Who's the new closer?

by Billex Gordler on Jul 31, 2007 12:56 PM EDT

Once the Royals trade Dotel, who should the Royals install as closer?

To me it's obvious, but I suspect there are varied opinions on this one. I say Greinke.

My rationale: He wants to be in the bullpen. He likes it. He has the stuff. The other obvious choice is Soria, but he sees himself as a starter and my guess is that he'll be competing for that role next year in spring training. So for the balance of the year, you may as well give it to Greinke and see how he does, see if it's a long-term solution. If he thrives then we know what he is and he knows what he is and we can forget about our closer for the next five years. If they go with Soria, that means that both Soria and Greinke are changing roles mid-season (i'd guess that Greinke would inherit Soria's set-up role) and the closer is a question mark this off season.

I know that conventional wisdom is that starting pitchers are more valuable than closers, but as Papelbon has shown, sometimes it makes sense to turn a potential stud starter into a stud closer, and if you're able to satisfy a guy with an historically fragile psyche, all the better.

Greinke's the guy.

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Comments

Pressure

I think the pressure of closing might be too much for Grienke. I hate that his talent is so wasted in middle relief, but it's preferable for it to be there than for him to blow games in a role that requires reliability.

I say Soria for the rest of the season, then look for another closer during the off-season (while grooming Soria back into a starting role).

Chaim Mattis Keller New York City's # 1 Royals fan!

by cmkeller on Jul 31, 2007 1:01 PM EDT reply actions

maybe...

...but i was under the impression that greinke wanted more pressure in more frequent, high-leverage situations. in either case, i say greinke so you can see how he performs in the role this year, a year that doesn't really matter. if he flames out or can't handle it then we know he's a middle reliever.

by Billex Gordler on Jul 31, 2007 1:12 PM EDT up reply actions

Geinke to closer

My rationale: we've seen Soria do it and we know he can, so there is nothing to be learned from putting him back there again. We've also seen (a little) of Greinke as a starter. Next year, we'll probably have to choose one or the other to leave in the Pen as the closer, so we need to know what both can do in that situation.

On a side note, stop and dream for a minute how good we would be if Greinke had Soria's composure and intestinal fortitude. JDLR too, for that matter.

by Big Guy on Jul 31, 2007 1:04 PM EDT reply actions

One to rotation, one to closer

I'd like one of Soria or Greinke to go into the rotation and the other to close. I really don't care which is which at this point. Let's see how it works out for the rest of the season. That gives Moore and Bell more information to inform their decision next March about what their roles will be then.

by Scott McKinney on Jul 31, 2007 1:09 PM EDT reply actions

I like Soria

He's Mexican tough. Zack is only Orange County tough.

Next year Soria should start though. Zack probably should too.

Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com

by RoyalsRetro on Jul 31, 2007 1:36 PM EDT reply actions

A Lot Of Orange County

Is Mexican tough; have you flown into John Wayne lately?

Being a fan is irrational, but what is the alternative?

by philofthenorth on Jul 31, 2007 7:31 PM EDT up reply actions

i can attest to this.

living out here in orange county...

by rockchalk on Jul 31, 2007 7:33 PM EDT up reply actions

Papelbon is a big market luxury

What I mean is, if his situation came up on another team (read, a team WITHOUT such a solid rotation already in place), that team would have a hard time NOT putting him into the rotation.

That being said, I think I agree with NYRoyal - at least one of these two HAS to go into the rotation. We need to leverage the most innings, and the more critical innings, to our most talented arms next year.

by loyal2s dad on Jul 31, 2007 1:40 PM EDT reply actions

Alternate them...

between spot starting and closing until the end of the season.

"I DARE you to make less sense."

by dejackso on Jul 31, 2007 1:40 PM EDT reply actions

By the way,

how can anybody say the pressure might be too great for Greinke?

Right now, he is often pitching to as difficult or even more difficult part of the lineup as Dotel does in the 9th. He has been brought in repeatedly with men on base and the heart of the order coming up.

I don't put any stock in the notion that facing, say Manny Ramirez with a one run lead in the 7th and men on base is less pressurized than the same situation in the 9th.

by loyal2s dad on Jul 31, 2007 1:42 PM EDT reply actions

It depends on how he feels about it

If he feels more stress from having the title closer and being the 9th inning guy, then maybe he couldn't handle it. With most pitchers I wouldn't worry about it. But Greinke is obviously a special case. Stress and anxiety knocked him off of this team and stopped him from pitching for months. So I think it is a genuine issue for him.

But that shouldn't stop the Royals from possibly trying him at closer this season. See how he reacts to that role. Actually, I'd rather he go back into the rotation and have Soria close.

by Scott McKinney on Jul 31, 2007 1:49 PM EDT up reply actions

Ask David Riske

Veteran of the 7th and 8th innings. Failed miserably when thrust into the 9th. It's just different.

That said, Zack needs to try it out and see how it fits. I still think BOTH Soria and Greinke should be in the rotation, but if they are hell bent on one of them being in the bullpen, it needs to be as a closer.

by Big Guy on Jul 31, 2007 2:01 PM EDT up reply actions

Since you brought it up, NYR

how about putting BOTH of them in the rotation?

by loyal2s dad on Jul 31, 2007 2:50 PM EDT reply actions

Maybe

Here's the problems:

That really shreds the bullpen. We go from a good bullpen to a really poor one.
Soria hasn't pitched a hell of a lot of innings before. So I think they should be careful with him and not dump starter innings on him for the rest of the season.

So I'd go Greinke in the rotation, Soria as closer.

by Scott McKinney on Jul 31, 2007 2:52 PM EDT up reply actions

Relief help

Seems like it isn't all that hard to assemble a decent bullpen. We have a lot of money to play with this winter. Maybe go out and find some solid arms for the pen while letting Greinke and Soria start? That would be cheaper than finding a starter on the FA market.

Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com

by RoyalsRetro on Jul 31, 2007 4:07 PM EDT up reply actions

Pretty good offseason plan

My response was with regard to what we should do for the last two months of the season.

by Scott McKinney on Jul 31, 2007 4:10 PM EDT up reply actions

Aha

NYRoyal and RoyalsRetro are here to assist you Dayton, for a low fee. Call us.

Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com

by RoyalsRetro on Jul 31, 2007 4:13 PM EDT up reply actions

To paraphrase Shoeless Joe Jackson

...in "Field of Dreams":

I'd do it for food money. Hell, I'd do it for free.

by Scott McKinney on Jul 31, 2007 4:14 PM EDT up reply actions

Riske failed in a very small sample size

It could be due to his makeup, or it just might be A VERY SMALL SAMPLE SIZE, SIGNIFYING NOTHING.

by loyal2s dad on Jul 31, 2007 2:51 PM EDT reply actions

grienke as closer

soria as set up guy.

only for the rest of the season though. then, next season in ST we can try BOTH of them out as starters, with whoever who proves they can handle it staying there. i just think that grienke is more suited for the bullpen, and depending on how the rest of year audition goes, should be our longterm closer.

im fine if soria becomes our closer next year and grienke stays in the rotation, but i just am predicting that isnt going to happen. soria is mexican tough, as retro points out, and grienke is simply orange county tough (although that hurts me, living in orange county).

by rockchalk on Jul 31, 2007 6:46 PM EDT reply actions

Dayton Moore on WHB

He said Soria would likely start because they like Greinke being able to go multiple innings, not just the 9th.

He also said that one or both of Soria and Greinke could end up being a SP. This would happen next year and not this year. A key reason is because they really want to get a good look at both Davies and De La Rosa. That makes sense.

What doesn't make sense is that he sounded like Perez is going to stay in the rotation. I have no idea why.

by Scott McKinney on Jul 31, 2007 7:13 PM EDT reply actions

perez...

he's the very definition of a fifth starter (if there is such a thing). he's basically replacement-quality, which, incidentally, is better than barry zito, dontrelle willis, adam eaton, and rangers ace kevin millwood. i have no problem keeping him in the rotation through the balance of this year. nunez needs work and he needs the type of work that he can keep getting down on the farm. if the choice is perez or nunez, i take perez.

also, i'm pretty confident that perez will have better results this season than nunez would (if that's the choice). i see no reason to bring up any of the young guys. it's not as if any of them is dominating his level.

by the way, for critics of kyle davies, given our prospects' performance at AAA, it's not a stretch to say that he immediately becomes our best pitching prospect. not sure that's a ringing endorsement of him, but still...

by Billex Gordler on Jul 31, 2007 7:39 PM EDT reply actions