2009 Season: We'll take the back end of the bullpen one by one. And don't underestimate the importance of the seventh inning.

The Rangers had a starting staff in 2009 that went deeper into games. Many times, certainly more than Rangers fans had seen in a long time, the starter was going six innings. Then it was time to turn things over to the bullpen.

Texas had several options, including maybe the best waiver-wire pickup in the majors last season. Darren O'Day, claimed from the Mets in April, flew into Toronto to join his new team and had to pitch in an extra-inning game. He didn't have a jersey, so he wore Kason Gabbard's and met some of his teammates as he took the mound. Gabbard gave up a hit that scored the winning run for Toronto, but he was steady after that.

O'Day, with his sidearm/submarine delivery, fooled many hitters. The right-hander threw strikes (54 strikeouts, 17 walks) and didn't waste time on the mound. O'Day had a 1.94 ERA and even had two saves. Right-handed hitters only had a .180 average against O'Day. Lefties weren't much better at .230. Pitching without rest was not an issue, either. He gave up two earned runs in 19 innings -- a 0.95 ERA -- when pitching consecutive days.

Lefty C.J. Wilson, who also acted as the closer at times, seemed to simplify things in 2009. He relied on his very good fastball and cut down on his walks. Wilson becomes a lightning rod for fans at various points because he puts men on base, which sometimes got him into trouble. But he became a reliable late-inning reliever, finishing with a 2.81 ERA, 14 saves, 19 holds and 84-to-32 K/BB ratio. When Frankie Francisco couldn't close, it was Wilson's job. Lefties hit .206 off Wilson; right-handers hit .249. Perhaps most interesting is that Wilson pitched much better at home -- 3-0 with nine saves and only three earned runs in 40 1/3 innings (0.67 ERA). He had a 5.40 ERA on the road.

Lefty Eddie Guardado was also used late in games at times. His fastball isn't very fast anymore, yet he did get outs for a few months in the middle of the season. He struggled in August and injuries to his left elbow had him considering retirement at 39.

Right-hander Jason Grilli was also shuttled between various innings, pitching the seventh for a while. After he came over via waiver claim in June, it appeared GM Jon Daniels had found another setup man. Grilli had a 2.89 ERA in June, a 1.09 ERA in July and was extremely reliable. But things fell apart in August. In just four innings of work, Grilli gave up six runs (13.50 ERA) and opponents batted .353 against him. September wasn't much better with a 9.64 ERA. We'll see if the Rangers give Grilli another shot in spring training.

We'll get into closers Thursday, and that's where we'll discuss Neftali Feliz -- should he not be a part of the starting rotation.

2010 Outlook: There's no doubt that O'Day has secured a late-inning setup role for this team. He gives them a solid right-hander with a deceptive delivery who can get hitters out in varoius situations. That's valuable.

Wilson gives the club flexibility. He can pitch in the late innings and even as a closer. He and the club has confidence in his ability to be more consistent with what is great raw stuff.

What this club didn't really have was a true situational lefty. Guardado wasn't up to the task late in the season and manager Ron Washington couldn't use Wilson because he needed him for late-inning setup. So look for the Rangers to try to get some left-handed options.

Do you like having O'Day and then Wilson pitch the seventh and eighth innings leading into the closer? Do you think Wilson should be the closer?

Position analysis series: 1B » 2B » 3B » SS » LF » CF » RF » DH » C »
Starting rotation: No. 1 » No. 2 » No. 3 » No. 4 » No. 5 » Others »
Bullpen: Long relief » Middle relief » Set-up men »

Sort comments by: Most Recent | First Posted