OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post - The Bright Side of the Bay: An Oakland Athletics Dynasty

William Foster · 08-07-2009, 01:59 AM

2009 Athletics Preview Part 2: The Relief Corps

The A's Bullpen has been a strength in the past however it still received a near complete makeover this year. Gone are well known A's such as Huston Street, Kiko Calero, and Keith Foulke. However the A's Bullpen should have a surprising amount of miles in it thanks to people such as Jerry Blevins, Santiago Casilla, Free Agent signee Russ Springer, the elusive Brad Ziegler and more. In addition Joey Devine should add an all star calibre arm when he returns from his injury towards the end of the season. Although the bullpen is untested in spots the A's bullpen will attempt to again prove you can get quality relief and not pay a high price for it.

Chris Schroeder
30 Years Old, RHP, 89-90 MPH
2008 Stats: Pitched less then 10 Big League Innings
Contract: 1 year worth 400,000 *Arbitration Eligible after the season

Schroeder wasn't allowed to follow up his decent 2007 performance pitching in only 5 games in 2008. He was a solid workhorse for the Nats back in '07 and the A's hope he'll be able to reprise that role for them this year down the stretch.

Jerry Blevins
25 Years Old, LHP, 90-92 MPH
2008 Stats: 1-3, 3.11 ERA, 35 K
Contract: 1 year worth 405,000 *Automatically renewed at seasons end

Blevins will be the A's only left handed pitcher in the bullpen (and with 4 left handed starters why not?) and thus could be seeing considerable time out of the pen this season. He's a young and cheap option in the bullpen so a great season could force the A's hand with regards to extending his contract as they hope he can become the answer for years to come.

Michael Wuertz
30 Years Old, RHP, 90-92 MPH
2008 Stats: 1-1, 3.63 ERA, 30 K
Contract: 1 year worth 1,100,000

Wuertz has been a serviceable reliever for the last three years for the Cubs who haven't elevated his role out of pure spite. With the A's he'll get the chance for more high leverage innings then usual but for the most part will just provide your typical quality right-handed middle relief. The type of player that was common and appreciated before Tony La Russa.

Santiago Casilla
28 Years Old, RHP, 93-95 MPH
2008 Stats: 2-1, 3.93 ERA, 43 K
Contract: 1 year worth 420,000 *Arbitration Eligible after the season

Once a highly regarded flamethrower Casilla's luster has somewhat worn off after it was discovered his name wasn't Jairo Garcia and he was two years older then he was. Nonetheless the A's still hope he can harness his fastball and become the high-leverage reliever everyone once envisioned him as. In the meantime he'll be one of several relievers attempting to provide middle relief for the A's in 2009.

Brad Ziegler
29 Years Old, RHP, 83-85 MPH
2008 Stats: 3-0, 1.06 ERA, 30 K
Contract: 1 year worth 405,000 *Auto renewed contract

After such a dominant showing Ziegler has become essentially the new Chad Bradford. His method of getting outs is inducing groundballs and while he doesn't strike out many people his ability to keep the ball on the ground more then makes up for it. Should he even come close to repeating his 2007 numbers Ziegler should be the A's setup man for years to come.

Russ Springer
40 Years Old, RHP, 89-90 MPH
2008 Stats: 2-1, 2.32 ERA, 45 K
Contract: 1 year worth 3,300,000

After another lights out year for the Cardinals, Springer will get the chance to close for the A's this year despite having just 8 saves over his whole career. He's a one year rental who likely won't be back next year unless he really impresses.

08-07-2009, 01:59 AM	#4 (permalink)
William Foster Minors (Double A) Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 120 Thanks: 2 Thanked 7x in 7 posts	2009 Athletics Preview Part 2: The Relief Corps The A's Bullpen has been a strength in the past however it still received a near complete makeover this year. Gone are well known A's such as Huston Street, Kiko Calero, and Keith Foulke. However the A's Bullpen should have a surprising amount of miles in it thanks to people such as Jerry Blevins, Santiago Casilla, Free Agent signee Russ Springer, the elusive Brad Ziegler and more. In addition Joey Devine should add an all star calibre arm when he returns from his injury towards the end of the season. Although the bullpen is untested in spots the A's bullpen will attempt to again prove you can get quality relief and not pay a high price for it. Chris Schroeder 30 Years Old, RHP, 89-90 MPH 2008 Stats: Pitched less then 10 Big League Innings Contract: 1 year worth 400,000 Arbitration Eligible after the season Schroeder wasn't allowed to follow up his decent 2007 performance pitching in only 5 games in 2008. He was a solid workhorse for the Nats back in '07 and the A's hope he'll be able to reprise that role for them this year down the stretch. Jerry Blevins* 25 Years Old, LHP, 90-92 MPH 2008 Stats: 1-3, 3.11 ERA, 35 K *Contract:* 1 year worth 405,000 Automatically renewed at seasons end* Blevins will be the A's only left handed pitcher in the bullpen (and with 4 left handed starters why not?) and thus could be seeing considerable time out of the pen this season. He's a young and cheap option in the bullpen so a great season could force the A's hand with regards to extending his contract as they hope he can become the answer for years to come. Michael Wuertz 30 Years Old, RHP, 90-92 MPH 2008 Stats: 1-1, 3.63 ERA, 30 K Contract: 1 year worth 1,100,000 Wuertz has been a serviceable reliever for the last three years for the Cubs who haven't elevated his role out of pure spite. With the A's he'll get the chance for more high leverage innings then usual but for the most part will just provide your typical quality right-handed middle relief. The type of player that was common and appreciated before Tony La Russa. Santiago Casilla 28 Years Old, RHP, 93-95 MPH 2008 Stats: 2-1, 3.93 ERA, 43 K Contract: 1 year worth 420,000 Arbitration Eligible after the season Once a highly regarded flamethrower Casilla's luster has somewhat worn off after it was discovered his name wasn't Jairo Garcia and he was two years older then he was. Nonetheless the A's still hope he can harness his fastball and become the high-leverage reliever everyone once envisioned him as. In the meantime he'll be one of several relievers attempting to provide middle relief for the A's in 2009. Brad Ziegler* 29 Years Old, RHP, 83-85 MPH 2008 Stats: 3-0, 1.06 ERA, 30 K Contract: 1 year worth 405,000 Auto renewed contract After such a dominant showing Ziegler has become essentially the new Chad Bradford. His method of getting outs is inducing groundballs and while he doesn't strike out many people his ability to keep the ball on the ground more then makes up for it. Should he even come close to repeating his 2007 numbers Ziegler should be the A's setup man for years to come. Russ Springer* 40 Years Old, RHP, 89-90 MPH 2008 Stats: 2-1, 2.32 ERA, 45 K Contract: 1 year worth 3,300,000 After another lights out year for the Cardinals, Springer will get the chance to close for the A's this year despite having just 8 saves over his whole career. He's a one year rental who likely won't be back next year unless he really impresses. Last edited by William Foster; 08-07-2009 at 02:55 PM.