesac (age 41) is obviously not a key component of the staff, but every little bit helps.
      Jose Mesa has been a good closer for a long time and has been terrific for the Phillies the past two seasons; still, I think there is a collective sigh of relief in the Philly when the season ends and Jose is still standing. The Phillies can make the playoffs this season, but the bullpen is a question mark. No one knows how Mesa will perform, plus David Coggin is returning from shoulder surgery.
      The return of Terry Adams to the bullpen will be a big boost. The Phillies are also hoping that Turk Wendell will make a comeback, but let's face it, the Turkenator is not a guy we expected to last very long in the first place. I expect that of innings are going to fall on the shoulders of Adams and Carlos Silva this year.
COLORADO - Jose Jiminez 30 R and Todd Jones 35 R and Justin Speier 29 R and Nelson Cruz 31 R
YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA
JIMINEZ
2000 COL 5 2 72 0 0 0 24 71 63 28 44 318
2001 COL 6 1 56 0 0 0 17 55 56 22 37 409
2002 COL 2 10 74 0 0 0 41 73 76 11 47 356
T JONES
2000 DET 2 4 67 0 0 0 42 64 67 25 67 352
2001 DET-MIN 5 5 69 0 0 0 13 68 87 29 54 424
2002 COL 1 4 79 0 0 0 1 82 84 28 73 470
SPEIER
2000 CLE 5 2 47 0 0 0 0 68 57 28 69 329
2001 CLE-COL 6 3 54 0 0 0 0 77 71 20 62 458
2002 COL 5 1 63 0 0 0 1 62 51 19 47 433
CRUZ
2000 DET 5 2 27 0 0 0 0 41 39 13 34 307
2001 HOU 3 3 66 0 0 0 2 82 72 24 75 415
2002 HOU 2 6 43 5 0 0 0 78 90 29 61 448
      One of the mysteries of Coors Field is why the releivers fare so much better than the starters. There is no obvious reason why a Todd Jones should perform better than a Hampton or Neagle, but... the fewer innings helps, I guess, but I don't know why it would help. Occasionally someone will blow up, but the Rockies are always able to find a replacement, and their bullpen is almost always one of the strongest elements of their team.
      Having said that, I'm always careful not to rate them too highly. No matter how well he pitched last year, I just can't bring myself to believe that Todd Jones will repeat his performance for another year.
CHICAGO CUBS - Antonio Alfonseca 32 R and Mike Remlinger 37 L and Dave Veres 36 R and Joe Borowski 32 R
YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA
ALFONSECA
2000 FLO 5 6 68 0 0 0 45 70 82 24 47 424
2001 FLO 4 4 58 0 0 0 28 62 68 15 40 306
2002 CHC 2 5 66 0 0 0 19 74 73 36 61 400
REMLINGER
2000 ATL 5 3 71 0 0 0 12 73 55 37 72 347
2001 ATL 3 3 74 0 0 0 1 75 67 23 93 276
2002 ATL 7 3 73 0 0 0 0 68 48 28 69 199
VERES
2000 STL 3 5 71 0 0 0 29 76 65 25 67 285
2001 STL 3 2 71 0 0 0 15 66 57 28 61 370
2002 STL 5 8 71 0 0 0 4 83 67 39 68 348
BOROWSKI
2001 AAA 8 7 39 12 1 1 1 110 87 26 131 262
2002 CHC 4 4 73 0 0 0 2 96 84 29 97 273
      The Cubs' starting rotation is young and exciting; their bullpen is old and depressing. We have already established that Antonio Alfonseca is not, and never was, a outstanding closer; the Cubs are hoping for a "return to form" but the form was never there to begin with. Remlinger has been a spectacular pitcher the past few years, but he's 37 and has never pitched well anywhere but in Atlanta. Veres is a good pitcher but is 36
      The Cubbies had some good luck and some bad luck last year. The good luck was Borowski, a minor-league journeyman who was pitching in Mexico a couple of years ago, but made the team and had a terrific year. The bad news was Kyle Farnsworth, who pitched so well in 2001 but imploded last year. Farnsworth is still well short of 30 years old (he's 27), and throws gas; a return to form from him is probably the best hope the Cubbies have this year.
MONTREAL - Scott Stewart 28 L and Joey Eischen 33 L and T.J. Tucker 25 R and Rocky Biddle 27 R
YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA
STEWART
2000 AAA 6 4 35 14 0 0 0 100 109 36 85 442
2001 MON 3 1 62 0 0 0 3 48 43 13 39 378
2002 MON 4 2 67 0 0 0 17 64 49 22 67 309
EISCHEN
2000 AAA 0 4 11 9 0 0 0 60 46 11 54 405
2001 AAA 2 3 34 1 0 0 7 52 42 11 54 224
2001 MON 0 1 24 0 0 0 0 30 29 16 19 485
2002 MON 6 1 59 0 0 0 2 54 43 18 51 134
TUCKER
2000 AA 2 1 8 8 0 0 0 45 33 17 24 360
2001 AA-AAA 8 10 27 27 1 0 0 166 145 70 120 342
2002 MON 6 3 57 0 0 0 4 61 69 31 42 411
BIDDLE
2000 AA 11 6 23 23 2 2 0 146 138 54 118 308
2001 CHW 7 8 30 21 0 0 0 129 137 52 85 539
2002 CHW 3 4 44 7 0 0 1 78 72 39 64 406
      A low-budget, patchwork pitching staff that usually loses its top pitcher every year. Scott Stewart pitched well last season, and will be coveted by other teams. Joey Eischen is a minor-league journeyman who pitched for the Expos way back in 1994; he returned to the team a couple of years ago, and last year was fantastic. Rocky Biddle once belonged to the White Sox' stable of hot young pitching prospects; he didn't pitch badly last year. Biddle could get a shot at the closer's role or the starting rotation, wherever they need him most.
SAN DIEGO - Trevor Hoffman 35 R and Jay Witasick 31 R and Brandon Villafuerte 27 R and Luther Hackman 28 R
YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA
HOFFMAN
2000 SD 4 7 70 0 0 0 43 72 61 11 85 299
2001 SD 3 4 62 0 0 0 43 60 48 21 63 343
2002 SD 2 5 61 0 0 0 38 59 52 18 69 273
WITASICK
2000 KC-SD 6 10 33 25 2 0 0 150 178 73 121 582
2001 SD-NYY 8 2 63 0 0 0 1 79 78 33 106 330
2002 SF 1 0 44 0 0 0 0 68 58 21 54 237
VILLAFUERTE
2000 AAA 4 9 46 6 0 0 4 88 112 49 85 667
2001 AAA 5 5 38 0 0 0 10 64 63 26 65 283
2002 SD 1 2 31 0 0 0 1 32 29 12 25 141
HACKMAN
2000 AAA 8 9 21 21 0 0 0 120 134 36 66 474
2001 STL 1 2 35 0 0 0 1 36 28 14 24 429
2002 STL 5 4 43 6 0 0 0 81 90 39 46 411
      With the Padres, you can always be sure that Trevor Hoffman will pitching in the ninth inning. As for the eighth inning, well, they have about two dozen candidates for the job. After trying out, literally, dozens of pitchers in their bullpen last season, the Padres are hoping they have solidified things a little bit by signing Jay Witasick, who has pitched brilliantly in each of the past two seasons.
      OK, I'm going to try this again. Closer Trevor Hoffman had shoulder surgery and is gone until at least July. That means that the Padres will, for the first time in a while, be without their ace closer. The candidates to replace him are numerous; Witasick is probably the best bet to step in, but the Padres might want to take a risk and try out one of the younger pitchers. Even if Hoffman comes back, he's still 35 years old, and doesn't have many miles left.
      Or hey, is Randy Myers still under contract?