MLB Closer Report

Written by: Paul Greco on 17th April 2009

MLB Closer Report | read this item

It’s still early, but the closer shuffle is already beginning to commence. With the second week of the regular season under our belts, it is time to sound the alarm on some closers. In addition, there are some new additions to the ‘Pen. Let’s dive right in.

Sound the Alarm

Beginning Stage:

Closer: George Sherrill, Baltimore Orioles

Next In-Line: Chris Ray, Jim Johnson

Sherrill is one of those closers that you inherently want to fail (unless, of course, you own him). No one expected him to hold the job last season, or save as many games as he did. That’s why when he gets roughed up, chatter begins. Sherrill has notched three saves already and been pretty good in each of those games. But, in his last outing, he nearly blew a four-run lead in the bottom of the tenth. Nelson Cruz missed a walk-off home run by maybe 10 feet. Sherrill allowed two runs on four hits, before finally retiring Cruz. What Sherrill has going for him is the next best option has not been good. After a great spring, Ray has been knocked around in two games so far. Jim Johnson is not an immediate threat but has pitched well of late. In the game Sherrill almost blew to the Rangers, Johnson pitched two scoreless innings to keep the Orioles in the game. Considering Sherrill has not blown a save yet, this can be categorized as strictly speculation.

Closer: Chad Qualls, Arizona Diamondbacks

Next In-Line: Tony Pena

This is definitely a beginning stage type concern. Qualls will probably be given a mulligan for his struggles on Tuesday. Qualls gave up two runs on four hits in a game the Diamondbacks ended up winning. He did strike out the side and look good in both of his other outings. Qualls won the job for this year late last season and should hang on to it unless he continues to get hit.

Smoke Stage:

Closer: Kevin Gregg, Chicago Cubs

Next In-Line: Carlos Marmol

This is the one situation in baseball that will constantly be hawked. As good as Gregg pitches, he will always be closely watched. Every chance he struggles, the talks of Marmol closing will pick up again. Well, Gregg has not pitched well. Despite picking up a save in his first chances, he allowed a run and two hits. In his second outing, Gregg came in to a tie game in the bottom of the tenth his two on and no out. He got one out before allowing the game winning hit. Not an easy spot or a save situation, but he could not get the Cubs out of trouble. In his third outing, Gregg did not get hit particularly hard, but blew the save. Gregg gave up a hit, two walks, and two runs to lose it. In his fourth outing, a non-save situation, Gregg gave up a home run, two hits, and a walk.

Get the point? In the meantime, Marmol has done no wrong. Actually, he’s done great. His ERA is zero and he’s only given up two hits in five games. Marmol also picked up a save, when Gregg wasn’t available. Manager Lou Pinella will not pitch Gregg in consecutive games or more than one inning because of his recovering knee. Gregg is still Pinella’s guy, but the switch to Marmol could be coming. Be aware.

Closer: B.J. Ryan, Toronto Blue Jays

Next In-Line: Scott Downs

Manager Cito Gaston’s undying confidence in Ryan is remarkable. Despite Ryan’s consistent struggles early on, Gaston has stood by his closer. Gaston insists his job is safe, but one has to speculate. His velocity and control have been problematic. Ryan has allowed runs in two out of three appearances and has a whopping 13.50 ERA. And while he’s struggled, Downs has been perfect, literally. Downs has thrown 4 1/3 scoreless innings, and struck out the side in two games. There comes a point when you cannot afford to be giving up games. If Ryan’s struggles persist, Gaston might be left with no choice but to turn to Downs—at least until Ryan rights the ship.

Flame Stage:

Closer: Huston Street, Colorado Rockies

Next In-Line: Manny Corpas

No more easy street for Huston.

The decision to make Street their closer came with its criticism, and those same critics have a reason to be calling for Corpas once again. In all but one outing, Street has been terrible. In his last outing, a non-save situation, Street couldn’t get an out. After a leadoff home run to Derrek Lee, Street gave up a walk and single before being pulled for Jason Grilli. Despite being saved by Grilli, he is not off the hook for his struggles. Corpas has not been perfect, but he’s been better than Street for that matter. As aforementioned in the Call to the Pen of two weeks ago, manager Clint Hurdle has not been slow to make a switch in the past. If Street can’t get it done, look for that to be the case, sooner than later.

High Heat Stage:

Closer: Jason Motte, St. Louis Cardinals

Next In-Line: Ryan Franklin

This is not new news, but if you have been under a rock for about a week, that job Motte won out of Spring Training is all but gone. It only took one ninth inning meltdown for manager Tony LaRussa to shake things up. Motte blew a two-run lead in his first save chance, allowing four hits and four runs. He has been solid in middle relief since the disastrous first outing, but LaRussa has been hesitant to go back to him. So, enter Ryan Franklin. Franklin notched a save on Monday night, and appears to be the frontrunner for picking up saves now. If you still own Motte, it is hard to tell if he will ever be the primary closer again. Franklin has lost the job before, but he is not the only person vying for saves in the Cardinals bullpen. Motte is still owned in over half of Yahoo! leagues, and LaRussa likes to go with the hot hand. It is certainly a possibility that he will close again, but when that is, is questionable.

Waiting in Limbo

Where save opportunities are non-existent.

Joel Hanrahan: It’s debatable whether the theory of drafting closers on bad teams is risky. Of course, the fewer games a team wins, the fewer save chances there will be. However, there is also the belief that bad teams win tight games and in turn, create more save opportunities. That being said, it’s awfully tough to close games out when your team doesn’t win—at all. The Nationals are 0-7. The record is fitting too, because frankly, this is not a good baseball team. Hanrahan seemed like a serviceable end-game pick who might scrape up a lot of saves for a bad team like the Brian Wilson’s or Joakim Soria’s of 2008. Clearly, that is not the case.

Jose Valverde: No mound celebrations (aerobics) yet for Valverde. The Astros are off to a slow start at 2-6. Slow starts never bode well on a closer’s save chances, but the Astros are better than this. Of course Valverde is always good for one absolutely awful meltdown. But once the opportunities start coming in, he is still a top closer.

Brian Wilson: By this time last year, Wilson had already picked up four saves and blew one, too. This year he hasn’t been given a chance—to do either. Wilson has thrown less than two innings over the first two weeks of the season. Sure, it doesn’t help that the Giants are 2-6, but they weren’t much better last year. Wilson hasn’t allowed a hit in his three appearances.

Digging for Saves

Looking for a quick fix? Here are the guys who are available and in line to get some chances this week.

Ryan Franklin: Ah, Cardinals closer candidates. What a treat, huh? Everybody wanted the job this spring, but now that we are under way, it seems like no one can hold on to it. Motte has not been given a chance to close since his first chance implosion. Dennys Reyes is not suited to close games. His best role is as a setup man. Josh Kinney had a chance, and blew it. He is sporting a nice 13.50 ERA after three appearances. So that leaves Ryan Franklin. The unattractive candidate who was fairly decent last season is suddenly the best option in their ‘pen. Franklin picked up a save on Monday, and should get some more opportunities this week. Chris Perez was called up from Triple-A, but will not be an immediate threat for the job.

Todd Coffey: With Hoffman out at least one, maybe two, more weeks, someone has to shut the door in Milwaukee. And Carlos Villanueva sure had trouble doing so last week. Villanueva was the beneficiary of Hoffman’s injury and had a chance to rack up some saves in his absence. Instead, Villanueva has struggled in his last two outings. He blew a save on Saturday night and then allowed three runs on four hits in a non-save situation on Tuesday. It’s not a guarantee, but it wouldn’t be surprising if manager Ken Macha turned to Coffey next time in the ninth.

Trading Stock: One Up, One Down

UP Heath Bell: Replacing the all-time saves leader, who pitched the ninth inning for the Padres for the past 15 years, are big shoes to fill. And Heath Bell could not have been any better thus far. Bell is a perfect four-for-four in save chances. He also hasn’t allowed a run in 2009 either. If he keeps it up, he will be one of the better bargains of drafts this year.

DOWN Troy Percival: Of all the closers with job security, Percival might be the riskiest one to own. In his only two appearances, he has given up a run in each. He nearly blew his first save chance to the Red Sox, and then did blow his second opportunity to the Yankees. He plays for a great team in the Rays, but as discussed before, that doesn’t promise anything. He is owned in 88 percent of Yahoo! leagues, and his job is safe. But, at what cost can you afford to keep him on your roster?

Injury Report:

Trevor Hoffman: According to the Milwaukee News Journal, he all-time saves leader threw off a mound for the first time in almost a month on Wednesday, and reported no problems. Hoffman will throw another bullpen session on Saturday and if that goes well, he could make it into a couple minor league games next week. He is recovering well but it still looks like an end of April return is likely. Until then, if saves are dire, your best bet here is Coffey.

Joey Devine: If you were still holding out some hope on Devine, it might be time to let go. He is still owned in 37 percent of Yahoo! leagues. The Athletics placed him on the 60-day disabled list and surgery may be the next step. Devine went to see the infamous (and usually ominous) Dr. James Andrews last Wednesday and was recommended to have a bone scan and CT scan on his elbow. The right-hander has been put on the disabled list three different times with injuries to his elbow. Even if tests comes back clean, exploratory surgery might be performed. There really is no best case scenario with Devine right now, and it could be time to cut ties.

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Topics: B.J. Ryan, brian wilson, carlos marmol, carlos villanueva, chad qualls, Chris Perez, Chris Ray, dennys reyes, George Sherrill, huston street, Jason Motte, jim johnson, joel hanrahan, Joey Devine, jose valverde, josh kinney, kevin gregg, manny corpas, Nelson Cruz, Ryan Franklin, scott downs, todd coffey, Tony Pena, trevor hoffman, Troy Percival