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Luke Gregerson has emerged as one of the best relievers in the MLB and, the United States is well aware. For the first time since 2009, the World Baseball Classic is set to begin, and the American team could not overlook the San Diego Padres dominant reliever.
Gregerson was not on the 2009 team as he was an unknown who was entering what would be his rookie season. Four years later, things are different as Gregerson has 290 big-league appearances under his belt and has solidified himself as one of the National League’s best. Last season alone Gregerson, threw in 77 games which is only three games short of the career high he set in 2010–if I’m a Padres fan, I’m crossing my fingers that the added World Baseball Classic load doesn’t hinder Gregerson’s production in 2013.
The Padres can simply not afford to lose Gregerson in 2013 as he is the perfect complement to the teams excellent closer Huston Street, who had a 1.80 ERA last season to co-inside with 23 saves.
At age 28, Gregerson has plenty of green grass ahead of him; however, he could make a uniform switch in the coming years as he is a free agent in 2015, and the Padres may not be willing to shell out the cash.
Moving forward, Gregerson is a great addition to the United States team as they are looking to derail a Japanese team that was victorious in the 2006 and 2009 games. Gregerson will be used frequently as he is equally dominant versus both lefties and righties with a collective opponent batting average of .215.
