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2007 Antonio Alfonseca pitched just 50 professional innings over the past two seasons after his elbow busted on him. He`ll surface in the bigs again if only because he`s been there before. 2006 After a good season for the Braves in 2004, Alfonseca came crashing back to earth. A stress fracture in his elbow had something to do with that. A free agent at this writing, Alfonseca has never been decisively better than a league average pitcher, despite having one more finger. If healthy, he`s functional, but not someone for whom you pay a premium. 2005 The bane of Inigo Montoya quietly (mostly because he wasn't stamped with the closer's imprimatur) had the best season of his career in '04. Of course, that came on the heels of his worst season, which came on the heels of abject mediocrity. The Braves wisely cut bait on him, and the Marlins, in what's been a piteous attempt to assemble a bullpen by throwing money at guys they've merely heard of, were quick to keep him in clover. Atlanta will miss his quality innings, but history—Darren Holmes, Chris Hammond—suggests they'll turn up a suitable proxy. 2003 Ahhh, Pulpo, baseball’s 12-fingered menace. If you look at his ERA, Equivalent ERA, and Peripheral ERA columns, what stands out? That 2001 ERA, which after his 45-save 2000 made him seem like an asset to some people. He got predictable against lefties, missing with his slider and curve, and his fastball doesn’t have enough movement to fool everybody most of the time. He’s supposed to be in shape for the first time in two or three years, and mixed with Remlinger and Dave Veres, could be an asset as part of a closer-by-committee. 2002 There are 50 or 60 relief pitchers better than Alfonseca, whose perceived value is entirely a function of his usage pattern, which maximizes one particular statistic. He had back surgery in October, so he'll be watched carefilly this spring. Once he proves he's healthy, the Fish need to trade him for something of actual value. 2001 A decent reliever, Antonio Alfonseca poses as a closer, but when he enters the game, he doesn’t exactly slam the door. Rather, he turns on the porch light, chats for a while, occasionally coughs up a donation, and celebrates wildly when the solicitor leaves. Arbitration-eligible with the Rolaids Relief Award in tow, he will be seeking a ten-fold raise. It wouldn’t be the worst idea to deal Pulpo for some much-needed position-player prospects and have one of the Marlins' other power arms handle ninth-inning duties. 2000 Alfonseca has consistently posted a DT-ERA better than his peripherals would predict, thanks in part to his effectiveness with runners on: he allowed just a .568 OPS in those situations in 1999 and is 99 points of OPS better with runners on for his career. He’s not an overpowering pitcher, but does the things that keep runs off the board, controlling the running game and getting ground balls. There’s not much upside--except for roto-heads and their save category--but Alfonseca should contribute on this level for a while. 1999 The Six-Fingered Menace, “Pulpo” isn’t really a great prospect. He’s sort of been Leyland’s newfangled Vicente Palacios guy, doing anything he’s asked to do. That can be handy, and to Leyland’s credit he’s never been overly obsessive about roles for his relievers. 1998 After a rookie year in which he threw neither well nor often, he suddenly took center stage in the World Series, throwing 6 1/3 shutout innings as Leyland’s long reliever. I wouldn’t start labeling him another Mariano Rivera, though; he has indifferent stuff, and it’s unlikely he’ll ever be more than a middle reliever. As a ninth or 10th man his versatility makes him an asset to a pitching staff. 1997 As most of the western world knows by now, Alfonseca has six fingers on each hand; it’s more a curiosity than a boon at this point, though. He no longer figures into the Marlins’ plans after an uninspiring 1996, but if he ever makes the major leagues, I’m sure we’ll hear the comparisons between him and Three-Finger Brown. 1996 Alfonseca attracted attention from the moment he signed a pro contract, because he has six fingers on each hand. Don't think that means he'll be twice as good as Three-Finger Brown, but he's a legitimate prospect, and he's getting better.
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