All-Decade Team: Relief Pitcher

Every baseball team needs a good multi-purpose pitcher, one who fills the role of long reliever, setup guy or emergency starter. This is true whether you're putting together an All-Decade team or running a squad in the Frontier League, where starting rotations seem to change weekly and bullpens blow up like cheap cigars.

The Wild Things have rarely bounced pitchers between the starting rotation and bullpen during a season. They have, however, often used young pitchers as relievers during their first year in the league and then converted them to starters in their second season. The strategy usually paid huge dividends. Brendon Davis, J.J. Hollenbeck and Justin Edwards all flourished after moving from the bullpen to the rotation. Sometimes it didn't work, as B.J. Borsa's conversion from reliever to starter comes to mind.

Edwards, Davis and Hollenbeck each had similar careers with the Wild Things. Edwards and Hollenbeck each spent three years in Washington; Davis only two.

Edwards, however, was the only pitcher whose numbers improved for three consecutive seasons. Signed as third baseman by Worcester of the Can-Am League in 2008, the West Liberty graduate and Wheeling native eventually was moved to the Tornadoes' bullpen.

Acquired by Washington in 2009, Edwards pitched 43 games as a reliever, getting four wins and three saves. After 19 relief appearances in 2010, Edwards was shifted to the starting rotation and impressed. He had a 5-2 record, a bunch of no-decisions and struck out 71 batters in 78.1 innings.

After having shoulder surgery between the 2010 and 2011 seasons, Edwards made a speedy recovery and spent the season in the rotation, posting a 5-3 record and 2.16 ERA in 14 starts. Though victimized again by a lack of offensive support that kept his wins total low, Edwards went into his final start of the season with a chance to win the league's ERA title. He eventually finished second, just .01 behind Gateway's Mark Brackman. Edwards was a big reason why Washington's pitching staff led the league in ERA last year.

For his three seasons in Washington, Edwards had a 14-10 record, 3.56 ERA. His 213 strikeouts are second on the Wild Things' all-time list.

After last year's Frontier League season, Edwards signed with the York of the Atlantic League and pitched for the champion Revolution during the September stretch drive. This year, Edwards will be playing for the Lincoln Saltdogs of the American Association.

Edwards is the 11th pitcher on the all-decade team and 20th player overall. Only four more sports remain.

All-Decade Team Relief Pitcher: Justin Edwards (2009-11).