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Jays long for a true master of the bullpen
Posted: Thu Sep 16, 2010 4:49 pm
by LittleOzzy
As the final few weeks of the Toronto Blue Jays most hopeful season in years winds down, many fans find themselves dreaming of the team's return to past glory.
Nobody can know when that day will come, but one thing that is clear is that team needs someone capable of being a dominant closer. Equally clear is the fact that Kevin Gregg is not that pitcher.
This is not a personal attack on Gregg nor a dismissal of what may well he his best season in the majors.
Entering last night's game in Baltimore, Gregg owned a 3.29 ERA and his 31 saves ranked fifth in the American League. That's good production for a pitcher signed this spring to a bargain basement US$2-million contract for this season.
If he successfully closes out three more save situations during Toronto's last 18 games, the 32-year-old will move alongside Tom Henke for the fifth-highest single season save total in franchise history.
Henke's arrival in Toronto in 1985 coincided with the Blue Jays first great competitive leap forward, which culminated in the team's first World Series title in 1992.
Duane Ward, who actually closed out the clinching Game 6 of the 1992 title, picked up that torch for Toronto's 1993 championship.
Hardly a conversation about relievers or bullpens goes by without manager Cito Gaston, also the skipper of those back-to-back title teams, invoking the names of Henke or Ward.
Part of it may be nostalgia but part of it clarifies how crucial shutdown closers have become for championship baseball clubs.
From 2000 through 2009 -- a run book-ended by New York Yankees' championships who've had baseball's all-time great closer Mariano Rivera holding down the back end of games -- every World Series-winning team boasted a true lights-out stopper.
Read more here:
http://www.canada.com/sports/Jays+long+ ... story.html
Re: Jays long for a true master of the bullpen
Posted: Thu Sep 16, 2010 5:04 pm
by L3M0NAD3
I agree.
Although the numbers by themselves suggest otherwise, I am ALWAYS fearful when Gregg steps in with a tight lead in the 9th because I know hes liable to give up some hits/runs to cost us even though he doesnt necessarily have a lot of blown saves this seasons. He just can not be our closer for the future because of his unpredictability in tight situations.
EDIT: Also I know closers are very easy to come by, they're a dime a dozen now. A closer can come out of nowhere, save 30-40 games for a team and he's considered successful but some of the truly great teams have a dominant closer that by reputation alone causes opposing teams to fear them. That is what this team needs.
Re: Jays long for a true master of the bullpen
Posted: Thu Sep 16, 2010 5:04 pm
by s e n s i
Wasn't it Mike Timlin who closed out game 6 in '92?
Re: Jays long for a true master of the bullpen
Posted: Thu Sep 16, 2010 5:08 pm
by L3M0NAD3
chocolateSensi wrote:Wasn't it Mike Timlin who closed out game 6 in '92?
You're right, it was Timlin, he closed out the 11th inning.
Re: Jays long for a true master of the bullpen
Posted: Thu Sep 16, 2010 8:07 pm
by satyr9
I like having a good closer, I just think it's the final piece of the puzzle. I love how TB did it. They built and built and built and only when they'd stocked themselves to the brim with starters and starting prospects, none of whom turned out to be a closer, which was a good thing, they got a guy to fill it.
Of course Gregg is a crappy closer, regardless of his numbers, but when you can fill in with him at 2m and you don't have an unlimited supply of arms and money, that's by far the better use of your resources than 8-10 or prospects or whatever to go out and get an elite proven guy. Especially because of how often they absolutely explode with no warning. One day Gagne is literally unhittable and poof and that story is repeated annually with a couple guys every year.
Sure, if LAD wants to give away a guy like Broxton I'll take him at no risk and give it a shot to have an elite guy, but really I think it's a plug and play position for all but the elite spenders.
It does make 9th innings hard to watch though.
BTW, my dad still swears that Henke shortened his life by a decade because he always made the end entertaining. Got it done sure, but he'd flirt with his run cushion every time out there.
Re: Jays long for a true master of the bullpen
Posted: Thu Sep 16, 2010 8:18 pm
by Randle McMurphy
A couple of points:
1. Relievers are overrated and overvalued.
2. Kevin Gregg has been a bit of a pleasant surprise...he's done much better than I expected he would. I wouldn't have much of a problem if he was still closing next year.
Re: Jays long for a true master of the bullpen
Posted: Thu Sep 16, 2010 9:54 pm
by tsherkin
You know what would be awesome?
If Gregg wasn't having the second-worst year in his career as far as walking batters, that's getting him into more trouble than anything else. He's not having a terrible season as far as being hittable, but he's walking a ton of batters. I mean really, everything else seems in line. Decent number of grounders versus fly-balls, good strikeout rate, normal line drive rate. He could be better in a bunch of areas, but he walks so many guys that he's constantly pitching with runners-on and it causes a lot of problems.
Re: Jays long for a true master of the bullpen
Posted: Fri Sep 17, 2010 12:57 am
by dagger
elliottbaseball
Jays tell RHP Zach Stewart, one of top arms in system along with Henderson Alvarez: "Be prepared to start or pitch in relief next spring."
2 minutes ago via web