Every bullpen needs a scapegoat. This is a baseball truism that has been around since starting pitchers stopped throwing 400 innings a season, and it doesn’t matter how good the bullpen is. A team could have seven A+ relievers and one A-, and you’ll hear the moans and groans around the ballpark when he comes in. Whether it’s Julián Tavárez or Hunter Strickland, every bullpen usually has one.



This comes up now because Mark Melancon is a perfect scapegoat. He’s taking home a substantial portion of the annual budget and he’s never performed up to expectations for the Giants. And while the team should have a solid bullpen, they don’t have seven A+ guys and one A-. There’s a range from A to C+, and the worry is that Melancon will be a C- or worse. Based on some of the comments I’ve been noticing around the ol’ internet, a very vocal portion of the fan base already thinks he’s an F- with no hope for...