Philadelphia Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro, Jr. was quoted as saying that LHP Antonio Bastardo has been "pitching very well" this winter in the Dominican, reports Jason Weitzel of Beerleaguer.com, a Phillies blog. Despite his strong performance this winter, however, Amaro made it clear that Bastardo's home next season will be in the Phillies' bullpen rather than in their rotation.
Bastardo had some initial success in the Phillies' rotation last season, including a solid start in San Diego, but his two-pitch mix is better suited for the bullpen and his reputation has been to break down after putting too much into his starts. The Phillies believe he will hold up better in the bullpen, and hope Bastardo can fill in for J.C. Romero, the Phillies left-handed set-up man who had surgery this off-season and is likely to miss part of the 2010 season.
