CLOSING THE SHOW
The man known as the “Dean of Baseball” passed away over the weekend. Jerome Holtzman was one of the true greats throughout the years. He wrote for both major Chicago dailies and is regarded as the game’s first true historian. Holtzman is also the man who created the save category, so he’s in effect responsible for making stars out of short relievers, who were mostly afterthoughts prior to the introduction of that statistic.
The save remains one of the game’s most perplexing oddities. The rules for what constitutes a save vary depending on the situation, and the role has changed over the years. Who could have thought that some of the least frequently utilized players in terms of innings would become some of the game’s biggest stars? And the fact is that if your team doesn’t have a strong closer, they probably aren’t going to be contending for any titles anytime soon.
Right now, there are several closer roles that are up in the air, which means trying times for some big league managers and some exciting opportunities for fantasy baseball players. Here’s a quick rundown of the teams where the ninth inning role is up in the air, including a list of pitchers who could suddenly see a spike in their roto-value.
The Rangers continue to send C.J. Wilson out for ninth inning adventures, but it’s looking more likely that they may finally make a move to a more stable source of saves. Eddie Guardado has been the far more reliable reliever, and with the Rangers pushing hard for a winning season, I think there’s going to be a change taking place very soon.
Billy Wagner is having more forearm issues and the Mets could be forced to shut him down. Duaner Sanchez flopped miserably in a similar scenario a couple weeks back, and there are questions about his health right now. The Mets just recalled Eddie Kunz and I have a feeling he’s going to get a real shot at closing if Wagner has to miss any substantial time.
Kerry Wood is about to return from his troubling blister problem, but the Cubs might stay with Carlos Marmol for a little while longer. Marmol is hot again, and there’s no guarantee the issue won’t return as far as the oft-injured Wood is concerned.
Brandon Lyon has slumped over the last few weeks and the Diamondbacks made a deal to bring Jon Rauch down to the desert. Lyon has done well enough to warrant keeping the job for now, but with every game crucial in the divisional title chase, I can’t imagine his leash is a long one. Rauch did a nice job closing for the Nationals this season, so there may not be much hesitation to move him into the same role in Arizona should Lyon’s struggles continue.
Huston Street, who I’ve said for three years is overrated, is now apparently out as Oakland’s closer. He might regain the role at some point, but I have a feeling he’s going to get waived and traded. In fact, I’m kind of surprised he didn’t move prior to the July 31 deadline as the A’s were dealing their other high-paid arms. In any case, amazing rookie Brad Ziegler figures to be the main closer for the time being, and if he continues his phenomenal pitching, it should become a permanent gig.
The Indians have basically announced to the world they’re intent on finding a legit closer in the off-season. I’m not so sure they don’t have their guy already. Rafael Perez had an early-season hangover from last year’s playoff disaster, but he’s gotten himself right and he’s pitching really well the last several weeks. Perez is a superior option to Masa Kobayashi and I feel he’ll emerge as the main closer for the Tribe over the season’s last several weeks.
Finally, there’s the hapless bullpen of the Detroit Tigers. It’s almost comical how awful they’ve been at finishing games. The latest tomato can is Fernando Rodney, and the fact is he’s terrible. Who should get the closing gig? In my mind, give the ball to the pitcher who’s done the best work over the course of the season, and that’s lefty Bobby Seay. Take a look at the numbers, it’s not close. Joel Zumaya is the answer down the road, but he’s been unable to stay healthy this season. I have no clue as to whether or not Jim Leyland will give Seay a shot, but he ought to. Considering the alternatives, why not?
