Pitching Previews: The Pen

So far we have previewed the team's projected starting line-up, the starting rotation, and the team's closer, Jonathan Papelbon. Today we will examine the rest of the team's bullpen as a whole. Theo Epstein and the rest of the brass have put a major emphasis on improving the team's middle relief over the past few years by building deeper pens.

We'll start with the team's two set up men to Jonathan Papelbon:

LHP Hideki Okajima - The herky jerky lefty continues to get it done. He has averaged 25 holds in his three major league seasons, and has exceeded everyone's expectations during his tenure. There is, however, some concern about the 34-year old lefty who saw his ERA and WHIP rise each of his three seasons, while his strikeouts have declined over the same time period. He'll be one of the more reliable setup arms in the AL.

RHP Daniel Bard - The flame thrower burst onto the scene last season after the organization decided to have the converted starter become a full time arm in the pen. The results were great with his 63 K's in 49.1 innings. Bard, who will be 25 in June, will continue to develop in his second major league season, and will look to cut down on the walks while integrating his offspeed pitch at a higher clip.

The two middle relief men:

RHP Ramon Ramirez - The Coco Crisp for Ramon Ramirez trade worked out beautifully. He had a stellar 2.84 ERA in 70 appearances, marking the second straight season he had an ERA below 3.00. However, one should be aware that as the season wore on, he became more vulnerable. His ERA ballooned to 4.15 in August and 4.35 in September. His body of work is great, but more consistency is needed out of the right hander. His 52/32 K/BB ratio could also use some work.

RHP Manny Delcarmen - The 28-year old Delcarmen took a big step back in 2009. The righty sported a 4.53 ERA and had a terrible final three months to the season. He found himself left off of the team's playoff roster against the Angels. After a 3.27 ERA and 72/28 K/BB ratio in 2008, MDC had a 44/34 K/BB ratio last year. Delcarmen has only allowed one run in 6.1 innings this spring, but that goes with a 1/3 K/BB ratio. Hopefully Manny figures it out, or he will quickly become a candidate for mop-up duty.

The Rest of Candidates:

RHP Scott Atchison, whom the team signed from Japan this winter, may have an inside track. The righty has compiled a 1.65 ERA in 11 innings and an impressive 6/1 K/BB ratio. He posted a 1.70 ERA in 90 innings last season for the Hanshin Tigers of the Japanese Central League.

RHP Boof Bonser, who missed all of last season with a torn labrum, has been attempting to stick with the club as well. He has not been helping his cause yielding nine runs in 11 innings.

LHPs Alan Embree and Scott Schoeneweis, ageless lefty hurlers, are also vying for a potential spot as a lefty specialist. It is important to note that the past two seasons the team has played the majority of the season with Okajima as the lone lefty.

A plethora of talent sits in Pawtucket as well in case any of the aforementioned do not pan out. Michael Bowden and Junichi Tazawa, who saw time last season with the big club, could eat up in a pinch in case the team needs some long arms. Youngster lefthander Dustin Richardson, who got a cup of coffee in October, has shown promise and could see some action as well. Journeymen Fernando Cabrera, Joe Nelson, and Ramon A. Ramirez also have borderline major league stuff and all are capable of catching lightning in a bottle and helping the big club.

Not to be lost in all of this is the return of Daisuke Matsuzaka at the end of April/beginning of May. His return will give the club six starters which will inevitably kick one of the bullpen guys out.

It's a deep pen and hopefully Terry Francona and pitching coach John Farrell are able to carve out some defined roles for the bunch.

Previous Previews:

Jacoby Ellsbury
Dusin Pedroia
Victor Martinez
Kevin Youkilis
David Ortiz
J.D. Drew
Mike Cameron
Adrian Beltre
Marco Scutaro

Josh Beckett
Jon Lester
John Lackey
Clay Buchholz
Daisuke Matsuzaka
Tim Wakefield

Jonathan Papelbon

Next Up: The Bench