It is no secret that the Yankees bullpen has been shaky the last few seasons. With the exception of Joba “rules” Chamberlain, there has been no one solid player that could be counted on EVERY time he got the ball .Guys like Kyle Farsworth and Mike Myers were thrown into the mix here and there, but never seemed to have the confidence to close the door on a regular basis.
In closely watching the 2008 spring training games, I have been captivated by Scott Patterson (#70). He seems to be very consistent when brought into high pressure situations. When Chien Ming Wang got roughed up in today’s game by the Cleveland Indians, Patterson came in and “Stopped the bleeding” so to speak. He was flawless for 1.2 innings, giving up not one hit to the young and tough Cleveland team. This isn’t the first time he has come through this year….
The fact is we need guys like Patterson to come to the big dance in New York. He has a deceiving delivery – it’s very unique, and will take him, and the team very far this year if he is given the chance…. I see this guy stepping into the role vacated by Scott Proctor last year (before he was overworked and thrown out like the trash-wasn’t nice how THAT was handled!) Patterson will be fun to watch – he’s in his late 20s and can have a nice lenghty run with the Yankees if he continues to pitch well….
