Trevor Hoffman has received immense praise for his work this year
and rightfully so. Hoffman has 16 saves in 17 chances this year with a
1.31 ERA, and he is very likely to make a return trip to the All-Star
game next month.
Hoffman would attribute much of his success to
four players that usually go largely unnoticed to most fans. Without
the great play of Seth McClung, Todd Coffey, Mitch Stetter, and Mark
DeFelice, the Brewers' season would have a much different feel than it
currently does.
McClung and Coffey are quite the pair. They look
like they could be tag team champions in the WWE, not major league
relief pitchers. The red-headed duo has overpowered batters all season.
They also give manager Ken Macha the ability to rest other arms as each
can pitch multiple innings if needed.
McClung will likely be
called on to do even more for the Brewers. He is the leading candidate
to make a start on Saturday for the Brewers. After Dave Bush was put on
the disabled list and with Manny Parra still not ready for a return,
the Brewers will likely turn to McClung for a start.
McClung
isn't a stranger to making starts having made 49 in his career. In the
bullpen, however, McClung is a stud. He has a 3-1 record with a 3.24
ERA in 41 2/3 innings pitched.
Coffey has been the choice for
tight situations this season. If there are runners on base late in the
game and the Brewers need to hold a lead, you can bet that Todd Coffey
will be sprinting in from the bullpen.
Coffey is 2-1, with a
2.83 ERA in 32 games this season. He always seems to make the right
pitch to get out of every jam he has encountered this season.
Every
great bullpen needs a situational lefty that can get the one or two
tough outs in that game. Mitch Stetter has been superb this season. He
is 2-0, with a 2.82 ERA in 33 games this season.
His slider has
been devastating to left-handed hitters. In fact, the last 11 outs that
Stetter has recorded have all come via the strikeout. He has made it
quite easy for many fans to forget just how good Brian Shouse was for
the Brewers.
No pitcher has been as good for the Milwaukee
Brewers this season as Mark DeFelice. He has been so good that many
national pundits have called for his inclusion in the All-Star game.
Middle relievers are never members of the All-Star roster, and the fact
that DeFelice is getting the attention he is speaks to his greatness
this year.
DeFelice has largely relied on one pitch this year for
his success: a cut fastball. It is the pitch that has made Mariano
Rivera a future Hall of Famer, and now DeFelice is experience the
greatest success of his 12-year career.
In 27 games this year,
DeFelice has pitched 28 innings, has a 2-1 record, and an ERA of 1.61.
He has struck out 25 batters and only allowed 18 hits. His workload may
increase if McClung has to stay in the rotation for any length of time.
If the Brewers expect to remain competitors for the remainder of
the season, Trevor Hoffman will have to hold up physically and continue
pitching at an All-Star level. For Hoffman to get those opportunities,
the rest of the bullpen needs to continue to be the unsung heroes of
the team.