Dale Thayer will help step up for Street during his absence. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-US PRESSWIRE

Every time this 2012 Padres team appears to turn a corner or have some sort of positive “mojo” heading in their direction, the proverbial “rug” is pulled out from under them.  The injury hits just kept on coming on Friday night when All-Star and recently extended Closer Huston Street hurt his left calf on the final out of the game in the Padres’ 9-8 win over the Pirates.

Street is the team leader in Saves, and according to Corey Brock of the Padres’ team website, Street had not allowed a run in 21.1 Innings pitched!  Now on the 15-Day DL, Street will need to be replaced for the time being, and according to Brock it appears that the Padres will go with some sort of Closer combination of Dale Thayer and Luke Gregerson for the time being.

Thayer to his credit did a solid job in Street’s extended absence earlier in the season, and has had himself a career year in numerous statistical categories thus far in 2012.  Overall, Thayer has set career highs in Appearances (41), Innings Pitched (40), Wins (2), Strikeouts (29), Saves (5), and posted a respectable 3.60 ERA.  Gregerson, if called upon to finish the 9th will have to move from his usual 7th Inning and part time Setup roles.  On the year, Gregerson is 2-0 with a 2.56 ERA, thrown 55.2 Innings, and Struck Out 55 batters.

If Thayer and Gregerson in fact have to assume the Closer duties for the next two weeks or longer, spots will be open for some of the younger members of the Friars’ bullpen to take full advantage.  Bud Black appears to have confidence in the Rookies and young players, along with Alex Hinshaw to get the job done for however long Street is shelved.  I also alluded to some of the up and coming players which San Diego has at their disposal in the bullpen last week, and I am sure that players like Brad Boxberger, Brad Brach, Cory Burns, Nick Vincent, and Miles Mikolas could receive some extra playing time over the next two weeks.

There are 46 regular season games left to go, and the Padres just need to find a way to finish the year on a positive note.  My hope is that Thayer and Gregerson can fill in adequately for Street and log some extremely important Innings down the stretch.  But most of all, I hope that San Diego can give its younger players some much needed big league experience to finish the season, and get them ready for an extended amount of work in 2013.  For now though, let us just cross our fingers for Street’s speedy recovery, and hope that the rest of the ‘pen can pick up the slack.

Statistics Courtesy of: Baseball Reference

Street has done quite well during his first year with the Padres. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-US PRESSWIRE

Bell’s Heavy Price Tag and the Trade for Street

Truth be told, I actually wanted the Padres to let Bell walk as a Free Agent this past offseason.  Not that I thought Bell did a terrible job with the Padres, but I wondered why San Diego would want to dedicate so much money to a position which might not be of high value to them as the team would be going through a rebuilding phase.  I mean, what good would it have been for a team to have a Closer with 40 Saves, but only 65 to 70 Wins?  Thankfully, the Padres acted rationally.

So instead of dedicating a deal over 3-years and worth $27 million to a player at a luxury position on their rebuilding team, the Friars went in what appears now to be a smart direction and traded for a cheaper yet just as effective option.  So after Bell signed with the Marlins, San Diego traded for (former 1st Round bust Nick Schmidt was sent to Colorado) and signed Street to a deal which pays him $7 million dollars this year and has an additional club option worth $9 million in 2013.

While the money allocated to Street might be a tad high for the small payroll Padres, it is $11 million dollars less than they would have had to dedicate to Bell to bring him back.  In addition, the Padres received a decent compensatory pick when they let Bell walk, one which they used on the talented Zach Efflin (#33 overall), a fire-baller who could develop into a starter in a few years.  Saved money and an extra prospect aside, the most important thing which has worked in the Padres favor with their move to let Bell walk has been simple: Street has performed well, and Bell simply has not in 2012.

Street Has Shined While Bell Has Tanked in 2012

Even though Street missed about a month’s worth of games due to injury, he has been nothing but “lights-out” so far this season fpr yje Froars.  Before the season began, many were unsettled by the fact that Street gave up a career high 10 gopher-balls in 2011 with Colorado.  Street however, has yet to give one up all season, and barring an absolute collapse should not even reach 5 by the end of September.  Overall, Street’s ability to close out games on a consistent basis has been a bright-spot in an otherwise down year. In addition to his 2-0 record, Street Over 25.0 Innings, Street has nailed down 14 Saves over 25.0 Innings, Struck Out 33, allowed only 8 Walks, given up 10 Hits, and has most impressively posted a 1.08 ERA out of the bullpen.

Bell’s stint in Miami on the other hand has gone almost the opposite as Street’s has with San Diego: terrible.  It has been an adventure for the Marlins whenever Bell has trotted out from the bullpen this year to say the least, and in the the eyes of many including this writer, Bell has probably been the most inconsistent Closer in the majors over the first half of the season.  Bell has already surpassed his 2010 and 2011 Blown Save totals combined this season, and leads the league with 6 of them.  Bell’s inconsistencies are clearly evident in his statistics as he has posted a high ERA (6.75), allowed 43 Hits, Walked 20 Batters, and done so over only 34.2 Innings of work.  Worst of all, Bell could be in danger of losing his Closer job full time if his issues continue.

Final Thoughts

Usually when talented players leave the Padres I have braced myself for the worst over the years as the players usually continued to perform well if not better in their new cities.  Thankfully, it appears that the Front Office got this aforementioned Bell-Street situation correct.  Although I would like Street to stay long-term with the Padres and be a solid option to close games, his trade value now is probably at its highest and the rebuilding Padres might be inclined to let him go before they pay him $9 million dollars next season.  Plus, market for his services is booming amongst teams competing for postseason berths, and the Padres might consider letting him go to add more pieces to their roster.

Nevertheless, it appears that the Friars have come out winners from the “Closer Predicament” which was a pressing issue they faced during the off-season.  I just hope that if the team elects to get rid of Street at the end of this month, I do hope that a veteran Dale Thayer can hold down the fort until the end of the season, or a talented youngster like Brad Boxberger can assume the Closer role for years to come starting next season or the season afterwards.  But for now, let us just be thankful that the Front Office handled the Bell situation and the Padres did not see a large investment turned into a sunk cost.

Let’s start with Boxberger.  According to USC’s Player Profile page, Boxberger excelled in High School.  He was the 2006 CIF Division II Player of the Year, he was Orange County Player of the Year, he earned NBCA All-America second team honors, and he earned All-Sea View League.  That’s a lot of awards for one player.  Boxberger went on to pitch for USC, but he didn’t show overly impressive numbers.  His ERA for each of his seasons at USC was as follows:

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