O'Connor, De La Torre Return as Anchors
The return of the club's top two starters from a season ago, Dillon Gee and Pat Misch, may steal the most headlines, but should not overshadow a second season out of the club's top two relievers. Righty Jose De La Torre and southpaw Mike O'Connor are penciled in as the backbone of a bullpen that is extremely deep in 2011.
The duo of De La Torre and O'Connor accounted for eight wins, seven saves and 87 appearances in 2010, all while posting a combined 2.80ERA. O'Connor was a workhorse for the Herd, with 70 strikeouts in 70.2 innings pitched. Even if opponents got men on base, O'Connor limited them to a .191 average with runners in scoring position. He also stranded all but nine of 35 inherited runners.
De La Torre was promoted last May and led all Bisons pitchers for the year with a .203 average against. The right was especially good against left-handed hitters, to whom he didn't allow an extra-base hit to all year (.103 slugging pct.). Overall, De La Torre struck out multiple batters in 20 of his 36 appearances with the club.
Other names familiar to Bisons fans include righty Ryota Igarashi. In two stints and 15 games with the Herd last season, Igarashi showed signs of dominance with 16 strikeouts in 16.1 innings pitched. John Lujan saved six games in 31 appearances with the Bisons in 2010 is also in the mix.
Look for Manny Alvarez to make the leap from Double-A after going 3-1 with a 2.87ERA in 47.0 innings with Binghamton in 2010. While the spillover from the battle for the fifth rotation spot could add depth to the Herd pen in the likes of Dylan Owen or Casey Fossum.
The Mets' spring battle for a left-handed specialist will also impact the backend of Buffalo's staff. Taylor Tankersley and Justin Hampson lost out in New York, but will have their chance to make an impact with the Bisons. Hampson has 79 games of big league experience with Colorado and San Diego while Tankersley split the 2010 campaign between Triple-A New Orleans and the Florida Marlins. Over the last two seasons, Tankersley has posted a 2.48ERA at the Triple-A level.
While closer is a question mark for the Bisons, one possible solution could be righty Dale Thayer. Signed as a free agent this off-season, the six-time minor league All-Star has closed 152 games in his pro career. Last season, Thayer was 4-1 with a 3.45ERA in 46 games with the Durham Bulls.