Mark Sheldon has a piece up about Jose Arredondo, the reliever who will be a big check mark in GM Walt Jocketty’s column should he return to form:
There have been no health issues in camp to this point. Arredondo threw in the bullpen on Thursday and was popping the catcher’s mitt loudly with his 90-plus-mph stuff. The right-hander can reach the mid-90s.
“He’s going to open some eyes, too,” Baker said on Friday. “He has a live arm and it was real live with the Angels. I was a bit surprised the Angels didn’t wait on him, because he pitched good for them. They must have been deep. But I’m glad we’ve got him.”
You may recall that Arredondo was simply brilliant as a rookie in the LA/Anaheim/California bullpen back in 2008, posting a 1.62 ERA and a 10-2 record. He was hurt the next season, then missed all of 2010 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. The Angels released him and Jocketty pounced, choosing to place him on the 60-day DL in hopes that he would return this season.
Arredondo is one of this season’s wild cards. If he pans out, Cincinnati’s bullpen is going to have some serious depth.