Seattle Sportsnet

One year ago, David Aardsma was a middle reliever for the Boston Red Sox who was most notable for being the first name in the alphabetical listing of Major League Baseball players.

A 6’4″, hard-throwing righthander, Aardsma had never recorded a save, nor been asked to assume the role of late-inning relief specialist.

A year later, Aardsma has become one of baseball’s better closers as a Seattle Mariner, posting 13 saves in 14 opportunities while maintaining a 1.74 ERA in the process. In 32.1 IP, the 27-year-old has struck out 39 batters, relying heavily on a mid-90′s fastball to overpower opposing batters.

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