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AL Report
Closing time: Who's next in line for saves?
Posted: Tuesday June 18, 2002 6:42 PM
The league is hitting just .207 against Lou Pote. |
By Jason Grey, Special to CNNSI.com
I had a lot of questions in my inbox this week in regards to various closing situations around the majors. So for this edition of the AL Report, I thought I would examine American League bullpens not only for current closers, but for those next in line and any other players that might be relevant in determining how you should manage the saves category for your team.
We'll go alphabetically team by team:
Anaheim: No problems with Troy Percival at this point in time. Earlier in the season, when Percival was injured, Al Levine held down the stopper's job and picked up a few saves. If that situation were to occur again, I'm not so sure it would be Levine again. Although he did the job well at that time, he hasn't been pitching as well lately, and at the same time, Lou Pote has been pitching very well. While Levine's past experience would probably cause him to be the choice, Pote would not surprise me in the least if he got the role. He has the makeup for it.
Baltimore: Jorge Julio worked through a rough stretch and managed to keep his hold on the closer's job, barely. It was a close enough call that one more ninth-inning homer probably would have sent him to middle relief to work things out. Willis Roberts has been pitching well, (although not as well as his stats would indicate) and would probably still be the choice here should something happen, with Buddy Groom maybe getting an opportunity if there were say, two lefties due up in the ninth.
Boston: There were some serious worries about Ugueth Urbina's health earlier in the year. His velocity was down and he had a couple of April struggles, which turned out to be mechanical in nature. The Sox would have gone with Rolando Arrojo at that point, but with his current starting role, the Sox could turn to Casey Fossum if need be. The organization thinks he doesn't have the stamina to be a starter and could be a fine Billy Wagner-type closer eventually. He has been used heavily this season though, so we'll have to see if his stamina and arm hold out. However, in the thick of a pennant race, I would bet they go back to Tim Wakefield so as not to put that pressure on Fossum just yet. Oh, and I would venture to guess that it's pretty safe to say that Derek Lowe will not be moved back to the closer's role if something happens to Urbina. Wouldn't you agree?
Chicago: Keith Foulke was demoted from the role despite his track record and the fact he had only blown two saves (in 10 chances) all year. I discussed this in last week's Grey Matter column. Antonio Osuna has the role now, and we'll see for how long. I would bet a blown save or two and Foulke is right back in the mix as he should be. I don't put any stock in Damaso Marte speculation in this role, much as I didn't the Jack Cressend talk in Minnesota in the preseason from many of the same pundits. Regardless, Foulke will be back where he belongs before the season is over.
Cleveland: Bob Wickman is cruising along right now despite some minor injury trouble. Paul Shuey seems to be the obvious candidate, but he has had a penchant for falling on his face when asked to close instead of set up. Ricardo Rincon would probably be the best option. David Riske is a real dark horse candidate if he can keep his walks down.
Detroit: If Juan Acevedo, who has pitched well, goes down to injury, Julio Santana is probably the only one that would have the chance to do well in this role because Jose Paniagua has been like throwing gas on a fire. Matt Anderson will likely not be back this year.
Kansas City: It is very possible the Royals will deal Roberto Hernandez at the break, and I am on record as saying Dan Reichert would excel in this role. A few more good outings would likely vault Jeff Austin to the top of the list, though.
Minnesota: Can you go wrong in the Twins bullpen? Eddie Guardado, J.C. Romero, Mike Jackson, and even LaTroy Hawkins have all been lights out this year. If something happens to Guardado, go with Jackson because of his experience. Romero has been too valuable in middle relief because he can work two innings at a time.
New York: With Mariano Rivera down, Steve Karsay is the man. If Karsay goes down, Mike Stanton is the man until Mariano comes back. See? Sometimes it's not rocket science.
Oakland: Chad Bradford has established himself as the clear alternative to Billy Koch in the A's bullpen. He would do very well given the opportunity. As long as Koch doesn't face Toronto, he's fine.
Seattle: If Kaz Sasaki goes down, Shigeotshi Hasegawa would likely close unless the ninth inning looked full of lefties, in which case Arthur Rhodes would pick up one here and there.
Tampa Bay: Esteban Yan is still clearly the best choice here, and Victor Zambrano is the least offensive of the second options should something happen to Yan. Truth be told, Yan should have never lost his job for a week earlier in the season the first place.
Texas: OK, John Rocker still can't do the job, so let's get that nonsense out of the way. His last outing was more than enough proof of that. Hideki Irabu was victimized by poor health more than anything. Jerry Narron was just the last one to see it when it was clear something was not right because of his velocity. Nobody ever confused Anthony Telford with the word "closer" and he failed. Francisco Cordero may actually get a look here, but it would not shock me in the least if Irabu regained the job which is Jeff Zimmerman's again by late July.
Toronto: Cliff Politte is being viewed as a potential future closer by the Jays organization. Kelvim Escobar could very likely be dealt. Politte is a very good pitcher who has just needed consistent health and a consistent role. Although he has potential as a starter too, I bet he's the closer here by the end of the year. You read it here first.
Jason Grey is the publisher of The Masters of Fantasy Baseball at www.mastersball.com, a free daily source for news, analysis, insight, and opinion. Their 2002 annual featuring strategy and player profiles as well as their 2002 projections for various game formats are available now. Mastersball.com is a member of the Tout Wars and Major League Baseball's experts leagues.
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