So long and thanks for all the baserunners

Kanekoa Texeira, despite a 2.84 ERA, has been demoted to AAA Omaha. I know 6.1 innings is a small sample size but consider him exhibit A in the case against using ERA to evaluate relief pitchers. Texeira's 2011 resume also includes an 18.5 H/9 and 4.3 BB/9, those numbers led to a Rick DeHart-like 2.526 WHIP. And did I mention he didn't strike out a single batter? He didn't, but he didn't strike out many last year (4.8 K/9) either. Relievers who let the league get on base at a high clip and are incapable of getting a strike out at any given time aren't long for the major leagues.

 Louis Coleman, the pitcher replacing Texeira on the 25 man roster, hasn't had any problems in the WHIP or strikeout department, at least to this point in his minor league career.

Year	Lev	W	L	ERA	G	SV	IP	BB	SO	WHIP	H/9	BB/9	SO/9	SO/BB
2009	A+-A	4	1	1.66	14	2	21.2	4	22	0.646	4.2	1.7	9.1	5.50
2010	AA-AAA	7	3	2.15	42	7	92.0	25	103	0.946	6.1	2.4	10.1	4.12
2011	AAA	0	1	3.86	6	2	7.0	4	16	1.143	5.1	5.1	20.6	4.00
3 Seasons		11	5	2.16	62	11	120.2	33	141	0.903	5.7	2.5	10.5	4.27

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

I don't find the rise in BB/9 all that worrisome, as far as I'm concerned the 2.29 mark he put up the last two seasons in 113.2 innings carries more a lot weight than what he's done in 7 innings this year. If the rise is legit though, he'll fit right in with the Royals bullpen (4.52 BB/9).

With Coleman's arrival there are now five rookies in the bullpen, and it means another piece of the process has fallen in to place.