The 2019 season is underway and, predictably, it’s a disaster. Some teams seem to have no plan at all. Other teams are continually searching for answers to get the last out, either because of poor performance or injury. Very few are the situations that have nary an issue. Each week we will try to get a handle on who the closer is, who is next in line and who is bringing up the rear as the third option in the pen. We will do our best, though it’s likely that the teams will not comply fully as we hope.
THE 2019 CHART
GREEN – There is a closer who has the role on lockdown.
WHITE – There is clarity as to who the closer is, but there is some uncertainty about his ability to hold on to the role.
RED – There is no clarity as to who the closer is, or what the true plan is for the 9th inning.
This is NOT a rankings list. It merely lists all 30 team situations in one of three categories (the teams are not listed in a ranking order even on the tier – they are just listed by tiers).
Craig Kimbrel remains a free agent.
BRAVES: Arodys Vizcaino and A.J. Minter each have one save. AV has six strikeouts in four innings as he’s walked three and allowed a run. Minter has only one strikeout in two innings while allowing two runs in his three outings. Viz is in the lead right now, but there may not be much of a gap between the two moving forward.
BREWERS: Josh Hader has five saves, hasn’t allowed a run and has 13 Ks in 7.2 innings. He last threw an inning on April 7th, and since April 3rd, that’s nine days, he’s made one appearance. Jeremy Jeffress is nearly ready to return from his minor league stint, and though the velocity is back he hasn’t been dominant. If he can regain his form of last year, it’s possible that Jeffress could work his way into 9th inning work, maybe even becoming the preferred option as the team knows/believes that they can be better with Hader working multiple innings in an outing. Jeffress should be added off waivers if he’s available.
CARDINALS: Jordan Hicks has two saves while Dakota Hudson and John Gant have one. Hicks has worked three straight scoreless outings, picking up saves the last two outings, and he’s been unscored upon in 4-of-5 outings. Meanwhile, Andrew Miller has worked 2-scoreless outings in a row, though he’s only generated three outs and hasn’t looked sharp. Alex Reyes is trying to find his game in the minors.
ORIOLES: Paul Fry, Miguel Castro and Mike Wright have saves. Castro and Wright have allowed 18 runs in 13.1 innings as they have each been taken deep three times. Mychal Givens doesn’t have a save, but he has three holds. He’s still the arm to own here, though with the entire bullpen in meltdown mode that may not be saying much.
PHILLIES: They have no discernable plan. One day its David Robertson, then Seranthony Dominguez, then Pat Neshek, then Hector Neris then Edubray Ramos working the 9th inning. It’s a total mess with only Neshek and Neris generating a save to this point. Dominguez has worked two scoreless outings since a mini-meltdown, while Robertson has gone three straight without allowing a run (after 3-straight to start the year allowing a run).
RANGERS: Jose Leclerc is throwing harder than last year, but he’s not missing bats (4.9 percent swinging strike rate compared to career 15.5 mark) and the results are currently very spotty even though his first pitch strike rate is superb at 70 percent. It’s only been five outings, but he has allowed four runs while getting two outs his last two outing, and that’s a pretty significant hiccup. Meanwhile, Shawn Kelley has two wins, two holds and has allowed but a single solo homer.
RED SOX: Matt Barnes has one save compared to two for Ryan Brasier, while Barnes has a hold as well. Both men have thrown five innings Barnes being the dominant one with eight strikeouts and no walks. This one continues to be a mix and match scenario.
ROYALS: The club recently called up Richard Lovelady. He saved nine games last season, and his fastball has a good deal of late movement coming from a less than traditional motion. He can also miss bats with his slider, though he’s not a strikeout dominator by any means. At this point he’s a bit of a Darkhorse, given his lack of experience and lefty throwing motion, but he could get some late inning work soon unless one of the three listed above gets hot, and that seems unlikely to happen.
TWINS: Blake Parker looked like the closer, until he was used in the 7th innings Tuesday. Have to think he’s still the guy, but that outing caused more than one eyebrow to be raised as it sure seemed odd. Trevor Hildenberger and Trevor May lead the team with six outings each and neither has allowed an earned run. Taylor Rogers hasn’t had a save since his first outing.
