The uninitiated are probably confused as to the identity of the man above. Well, he's not necessarily a household name, and he's not the big Angels rookie that everybody's talking about, but rather one that isn't getting enough hype, or any at all.
The Angels have many strengths- a bullpen, sad to say, is not one of them. Ever since the departures of the big guns at closer (KRod, Fuentes, Rodney, Chatwood), and subsequent obscurity in terms of middle relievers, there hasn't been much to brag about in the 'pen.
Then, this season, Ernesto Frieri comes along. Not only is he a good reliever, killing batters as a setup man, but he's also a great personality, and is a little crazy. And the Angels needed a little of that.
It's not like I'm the one discovering Frieri. This year, the man was up against Yu Darvish and JJ Hardy for the All Star Game Final Man Vote. While Darvish ended up winning, there was a strong ray of support and votes for Frieri, from his loyal fanbase in Anaheim. And that speaks volumes.
If this guy totally disappears after this season, then fine. But if he gets bigger and bigger, and then gets traded to the Yankees, then look here for the guy who fished him out of the no-name pool and made a custom of him first.
Coming Tomorrow- The man is forty years old, and plays like a man 10 years younger. No, not Bartolo Colon. Yeah, him. The man that has played for both my favorite teams, and is making one a force to reckon with.
No comments:
Post a Comment