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07.15.2008

All-Star Breather: The Giants Bullpen

I'm not much for exhibition folderol, but Josh Hamilton just put on an unbelievable show. He's not the Home Run Derby champion due to a lackluster final round, but who cares? Extra kudos to the 71-year-old high school coach from Hamilton's home town who threw all those pitches. Get that man some Tiger Balm. (Best line about the Derby so far comes from BP's Joe Sheehan: "The House That Ruth Built, 85 years old, goes out as The House That Hamilton Knocked Down.")

Before we discuss bullpen strategy between now and April 2009, I want to answer a bullpen-related question reader Frank asked last week:

Would you blame Saturday's loss on Bochy for bringing in [Brian] Wilson in a tie game, with him facing pitching an unknown number of potential innings AND his being demonstrably poor in non-save situations? Or could Bochy be trying to put Wilson in a 'new' situation for his future development?

For those who missed the game, it was tied 7-7 after nine innings. Wilson pitched a scoreless tenth despite a leadoff walk then came back for the 11th. A single by the opposing pitcher, a walk, a bunt, and another single scored the winning run. No, I wouldn't blame Bochy for bringing in Wilson for more than one inning. Any relief pitcher from time to time has to go more than one, closers no exception, especially in extra innings. Wilson also hadn't worked in a week, so he should have had plenty of juice.

But Frank brings up a good point. Wilson is mostly a one-inning guy -- take a look at his game log -- as most closers are, unfortunately. And he has a tendency to pitch to the situation. If he has more than a run to work with, he's not as sharp, and he rarely gets a 1-2-3 inning. Despite all this, he's still ranked #6 in the majors in WXRL, quite impressive. None of his pen-mates are in the top 50.

What we're seeing, I hope, is simply the maturation of a young hotshot learning how to be a pitcher. His quote this weekend was telling -- he said he'd been trying to throw more strikes, but the Cubs were hitting them, so now he's going back to just throwing as hard as he can. That's the lesson he's trying to learn: when to rear back and when to take a little off. I also think he needs to throw inside more to right-handed batters to keep them from leaning out and taking his fastball the opposite way.

So in a sense every situation Bochy puts Wilson in is a new one -- or at least an educational one. The good news is that he's fairly raw and he's still getting the job done. It often ain't pretty, but think how he'll dominate if he throws more quality strikes and gets the feel of an off-speed pitch. Let that be my first step for next year's bullpen:

Step 1: Keep Wilson healthy and help him mature. If all goes well, the Giants won't have to worry about the closer role for several years.

Step 2: Listen to trade offers. I don't know if Tyler Walker has much value now, but he should be available. Same with Jack Taschner, who should attract interest from teams that don't take part in the Brian Fuentes auction, and perhaps Keiichi Yabu. Wilson should be off-limits unless someone offers a middle-of-the-order bat and more; other younger arms should be part of the discussion, too. I've seen in discussion threads the suggestion of Alex Hinshaw as a potential closer. Well, maybe, but I sure wouldn't trade Wilson and pencil Hinshaw in for next year. I'd be reluctant to trade Hinshaw, unless it's for A.J. Pierzynski. I might even throw in Henry Sosa and Tim Alderson.

Step 3: Barring trades or injuries, end the bullpen carousel until September. Sadler, Threets and Misch know what they need to do to improve, so let them do it in Fresno the rest of the year. Let Hinshaw, Romo, and Matos get a couple more big-league months under their belts.

Step 4: Don't Mess With the Merkin. Merkin Valdez could be a closer down the road. Let's hope he's not seriously injured -- or re-injured, seeing how he fought back from Tommy John surgery to make the team this year. It doesn't look good, what with a DL stint and two setbacks already, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed. He's going to Alabama to see some top doctors, and if his arm problem isn't serious, the Giants nonetheless should be extra-careful with Valdez. Get him healthy and ready for 2009.

The bullpen has not been very good this year, but with a healthy Wilson as the anchor, Valdez setting up, and tons of good young arms, there shouldn't be much need for external solutions this winter.