Thankless Job: Middle Relief

I've watched baseball since 1984 and something that should've been obvious has finally dawned on me. Pitching effectively in middle relief is the most thankless and difficult job in baseball. Last night Jim Thome finished off the most dramatic game played so far at Target Field with a towering game winning home run. It was possible because of failed starting pitching by Scott Baker and ineffective middle relief work. How many great middle relievers can you name? Off the top of my head in the American League it's Matt Thornton, Grant Balfour, Jesse Crain (the last few months), Daniel Bard, Joaquin Benoit and Darren O'Day. That's a short list. Great closers make the job of pitching look easy. Middle relievers at times make the job of pitching look precariously similar to mine deactivation. Not many are effective consistently and rarely are they recognized for being good at what they do. Yes, Rauch struggled again last night, but all in all the Twins core of middle relievers are among the best in baseball and will be the key to making it to the playoffs and deep into the postseason.