32-year old righty reliever Heath Bell came into this season with only 2 career saves but he was being asked to replace major league baseball’s All-Time leader in saves Trevor Hoffman. All Bell did was earn himself a trip the the All-Star game with his performance. Bell has pitched in 66 games for the Padres this season and he is 6-4 with 41 saves, a 2.79 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP. He has only allowed 52 hits in 67 2/3 innings this season while whiffing 76 batters showing just how nasty he has been. Bell has been really important to the Padres this season because they have played so many close games.

21-year old righty starting pitcher Mat Latos has a bright future with the Padres. The 6′6″, 225 pound Latos was the Padres’ #2 rated prospect heading into this season according to Baseball America. He pitched in 13 games (11 starts) in A+AA ball this season and he was 8-1 with a 1.37 ERA and a 0.75 WHIP. He only allowed 42 hits in 72 1/3 innings in the minors this season while whiffing 73 batters showing what kind of stuff he has. Latos then was recalled by the Padres and he has started 10 games for them this season and he is 4-5 with a 4.62 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP. Latos’ control was a little off with the Padres as he has walked 23 batters in 50 2/3 innings but that’s something he can fix. He only allowed 43 hits while whiffing 39 batters for the Padres showing that he was not intimidated by major league hitters. Look for him to battle for a spot in the starting rotation for the Padres in 2010 next spring.

25-year old righty reliever Luke Gregerson won a job in the bullpen this spring and he has been very solid for the Padres. He has pitched in 67 games for the Padres this season and he is 2-3 with a 2.96 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP. In 70 innings for the Padres Gregerson has only allowed 58 hits while whiffing 83 batters. He should have a big role in the Padres’ bullpen in the future if he keeps pitching like he is this year.

31-year old righty reliever Mike Adams has been nasty ever since he came to the Padres last season. He has pitched in 30 games (0 starts) for the Padres this year and he is 0-0 with a 0.92 ERA and a 0.68 WHIP. He has only allowed an amazing 14 hits this season while whiffing 34 batters in 29 1/3 innings. In two year with the Padres, Adams has pitched in 84 games (0 starts) in which he is 2-3 with a 2.00 ERA and a 0.84 WHIP. In 94 2/3 innings with the Padres over the last two years Adams has only allowed 63 hits while whiffing 106 batters. The only thing Adams needs to do is stay healthy as he has been awesome for the Padres.

27-year old lefty reliever Joe Thatcher has really stepped up this season for the Padres. Thatcher has pitched in 44 games (0 starts) for the Padres and he is 1-0 with a 2.50 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. Thatcher has only allowed 31 hits in 39 2/3 innings while whiffing 46 batters showing what kind of stuff he has. But, he will need to tighten his control as he has walked 17 batters and hit 4 of them but that’s his only real weakness.