One of those players is Ryan Webb. Webb is yet another bullpen arm locking down games for the Padres. When I check the previous day’s box scores in the morning, it always seems like Webb has dominated for another inning or two.

Webb was drafted by the Athletics in the fourth round of the 2004 draft, and was working his way through Oakland’s system as a starter until he was moved to the bullpen after the 2008 season. The Padres acquired Webb in the deal that sent Scott Hairston to Oakland last year, and Webb joined the major league team soon after the deal was completed. Webb performed adequately for the Padres last year, striking out 19 batters while walking 11 in 25.2 innings. The Padres kept him on the major league roster coming into the 2010 season, and they haven’t regretted it one bit.

While Webb’s peripherals haven’t been fantastic, he’s posted a 0.87 ERA in 20.2 innings. He’s struck out 12 hitters while walking only 6, making him a league average pitcher when it comes to his K/BB rate. He has pitched well enough for a 3.41 xFIP, but a .232 BABIP and 90% strand rate should contribute to his ERA rising any day now. I know what you’re asking yourself, “why did you think that Webb is dominating when you look at the box scores?” Good question.

The reason is simple. In the month of June, Webb has pitched 7.2 innings, striking out 7 batters, walking none, and not allowing a run. That, my friends, is one dominant month. So, what changed? I looked at Webb’s pitch f/x data, and he didn’t mess with his repertoire of pitches, but he is getting more whiffs from his slider. It appears that Webb has gained some added control over his slider, which has some impressive movement, keeping it lower in the zone and forcing hitters to swing over the top of it.

While Webb won’t be able to pitch at the level he has during June, or at the level he has over the entire season, he can still be an effective reliever. Webb gets a ton of ground balls (71.7% this year), and when combined with improved command over a devastating offspeed pitch, he will be a valuable part of the Padres’ bullpen going forward.

However, the Cubs brought up former first-round pick Tyler Colvin late last year, and he stuck on the roster at the onset of the 2010 season. Even though Colvin was a first round selection in 2006, he didn’t have a great deal of success in the minors. Colvin never posted a wOBA over .356, or an OPS over .854. He never showed fantastic power or speed, and while we don’t have great fielding data for him, he appears to have the ability to be at least close to a league average fielder.

While Colvin didn’t do much in the minors, he has performed well in the majors. In 103 plate appearances since September of last year, Colvin has posted a slash line of .281/.343/.539. His career minor league slash line? .276/.320/.461, according to Minor League Splits. Colvin has accomplished what he has thanks to a 25.4% line drive rate, compared to only a 15.8% line drive rate in the minors.

While he barely has 100 major league plate appearances, a .377 wOBA and 130 wRC+ are a good sign. Even though Colvin didn’t show a great deal of promise in the minors, being a first rounder shows that someone liked something about him at some point.

Based on how he’s played, Colvin should probably be given a shot as the everyday right fielder. But, since Fukudome is starting this season on a high note (.382 wOBA) like he always does, the Cubs will feel like they should keep him in the lineup. Fukudome is a league average outfielder, and Colvin could likely play at the same level. Colvin is nine years younger than Fukudome, so why not give him a shot?

Howry struggled with the D’Backs, striking out as many as he walked in a little over 14 innings. He had an ERA over 10, and an xFIP of 6.11. Always a flyball pitcher, Howry only got ground balls 25.5% of the time this year, and allowed six homers in his short time in Arizona. While a 22.2% HR/FB rate and a 44.9% LOB rate are likely fluky, Howry has not been a good pitcher this year.

Back in 2008, Howry was a solid reliever for the Cubs. He struck out 7.51 batters every nine innings, walking only 1.66 in that same time frame. Howry had an xFIP of 4.24, much better than his actual ERA of 5.35. For most of his career, Howry had been a good strikeout pitcher, and knew how to keep his walks down. After leaving Chicago to play for the Giants, Howry’s strikeout rate dropped and his walk rate rose. While the trend probably shouldn’t have continued as drastically as it did, seeing his rate continue to drop is no surprise.

Hopefully the Cubs have done their research, and don’t expect Howry to pitch like he did last time he was in the windy city. He’s almost 37 years old, and he’s not going to get drastically better anytime soon. The Cubs have had enough problems with their bullpen, and are still trying to find the answer. All of these problems stem from the preseason injury to Angel Guzman, who was slated to be the primary setup man.

After Guzman went down, Esmailin Caridad was supposed to be the answer. Caridad has faced his own injury problems, and has only pitched four innings this season. And, to be honest, he wasn’t great in those brief innings. At least the signing of Howry gives the Cubs a player that the team is comfortable with, and allows Zambrano to move back to the rotation. But, don’t kid yourself, Howry is not the answer that the Cubs are looking for.