Jason Bulger

Bulger was a key bullpen arm for the Angels two seasons ago, but a shoulder injury cost him most of the summer months last season and limited him to just 25 appearances. However, Bulger made it back late last season and will be healthy when the new season begins. Considering that he has averaged more than a strikeout per inning in his career, Bulger will likely be part of the Angels' middle-relief unit.

Bulger finally got an extended shot in an MLB bullpen and pitched well, moving into the Angels' seventh-inning role late in the season. That's about as far as he can go, and given that even his 3.56 ERA was kept down by a .258 BABIP, it's more likely that he'll go backward from here than hold his ground.

Bulger had a great season for Triple-A Salt Lake, finishing the season at 4-0 with a 0.63 ERA and 16 saves. He only allowed 25 hits in 43 innings and struck out 75 batters over that span. Bulger will be 30 years old next season, but he should get every chance to pitch himself onto the club during spring training.

Bulger had a very good, if unexpected, season at Triple-A Salt Lake. He was 5-2 with a 3.76 ERA but had a whopping 81 strikeouts in only 52.2 innings pitched. His fastball sits in the upper 90's and is the pitch he uses to strike many hitters out. He hasn't seen much action with the Angels, and at 29, isn't a prospect anymore; but he should have an opportunity to win a middle-relief role with the Angels during spring training.

Bulger is a power pitcher whose ERA last year doesn't reflect how well he actually pitched. A seven-week DL stint during the summer ended the effective part of his year, though. He'll try to win a relief job somewhere this spring.

If you've got the worst bullpen in the majors, anyone striking out more than one guy per inning at Triple-A will eventually get the call. That's what happened to Bulger when Arizona called him up in late August for some set-up work down the stretch. He's got gas (fastball hits 98 mph) and could well contend for a bullpen spot in the spring. If he continues to impress and Jose Valverde gets hurt or falters, Bulger could even rack up a few saves.

Bulger came from nowhere this fall to grab a spot on Arizona's 40-man roster after a great Arizona Fall League stint, striking out 16 in 13 IP and converting all five of his save attempts while hitting 98 on the radar gun. He could get a shot at the big-league roster this season, but it'd likely be as a set-up man with little roto impact. In an organization with a better major league team, he'd be of far less interest.