TheFightinPhils
02-09-2005, 05:37 PM
CHICAGO -- By the time the final month of the 2004 season rolled around, the White Sox bullpen basically had been reduced to closer Shingo Takatsu, hard-throwing left-hander Damaso Marte and a handful of untested rookies.
Cliff Politte didn't pitch after Sept. 1, following an emergency appendectomy at Rush University Medical Center, while the White Sox had released veteran Mike Jackson.
Jon Adkins and Neal Cotts, two first-year pitchers who manager Ozzie Guillen took with the team out of Spring Training, had been transformed from freshman phenoms to overworked young hurlers. Getting the job done in the late innings was left up to pitchers such as Jeff Bajenaru, Felix Diaz and Arnie Munoz, all of whom had spent most of the campaign in the minors.
The bullpen's overall cause wasn't exactly helped by the fifth starter's season-long troubles or Freddy Garcia's forearm injury, which substituted inexperience for the right hander's steadiness in the rotation. What looked to be a somewhat strong point for the White Sox exiting Tucson had become a source of problems exiting the season.
But in the course of just four offseason months, general manager Ken Williams seems to have solved the bullpen problem with improvements on both ends of the pitching spectrum. Dustin Hermanson was added via free agency, while Luis Vizcaino came over with Scott Podsednik from Milwaukee in the Carlos Lee trade.
Orlando 'El Duque' Hernandez's signing gives the team five starters capable of pitching 175 innings, meaning the bullpen should be well-rested later into the season. There's a definite symbiotic relationship between the two, as the stellar six-man relief crew won't force starters to push themselves past their general effectiveness.
"I don't want Freddy to go 200 innings pitched like he used to because I have confidence in our bullpen," said Guillen, whose bullpen finished 21-21, with a 4.31 earned run average and 34 saves in 46 chances in 2004. "Our starters won't need to get as deep into the game.
"Actually, with the relievers we added, I think we have a great bullpen," Guillen added.
Takatsu, 36, returns as the White Sox closer, after taking over the role from Billy Koch in mid-June. The Far Eastern import finished second to Oakland's Bobby Crosby in the American League Rookie of the Year balloting, after saving 19 games in 20 chances, posting a 2.31 ERA and holding opponents to a .182 average in 62 1/3 innings.
It was a far cry from the shellacking handed out in Spring Training to Takatsu, who quickly bounced back to retire 29 straight batters and pitch 26 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings from April 23 to June 29. Opposing hitters adjusted a bit to Takatsu's slow, slower and slowest style during the final month, so it will be up to the Japanese career saves leader to make the same adjustments in 2005.
If Takatsu should go through any sort of prolonged struggles, the White Sox are prepared. Actually, they are beyond prepared, with no less than four other pitchers (Politte, Vizcaino, Marte and Hermanson) who have past closing experience.
Whereas it was a dicey situation whenever the game was given to the bullpen down the stretch last season, this unit has the potential to shorten a game to five or six innings for the respective starter.
"We are trying to put the best team out there, from top to bottom, and the bullpen was our primary emphasis," Williams said of the relief upgrade. "We have flamethrowers in the back of the bullpen, and we also can go lefty-on-lefty with Marte or move Politte down to the seventh or eighth inning.
"The team is much stronger that way. I can't tell you how thrilled I am because we have one of the better bullpens in the game."
Guillen and pitching coach Don Cooper must decide if the staff will feature 11 or 12 pitchers. With the need for an utility infielder, who plays shortstop primarily, and a right-handed hitter off the bench, 11 pitchers looks to be the final number.
Neither Jason Grilli nor Francisco Campos will be in the running for a long relief spot. Despite a strong winter effort for Mazatlan, including 24 strikeouts in the Caribbean World Series, Williams does not have any interest in adding Campos as a non-roster invitee. The 32-year-old right-hander thrived during 'B' level games last Spring Training with the White Sox but was hit hard during his only appearance against Major-League competition. The translation, so to speak, from the Mexican League to the Major Leagues just isn't there, in Williams' opinion.
Grilli, who served as the team's fifth starter during the season's final month, was designated for assignment to make room for Tadahito Iguchi on the 40-man roster. Grilli opted for free agency, instead of accepting a non-roster invite.
Even young standouts such as Adkins and Cotts could be hard-pressed to crack this deeper relief lineup. Cotts appears to have the edge as the second left-hander, but Adkins could start the season with Class AAA Charlotte if the White Sox stick with 11 pitchers.
The team broke camp last spring with confidence in a group that included Takatsu, Koch and Politte. That unit should pale in comparison to the steady and versatile crew Williams
has assembled for 2005.
"When you put our bullpen on paper, it looks great," Cotts said. "We just have to see how everyone does once we get going."
http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/cws/news/cws_news.jsp?ymd=20050209&content_id=941010&vkey=news_cws&fext=.jsp
Cliff Politte didn't pitch after Sept. 1, following an emergency appendectomy at Rush University Medical Center, while the White Sox had released veteran Mike Jackson.
Jon Adkins and Neal Cotts, two first-year pitchers who manager Ozzie Guillen took with the team out of Spring Training, had been transformed from freshman phenoms to overworked young hurlers. Getting the job done in the late innings was left up to pitchers such as Jeff Bajenaru, Felix Diaz and Arnie Munoz, all of whom had spent most of the campaign in the minors.
The bullpen's overall cause wasn't exactly helped by the fifth starter's season-long troubles or Freddy Garcia's forearm injury, which substituted inexperience for the right hander's steadiness in the rotation. What looked to be a somewhat strong point for the White Sox exiting Tucson had become a source of problems exiting the season.
But in the course of just four offseason months, general manager Ken Williams seems to have solved the bullpen problem with improvements on both ends of the pitching spectrum. Dustin Hermanson was added via free agency, while Luis Vizcaino came over with Scott Podsednik from Milwaukee in the Carlos Lee trade.
Orlando 'El Duque' Hernandez's signing gives the team five starters capable of pitching 175 innings, meaning the bullpen should be well-rested later into the season. There's a definite symbiotic relationship between the two, as the stellar six-man relief crew won't force starters to push themselves past their general effectiveness.
"I don't want Freddy to go 200 innings pitched like he used to because I have confidence in our bullpen," said Guillen, whose bullpen finished 21-21, with a 4.31 earned run average and 34 saves in 46 chances in 2004. "Our starters won't need to get as deep into the game.
"Actually, with the relievers we added, I think we have a great bullpen," Guillen added.
Takatsu, 36, returns as the White Sox closer, after taking over the role from Billy Koch in mid-June. The Far Eastern import finished second to Oakland's Bobby Crosby in the American League Rookie of the Year balloting, after saving 19 games in 20 chances, posting a 2.31 ERA and holding opponents to a .182 average in 62 1/3 innings.
It was a far cry from the shellacking handed out in Spring Training to Takatsu, who quickly bounced back to retire 29 straight batters and pitch 26 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings from April 23 to June 29. Opposing hitters adjusted a bit to Takatsu's slow, slower and slowest style during the final month, so it will be up to the Japanese career saves leader to make the same adjustments in 2005.
If Takatsu should go through any sort of prolonged struggles, the White Sox are prepared. Actually, they are beyond prepared, with no less than four other pitchers (Politte, Vizcaino, Marte and Hermanson) who have past closing experience.
Whereas it was a dicey situation whenever the game was given to the bullpen down the stretch last season, this unit has the potential to shorten a game to five or six innings for the respective starter.
"We are trying to put the best team out there, from top to bottom, and the bullpen was our primary emphasis," Williams said of the relief upgrade. "We have flamethrowers in the back of the bullpen, and we also can go lefty-on-lefty with Marte or move Politte down to the seventh or eighth inning.
"The team is much stronger that way. I can't tell you how thrilled I am because we have one of the better bullpens in the game."
Guillen and pitching coach Don Cooper must decide if the staff will feature 11 or 12 pitchers. With the need for an utility infielder, who plays shortstop primarily, and a right-handed hitter off the bench, 11 pitchers looks to be the final number.
Neither Jason Grilli nor Francisco Campos will be in the running for a long relief spot. Despite a strong winter effort for Mazatlan, including 24 strikeouts in the Caribbean World Series, Williams does not have any interest in adding Campos as a non-roster invitee. The 32-year-old right-hander thrived during 'B' level games last Spring Training with the White Sox but was hit hard during his only appearance against Major-League competition. The translation, so to speak, from the Mexican League to the Major Leagues just isn't there, in Williams' opinion.
Grilli, who served as the team's fifth starter during the season's final month, was designated for assignment to make room for Tadahito Iguchi on the 40-man roster. Grilli opted for free agency, instead of accepting a non-roster invite.
Even young standouts such as Adkins and Cotts could be hard-pressed to crack this deeper relief lineup. Cotts appears to have the edge as the second left-hander, but Adkins could start the season with Class AAA Charlotte if the White Sox stick with 11 pitchers.
The team broke camp last spring with confidence in a group that included Takatsu, Koch and Politte. That unit should pale in comparison to the steady and versatile crew Williams
has assembled for 2005.
"When you put our bullpen on paper, it looks great," Cotts said. "We just have to see how everyone does once we get going."
http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/cws/news/cws_news.jsp?ymd=20050209&content_id=941010&vkey=news_cws&fext=.jsp