Putz has established himself as one of premier closers
When the Mariners begin Spring Training workouts on Feb. 14, new bullpen coach Norm Charlton will gather his troops, perhaps tell them a joke or two, throw in a couple of his favorite Lou Piniella stories, get reacquainted with some familiar faces, and begin the process of assembling the best 'pen in the business.
He'll roll up his sleeves and get to work.
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Working from the back, Putz has established himself as one of the premier closers in the Majors, converting a club-record 29 consecutive save chances to start a season and 31 straight overall. He had more saves (40) than hits allowed (37), and received the Rolaids Relief Man of the Year Award.
Putz led MLB relievers with a 1.38 ERA, joined Kazuhiro Sasaki as the only Mariners reliever to save at least 40 games in a season, and was selected to the American League All-Star team for the first time.
"What impresses me most about J.J. is, first of all, his stuff is phenomenal," said Charlton, a former stellar closer. "He's not afraid of any hitter he faces, and he's smart enough to keep his ego in check. He works very hard and is very good with younger players.
"He's not afraid of a guy like Mark Lowe coming in and taking his job."
That's not going to happen any time soon, but Lowe soon could become an integral part of the bridge to Putz. The 24-year-old right-hander appears to be healthy again following elbow surgery that limited him to 15 appearances in 2007.
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[Eric ] O'Flaherty has a good shot of picking up where [George] Sherrill left off. O'Flaherty throws hard and held lefty hitters to a .183 mark last season, gaining valuable experience along the way. He turned 23 years old on Tuesday.
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