Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

Mikolas got his feet wet in the Major Leagues last year as he appeared in 25 games with the Padres, going 2-1 with a 3.62 ERA and a 8.9 H/9 over 32 1/3 innings pitched. Mikolas looked brilliant at-times for the Padres, and struggled mightily most of the time.

In Spring Training, Mikolas showed some consistency as he had a 3.00 ERA in six innings of work.

This move was kind of a shock to me.

Mikolas finished the year with the Padres, so I had figured he definitely was a lock to  make the Opening Day roster.

There is just too much competition going on right now in the bullpen and in the starting rotation.

Nonetheless, Mikolas should have a short stay in Tucson as he will quickly work his way up to the Big League level.

This is the time for him to get some work in on a consistent basis while improving on his pitching, which will make him more of an effective pitcher when his number is called.

Aug 6, 2012; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres relief pitcher Huston Street (16) wets his fingers during the ninth inning against the Chicago Cubs at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Situation: Last year’s bullpen wasn’t as solid as it had been in years past, but it was good enough to have the ninth best bullpen ERA in the Major Leagues.

The bullpen was a work in progress, as top relief prospects Nick Vincent, Tommy Layne, Brad Boxberger and Miles Mikolas made their Big League debuts.

Joe Thatcher, Luke Gregerson and Huston Street added much needed veteran experience for the younger guys. With a year of experience under their belt, I expect the bullpen to be a much better group this year.

New Additions: Fautino De Los Santos is the newest addition to the relief squad. The Padres plucked the Dominican right-hander off waivers from the Milwaukee Brewers to add depth at the position.

Tyson Ross is more of a starter than a reliever, but if he does not make the starting rotation, he could find his way into the bullpen.

Jason Ray, Daniel Stange and Jerry Sullivan all signed Minor League contracts

Re-signed: The Padres avoided arbitration with setup man Luke Gregerson by signing him to a one-year, $3.2 million contract for the 2013 season.

Positional Outlook: As it stands right now, Huston Street is the club’s closer, with Gregerson and Dale Thayer serving as setup men.

The left-handed specialists are Thatcher and Layne. Brad Brach could serve in a dual role as a long reliever and a setup man. I believe there is room for one more in the bullpen, and that spot is up for grabs.

The four leading candidates for that final bullpen slot are Mikolas, Ross, Anthony Bass and Andrew Cashner.

I would like to see Mikolas or Bass get the last spot with Ross or Cashner slotted in the rotation.

This is the last of the Spring Training Position Battles. Hope you enjoyed the series. Let us know in the comment box below who you would like to see win the final spot in the bullpen.

Burns however is not the only relief pitcher in his early to mid-20’s which will be hungry to contribute out of the Padres’ bullpen in the near future.  Brad Boxberger (24 years old), Brad Brach (26 years old), and Miles Mikolas (23 years old) are already on the big league roster and have gained a decent amount of big league experience.  And while Nick Vincent (26 years old) is in Tucson with Burns (24 years old), he has spent a decent amount of time in the big leagues as well (1-0, 8.0 Innings, 4.50 ERA with Padres in 2012).

Due to the fact that MLB rosters will be expanding next month with September call-ups, we should get a few extended glimpses of these guys as the 2012 campaign winds down.  With this in mind, I think that the Padres are in a terrific situation to evaluate what they have “waiting in the wings” and ready to willing to help the bullpen down the stretch.

How Padres and Bullpen Can Benefit

Right now, I believe that the Padres are in a bit of a “win-win situation” when it comes to the development of the young bullpen arms.  With a group of veterans like Luke Gregerson, Dale Thayer, Joe Thatcher, Huston Street, etc. already there, these younger guys will not be burdened about going out each and every day and having to pitch “lights-out” for more than an Inning or two when they inevitably are called up and asked to pitch.  If all goes according to plan and everybody can stay healthy (which has sadly not been a theme this season for the pitching staff), the overall innings and overall work load will be available to everybody to take advantage of, but not on an overly extended basis.

Boxberger will get an extended look down the stretch. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-US PRESSWIRE

Also helping the situation will be the fact that San Diego will be out of postseason contention, and has been for the last two months.  Because the Padres will not be in the pennant race come early September, the pressure to perform so early in their major league careers’ will be lessened, and less responsibility will be placed on these young pitchers so early in their careers.  In the present, these guys can focus on their development and pitching for a spot on the 2013 25-man roster, not going out in game 160 with a .5 game lead in the Wild Card race.  All that will be required of them is to do their jobs, and make a positive impression on Bud Black and Darren Balsley.

It has not hurt this group however that each of these Pitchers already have some big league experience under their collective belts’.  In fact, guys like Brach, Boxberger, and Mikolas all have seen some time at the big league level coming out of San Diego’s bullpen in 2012.

Brach has gained the most experience of the five as he has pitched in big league contests in each of the last two seasons with the Padres.  While Brach has taken his lumps here and there this season, he has still logged a respectable 3.86 ERA, Struck Out 50 compared to only 25 Walks, and pitched 42.0 Innings over 41 appearances and been an available arm for the Padres all season long.  Called up to replace Burns, Mikolas has come up for three different stints with the Padres this season and made 15 appearances during his Rookie year.  Overall, Mikolas has pitched 16.1 Innings, Struck Out 14 batters, and has not allowed a Run in 8 of his last 9 outings of relief.

The pitcher I am most intrigued to see finish the season with some extended work is one of the four pieces from the “Latos to Cincinnati trade:” Boxberger.  Flying a tad under the radar as Yonder Alonso and Yasmani Grandal have enjoyed solid auditions with the Friars in 2012, Boxberger has done a nice job in his stints with the big club when called upon.  Boxberger’s most recent outing on Saturday was effective as he filled in for an ineffective Edinson Volquez.  Overall, Boxberger lasted a career-high 2.1 Innings in relief, gave up 1 Hits, Walked 1, but Struck Out 3 over 43 total pitches.  If Andrew Cashner is moved to the starting rotation full-time next season, it would not shock me in the least bit if Boxberger is at least given a shot to replace the fire-baller as San Diego’s Set-up man and back-up Closer to Street in 2013.

Final Thoughts

Bud Black really said it best when he was asked the young arms vying for spots in the bullpen in an article by Padres.com Beat Writer Corey Brock:

I suspect that Corey will be back. … These guys — Mikolas, [Brad] Boxberger, [Brad] Brach, [Nick] Vincent, Burns — those guys are cutting their teeth,” Black said.  “This is all a part of becoming a part of a Major League staff.  It doesn’t happen overnight where a guy gets called up and spends 12 years in the Major Leagues as a reliever.

I cannot wait to see how all of these guys finish the season as they will likely be coming out of San Diego’s bullpen come early September.  While the pressure might be off for “W’s,” the competition will have already started as all five will be jockeying for positions in San Diego’s 2013 bullpen.  It is still very early in the “Byrnes & Co.” rebuilding effort, but the development and subsequent performance of these five guys as a whole over the next few years should very well be key to San Diego’s success in 2013 and beyond.  With another month and a half to go, the Padres will be looking to get better and prepare themselves for an improved 2013 season.  One of the nice things to watch this season has been watching players like Alexi Amarista taking their extended opportunities to new levels, and I for one hope at least some of these bullpen guys can do the same.