"For years, Mark Shapiro cautioned about the difficulties of assembling a bullpen and the dangers of predicting its success. It seemed as though the former Indians general manager and current club president was always surprised by his relievers, good and bad. Shapiro shared his outlook on bullpens with many if not all major-league front office executives. So maybe it's not only premature but also ridiculously foolish to make a judgment on the Tribe's relief corps for 2011, particulatly since the team hasn't even played a spring exhibition game yet. Maybe so, but it appears that this season's bullpen could be the strongest part of the team. ''It was last year, and there's a very good chance it will be very good again,'' manager Manny Acta said Friday after a workout. There were plenty of adjustments to the 2010 bullpen as the year went on. But by the second half of the season, the Indians had gotten it right. Following the All-Star break, the relievers posted a 2.95 earned-run average after compiling a 4.69 ERA in the first half. How effective did that make Indians relievers in the second half? Their 2.95 ERA was second in the American League, behind the New York Yankees, and fourth best in the majors. The most important element was finding a closer after Kerry Wood was traded to the Yankees at midseason. Chris Perez received an opportunity to flex his closer muscles well before the deal, because of injuries to Wood. When it came time to step into the breach, Perez was ready. For the season, he was 2-2 with a 1.71 ERA and 23 saves in 27 chances. But he was better than those numbers after the first couple of months of the schedule. From June 28 through the end of the season, Perez's ERA was 0.53. He converted 18 of his final 19 save chances to become the youngest Indians reliever (25) to save at least 20 games. But it wasn't only Perez. Tony Sipp and Rafael Perez rebounded from their struggles of 2009, and Joe Smith turned around what was beginning to look like a lost season in April. Also, novices Frank Herrmann and Justin Germano had their inconsistent moments but showed promise in their initial foray into the big leagues. All of these pitchers return, and others might push them. ''I think we might have so much depth in the bullpen that it will really help,'' Acta said, mentioning Vinnie Pestano, Bryce Stowell, Herrmann and Germano. Pestano was summoned to the Indians late in September and pitched five times (five innings), giving up two runs. Stowell split the season between the Double-A Aeros and Triple-A Columbus Clippers. He was 1-0 with seven saves and a 0.00 ERA in 221/3 innings with the Aeros but had command problems with the Clippers, posting a 1-1 record and one save with a 5.49 ERA in 17 appearances (192/3 innings)." Read more: http://www.ohio.com/sports/indians/116522978.html
