 |
Rivera has held opposing bats to 2 runs over his last 10 appearances
|
The much-heralded demise of Mariano
Rivera throughout the beginning of the
season has died down of late…but only a little. He has become the shutdown reliever of old holding teams to
only 2 earned runs in his last 10 appearances, which has dropped his overall
ERA from 5.94 to 4.23. Further
testament to his resurgence is that he is averaging close to a strikeout an
inning now on the season after being unable to make bats miss much over the
first month. So, what is the
problem with Rivera still? He
simply gets no chances to save games for the Yankees. There is no question the Yankees have improved since their
abysmal beginning, but they still boast a lousy set of relievers trying to set
up for Rivera. The other problem
is a group of starters that can’t seem to get very deep into games. The aging group includes Roger
Clemens, Mike Mussina and Andy Pettite; a regular geriatric set of starters. None offers much more hope than 5 to 6
innings per game, which has put tremendous stress on a mediocre group of middle
guys. They also lack the dominant
set up guy they had in the past.
The answer doesn’t look like it is going to present itself any time soon
either, which leaves Rivera owners wondering whether to hold onto him or
not. There are two major factors
to consider in getting rid of him or conversely picking him up. The Yankees tend to win big or lose
big, which leaves few games close enough for save opportunities. They will make a run for the playoffs
before the end, but will they get the middle guys needed to keep games close
enough to create more opportunities for Rivera? All in all, it doesn’t look like this will be the season for
him to get good numbers. Buyer
beware.
For those of you needing more
reasons to hate the Yankees (pipe down Red Sox fans), all you have to do is
wait for the time of the year when the big spenders rape some of their poor
cousins. This has resulted in some
years with some little guys’ closer coming to the Yankees to become a glorified
set up guy. Names bandied about so
far in the rumor mill include Brian Fuentes of Colorado and Solomon Torres of Pittsburgh. The
Fuentes rumor seems a little farfetched, but never count the Yankees out in
these situations. Why Colorado
would want to get rid of the guy is beyond reasonable thinkers especially
considering the resurgence of their team this season and what the future could
hold for this young squad. A name
that has so far stayed under the radar is Akinori Otsuka of Texas.
Now that he isn’t closing there anymore and with the Rangers desperate
to make some changes (it is already rumored that the Yankees will make a run
after Mark Texiera) he seems like the most reasonable route to
take. He has shown that he can be
an all star caliber closer and set up guy, which is rare in baseball, and he is
ripe for the taking from an organization that thrives on making terrible
deals. For those of you holding
onto closers like Fuentes and Torres, it might be worth your time to send
emails to Rangers management encouraging them to make the deal with the
Yankees. After all, this is the
same team that gave up on Francisco Cordero last season thereby enhancing the Milwaukee Brewers
chances of making a splash in the post season this year. Just don’t forget to cross your fingers
behind your back while writing your notes.
Can there truly be any better
story than Al Reyes this year. This guy who has been a very
serviceable pitcher throughout his career, but was never even considered for
the closing position at any other time.
Give credit to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays for giving him the shot. They have been rewarded with a guy who
strikes out more than a batter per inning while maintaining a WHIP below 1.00. Until his minor blip against the
Diamondbacks, he was maintaining a sub 2.50 ERA, which ranked among the top eight
for closers at the time. Worried
about consistency? How about a
.169 average for left handers and a .167 average for right handers against the
journeyman. Cudos to everyone who
gave him a chance.
Overall Closing Statistical
Leaders
|
Saves |
|
|
|
|
1. Francisco Cordero, MIL |
27 |
|
2. Jose Valverde, ARI |
24 |
|
3. Francisco Rodriguez, LAA |
22 |
|
4. Joe Borowski, CLE |
21 |
|
4. JJ Putz |
21 |
|
|
|
Most Blown Saves |
|
|
|
|
1. Solomon Torres, PIT |
6 |
|
1. Chad Cordero, WAS |
6 |
|
2. Todd Jones, DET |
4 |
|
2. Chris Ray, BAL |
4 |
|
|
|
Strikeouts |
|
|
|
|
1. Francisco Rodriguez, LAA |
49 |
|
2. Francisco Cordero, MIL |
45 |
|
3. Kevin Gregg, FLA |
41 |
|
4. Takashi Saito, LAD |
40 |
|
4. Billy Wagner, NYM |
40 |
|
|
|
ERA |
|
|
|
|
1. JJ Putz, SEA |
1.07 |
|
2. Takashi Saito, LAD |
1.45 |
|
3. Jason Isringhausen, STL |
1.50 |
|
4. Jonathan Papelbon, BOS |
1.65 |
|
5. Trevor Hoffman, SD |
2.00 |
|
|
|
Worst ERA |
|
|
|
|
1. Joe Borowski, CLE |
6.11 |
|
2. Dan Wheeler, HOU |
5.85 |
|
3. Todd Jones, DET |
5.46 |
|
4. Soloman Torres, PIT |
5.14 |
|
5. Chris Ray, BAL |
4.72 |
Rising/Falling
Things are stable again this week in the rankings, but trade
rumors are beginning to fly so keep a close eye on closers for teams falling
out of contention.
The Rankings
Tier One: The Best
Joe Nathan,
Minnesota Twins
Billy Wagner, New
York Mets
Francisco Cordero,
Milwaukee Brewers
Jason Isringhausen, St.
Louis Cardinals
Al Reyes, Tampa Bay
Devil Rays
JJ Putz, Seattle Mariners
Tier Two: Just A Notch Below The Best
Jonathan Papelbon,
Boston Red Sox
Jose Valverde,
Arizona Diamondbacks
Francisco Rodriguez,
Los Angeles Angels
Ryan Dempster,
Chicago Cubs
Brian Fuentes,
Colorado Rockies
Takashi Saito, Los
Angeles Dodgers
Bobby Jenks, Chicago
White Sox
Trevor Hoffman, San
Diego Padres
Tier Three: Getting The Job Done
Mariano Rivera, New
York Yankees
Chad Cordero,
Washington Nationals
David Weathers,
Cincinnati Reds
Joe Borowski,
Cleveland Indians
Bob Wickman, Atlanta
Braves
Kevin Gregg, Florida
Marlins
Matt Capps,
Pittsburgh Pirates
Eric Gagne, Texas
Rangers
Octavio Dotel,
Kansas City Royals
Alan Embree, Oakland
Athletics
Jeremy Accardo, Toronto Blue Jays
Tier Four: Shaky, But Closing
Todd Jones, Detroit
Tigers
Chris Ray, Baltimore
Orioles
Brad Hennessey, San
Francisco Giants
Antonio Alfonseca, Philadelphia
Phillies
Dan Wheeler, Houston
Astros
Injured
Brett Myers, Philadelphia – 15 Day
Tom Gordon,
Philadelphia Phillies – 15 Day
BJ Ryan, Toronto
Blue Jays – 60 Day (Out until 2008)
Huston Street,
Oakland Athletics – 15 Day
Have a question or comment for Jamie? Email him at jamierugg@sportsgrumblings.com.
