31 Mar 2055
Buenos Aires, Argentina
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by Fish McWilliams
Last year, the Buenos Aires bullpen could be referred to as "last." The Brisas were throwing arms against the wall to see what stuck and dealing with the pain of a subpar pen. Some of the relief pitchers from last year return but many don't. Having said that, GM Ben Teague is the kind of manager to gather 2-3 elite arms and then fill from there (use liberally as season deems necessary). Whether he actually has 2-3 elite arms is questionable, but also relative.
YOUR 2056 BRISAS BULLPEN
29yo CL Dani Martínez (10/6/7; FB, SL, CB)
2055: 46 G, 3 GS, 5-3, 16 SV, 74.0 IP, 3.89 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, +0.0 WAR
Martínez pitched in a setup role for the first half of the season and then closing duties were handed over to him after the All-Star break. He flourished in the role. 16 saves in a half-season ain't bad. He tops the gun at 98 but his curveball is his out pitch. Should Martínez falter, the next in line could be José Castro or a AAA player could be called up.
27yo P José Castro (7/9/8; FB, SL, CH)
2055: 32 G, 9 GS, 5-7, 1 SV, 97.1 IP, 5.92 ERA, 1.63 WHIP, +0.8
Castro had a disastrous 2055 but was actually quite effective in high leverage situations. We'll see what he shows in this role.
30yo Jeremy Donahue (13/5/5; FB, CB, CH)
2055: 16 G, 7 GS, 41.2 IP, 7.13 ERA, 1.73 WHIP, +0.6 WAR
Donahue can be really, really good when he sets his mind to it and he's earned a setup cameo in the regular season. Teague has mentioned he would like to see him perform as a SP, but the Brisas will take his clutch abilities to the late innings. We'll see how long that lasts.
Middle Innings
P Steve Wauchope (8/6/6; FB, SP)
2055: 10 G, 0-1, 20.0 IP, 2.25 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, +0.3 WAR
Wauchope came out of nowhere last year posting a 2.72 ERA at AAA Ndali. That earned a promotion and he did not shy away from the challenge. He may have a short-ish leash, but Wauchope could be a surprisingly good piece.
The rest of the season will be a patchwork, as is Teague's preference, but the most likely arms to see include 27yo P Carudarsana Sambanda, 33yo P Aurelio Pérez, and 29yo P Darren Asseldonk.