After Brad Hand‘s mini-meltdown in the second game of the season (five runs, two earned, in one inning), most San Diego Padres’ fans thought to themselves (and vented on Twitter) about having to go through yet another season with a weak bullpen.
Sorry to burst your collective bubbles, but the Friars’ relievers are currently sixth in all of baseball with a 2.41 earned-run average, folks.
Many pundits saw this group as a potential weakness. After Brad Hand, Kirby Yates, and Craig Stammen, the rest of the Friars’ relief corps would be comprised of mostly unproven rookies (of all ages; couldn’t forget about you, Kazuhisa Makita).