In a similar vein to my article earlier this week about lead off hitters, this particular article will focus on another "sub category" of player which is equally important to a teams' success, also known as a "closer". I am not referring to the old television show on TNT with Kyra Sedgewick as the Police Detective who could get the suspect to confess each week (although it was entertaining and it spawned the show Major Crimes, which my wife found interesting, but I digress).
No,
I am referring to the pitcher that a team relies on to get the final
few outs in a ballgame, or someone who may be called upon to get out of a
nasty situation prior to the end of the ballgame. Ideally, most teams
have several pitchers who can work their magic late in ballgames, after your
starter has given you six or seven innings of effective pitching.
However, teams that employ an actual closer usually select the guy that consistently locks down the end of close ballgames.
So,
before looking over the Mets' roster and future possibilities, it would
be helpful to identify what a good closer looks like, perhaps with an example of a former player that filled those shoes at some point in the recent past.
As
stated above, a closer usually enters the game late with only a few
outs to secure. Sometimes it is at the start of an inning and other
times, it is in the middle of a "three
alarm fire" that threatens the chances of picking up a win for the
entire team. With that said, here are a few of the criteria that I prefer for my closer;
1.
At least one dominating pitch, whether it is an elite fastball or
another type of pitch that reliably subdues the opposing batter.
2. Excellent control, meaning free passes are kept to a minimum.
3. The ability to pitch effectively over the course of multiple appearances, sometimes in "back to back" games.
4. A "bulldog" mindset, meaning that you are the "alpha dog" of the pitching staff, exhibiting confidence in all situations.
5.
A short memory, which will allow the pitcher to shrug off the
occasional "bad outing" and bounce back without any "hang over" issues.
As
much as it pains me to say this, a good example of a former "closer"
who checks all of these boxes is former Yankee Mariano Rivera. The pain
comes from his sustained success that
took place "across town" that lasted the better part of twenty years and
came partly at the Mets' expense.
***It
is my personal belief that the principle difference in the 2000 World
Series was that the Yankees had Rivera closing out ballgames while the
Mets had a less effective Armando
Benitez attempting to do so. Go back and look at the scores from that
series and you will see that all four of the Yankees victories were one run games, to include the tone setting opening game where Armando couldn't lock down the victory.
As
far as MR's career is concerned, he started his major league service
time in 1995 as a starter and a reliever, before settling into a set up
role in 1996. However,
once the
Yankees figured out what they had, he became their closer in 1997 and
held onto the spot until the end of 2013, which was also the end of his
career in
pinstripes.
During that time, he was remarkably consistent, as listed below;
1,115 Games
2.21 ERA
652 Saves (39 AVG)
1,283 IP (78 AVG)
1.000 WHIP
8.2 K/9
2.0 BB/9
He
clearly filled all of the listed criteria and he did all of this with
one pitch, referred to as a "cut fastball". I would gladly take a
similar pitcher right now and I wouldn't mind paying a premium for the position, either.
Enough about the Yankees and let's return to our beloved Mets to see what we have in the cupboard, so to speak.
Complicating
this issue is our new manager and pitching coach, who are on the record
as preferring a "closer by committee". I am not saying that I don't
believe them, but sometimes you make a
comment like that when you don't really have a closer on staff (which
may or may not be true). Or, you are attempting to take pressure off of
your bullpen in an effort to allow a
closer to step forward and establish himself during Spring Training. Mickey Callaway seems to be a smart guy and I find it hard to believe
that he would not utilize a primary closer if he had confidence in one on his pitching staff, but that remains to be seen.
Of
our current pitchers who are likely to trek north with the Mets for the
start of the season, you have to think that Jeurys Familia is the
leading candidate to be the primary closer. He has a bit of a track
record (2017 notwithstanding) and he fills most of our listed criteria,
although I am not in love with his walk rate (3.7 BB/9) or the number
of base runners that he allows when he is
in the game (1.21 WHIP). I think it is his job to lose for the current
season, but I don't view him as the future due to the fact that he will
become very expensive as he hits free agency.
Sandy
spent the last trading deadline importing a collection of "power arms"
that are destined to fill bullpen roles in the upper minor leagues and
eventually, at the major league level. Some of the
names are intriguing, to include Drew Smith, Gerson Bautista, Jacob
Rhame and Jamie Callahan.
However, I think we have a "closer in waiting" on the roster who has been a Met farm hand since the 2013 season in Tyler Bashlor.
However, I think we have a "closer in waiting" on the roster who has been a Met farm hand since the 2013 season in Tyler Bashlor.
TB
(another interesting set of initials) has climbed all the way up to AA
Binghamton, after starting in Rookie Ball with a small of appearances.
He is 6-0 and 197 pounds, so not exactly a dominating physical
presence, but neither was Mariano Rivera (6-2 and 195 pounds).
Additionally, TB will pitch this season as a 24/25 year old which is a
year younger then MR was when he finally made his way onto the Yankees
roster.
Here are TB's minor league statistics, to date;
97 Games
3.42 ERA
16 Saves
121 IP
1.32 WHIP
13.02 K/9
4.98 BB/9
On
first blush, you may not be impressed, but remember that minor league
baseball is as much about teaching as it is about winning, etc. Plus,
one or two bad outings can have a lasting affect peripheral
statistics like ERA, for example. Not to mention that he hasn't had a
ton of closing opportunities to date, at least when compared to MR.
With
all that said, two statistics "jump off the page" and they are K/9 and
BB/9. His strikeout rate is insane and if he can carry that
effectiveness to Las Vegas (likely in 2018) and possibly to the major
league bullpen after that, he will be a weapon for MC and the Mets. However, pumping the brakes a bit, he also sports a relatively high walk
rate which will have to come down if he is to be trusted in the long
run as the primary closer.
I
think 2018 will be as much about refining TB's control and letting him
grow into the closers' role via experience, as anything. IF he can
harness his control and maintain his strikeout rate, I think you will
see him as a key part of the future Mets' bullpen.
3 comments:
Rivera types come along rarely - he has to be a sure-fire, perhaps unanimous, first ballot, hall of famer.
Bashlor has to nail down his control, but he was mostly GREAT last year in relief...future closer? Maybe, but we'll see if he can make a case for that this season.
Johnny Franco walked 3.58 per 9 innings and he was highly successful, but he sure gave us heartburn sometimes with the men on base.
You can walk three batters an inning as long as you strike out the other three batters you face.
Seriously, I too will look closely on Bashlor;s walk rate come April.
So far this spring: 3.0-IP, 2-K, 3-BB
I think he pitches again tomorrow in one of the SS games.
I thought Jenrry Mejia was going to be that guy. 1st time I saw him in Brooklyn, I had primo seats behind HP and he had that FB (cutter? idk) with a hellacious late break. Maybe he was doped then too. So it goes.
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