I said in spring training the Yankees might have the best bullpen in baseball. As we near the end of April the bullpen has some concerns in every inning outside of the ninth. Here are the key Yankees relievers not named Rivera so far:

David Robertson: ERA+ of 39 and ERA of 10.80

Damaso Marte: ERA+ of 69 and ERA of 6.23

Alfredo Aceves: ERA+ of 88 and ERA of 4.70

Joba Chamberlain: ERA+ of 106 and ERA of 3.86

Chan Ho Park: ERA+ of 88 and ERA of 4.76

The pen has an ERA of 4.43, about a half a run higher than 2009, and it includes Rivera’s 7 scoreless innings. Even Joba, although solid, has been shaky in his outings.

Last season the Yankees bullpen won 40 games and pitched to an ERA under 4.00. This was after a miserable start to the season which saw the jettison the likes of Edwar Ramirez, Jose Veras, and Jonathan Albaladejo. Sergio Mitre and Boone Logan have been solid in limited work. Could we see Mitre start to get more high leverage situations? Would the Yankees consider calling up Mark Melancon who is pitching well down in Scranton? Can Girardi trust this bridge to Rivera?

I think Melancon will be a logical choice very soon. I don’t see how he has much more to prove in AAA (2.03 ERA and 13 K’s in 13 innings). It seems no one has yet to step up and take Phil Hughes setup role from last season. Perhaps Melancon could be that guy and provide the pen the “shot in the arm” it so desperately needs.

The flip side to all this is the Yankees starting pitching, which has been outstanding, averaging over 6 innings a start.

There is no reason to panic, but it’s certainly something to take a look at.

Mike Silva is a freelance writer and radio host since March of 2007. This website is his own personal "digest" of New York Baseball He's also hosts NYBD Radio on Blog Talk Radio and 1240 AM WGBB. Check out his sports media commentary at www.sportsmediawatchdog.com. Check out his official website, www.mikesilvamedia.com

Mike Silva

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Tags: Alfredo Aceves, Boone Logan, Chan Ho Park, Damaso Marte, David Robertson, Joba Chamberlain, Jonathan Albaladejo, Mark Melancon, New York Yankees, Phil Hughes, Royce Ring, Sergio Mitre, Yankees Bullpen