The 2006 Pirates Bullpen Is Striking It Rich

The 2006 Pittsburgh Pirates finished with a 67-95 record, the fourth worst in the major leagues. Their hitting was abysmal, and the team ranked last in the league with a cumulative OPS of .723. Their starting pitching wasn’t much better, as the rotation included Victor Santos and a rock-bottom Oliver Perez, who was demoted to AAA in June  after 15 starts and an ERA of 6.63. However, if recent signings are any indication, the struggles in those areas were obscuring a great strength: that Pirates team had a pretty awesome bullpen. Five relievers, Mike Gonzalez, Salomon Torres, John Grabow, Damaso Marte and Matt Capps saw regular action for the 2006 Pittsburgh Pirates. Torres retired with the Milwaukee Brewers following the 2008...