Duck, duck, closer! Philadelphia’s relief pitching ensemble
The MLB closer is one of the most volatile positions in all of sports. Although occasionally ninth inning responsibilities change hands as the result of injury, more often than not, poor performance is the main cause for any turnover, the rate of which, between closers on Opening Day and at the end of the season is typically above the 50% mark.
This year, several closers have already been relieved of their roles – Frank Francisco, Brandon Lyon and Matt Capps to name a few. With the amount of pressure associated with the role, it’s no wonder that teams around the league make mid-season switches every year. This is why the situation in Philadelphia this year has been so puzzling.
Under normal circumstances, when a closer goes down with injury, the team’s next best option is thrown in the ring and the team crosses its fingers, hoping for the best. In Philadelphia this year, three closers have been placed on the disabled list, and somehow the team has put together one of its best bullpen seasons in recent memory.
It takes a certain breed to truly find success as a closer, and possessing a standout pitch is definitely a key ingredient. If you look at some of the closers with long term success, you’ll notice they did so by finding a niche. Dennis Eckersley had his heater, Trevor Hoffman had his devastating change-up, and we all know about Mariano Rivera’s cut fastball.
Mental toughness plays an equal, if not more important role. To pitch in the ninth, one has to be able to manage the pressure of having all the eyes in the ballpark on them, waiting, expecting them to perform their job well. Closers have to be able to make tough decisions like whether or not to throw a fastball in a hitter’s count with a man in scoring position, risking a game-tying hit and the consequent reactions from fans and the media.
A GM’s job is to find the guy that can’t quite cut it as a starter, yet has all the tools to pitch scoreless innings time after time and can shoulder the pressure of having all eyes upon him. That guy must also understand that when his job is done well, he’ll barely be mentioned, and when he doesn’t do well, he’ll bare the brunt of backlash and scrutiny. No easy find.
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Few teams have had the closer role secured for a long stretch of time, and the Phillies, in particular, exemplified the ever-changing nature of the position over the past decade. In the 10 years prior to the Brad Lidge acquisition, no closer for the club had the job for more than three seasons, and in several cases, only lasted a few short outings.
During the 2000s, Philadelphia’s most effective closers were Jose Mesa and Billy Wagner. Both had some success but ultimately didn’t fit with the ball club. Mesa did bolster 45 saves in 2002, good for third in MLB. Unfortunately, he also blew nine saves that year, good for first in the league, not the type of achievement one would aspire for.
Wagner has always had admirable success in the league. With the Phillies in 2004, he converted 21 out of a possible 25 save opportunities, however, he spent some time on the DL that year and Tim Worrell had to take over. The following year Wagner converted 38 of 41 opportunities, but his frequent clashes within the clubhouse created a fracture within the fanbase, distrust among his team, and ultimately led to his departure. You’d be scarce to find a Phillies fan that would say he truly enjoyed the time Wagner spent in Philadelphia.
Other than Wagner and Mesa, the Phillies tried a slew of men in the ninth, and none found much success. In 2007 Brett Myers was given the role, but the injury bug found its way into the bullpen once again. In the time Myers was gone, Antonio Alfonseca and Tom Gordon went a combined 14-for-24 in save opportunities. All things considered, the conversion rate for Phillies closers prior to 2008 was teetering on horrendous. The team couldn’t find a permanent fix.
This is why in the offseason before the 2008 campaign, the Phillies faithful were overjoyed with the signing of Brad Lidge. He certainly had the pedigree to become a success story in the city. A story the city needed written.
In his first season with the club, Lidge didn’t disappoint, going a perfect 41-for-41 in save opportunities and leading the team to its first World Series title since 1980. (His 41-for-41 feat may have actually been overshadowed however, as K-Rod set the single season record with 62 total saves in 2008). The Phillies thought they may have finally had their long-awaited franchise closer.
The next year was a different story for Lidge as he struggled with his command and blew 11 saves, but in 2010 he returned to form and saved 27-for-32. During the 2010 season, Lidge suffered a few injuries and spent time on the DL. With Lidge out, the team promoted from within and called upon Ryan Madson, Jose Contreras, J.C Romero and Nelson Figuroa to take over closer responsibilities at times throughout the year. Again, none had much success for the Phillies and the team struggled to stay afloat. Combined, the team went 13-for-22 in save opportunities with Lidge out.
The above data only serves as a backdrop, and as a microcosm of closers’ performances. It’s rare if a temporary replacement for an injured closer achieves any sort of success. It’s tough enough to pitch in the ninth when named the closer; much harder to do so when filling in.
Before the 2011 season, Brad Lidge suffered a partially torn rotator cuff and began the season on the DL – a blow to the Phillies organization.
Enter Jose Contreras as the de facto closer. Several games later Jose Contreras suffers an elbow injury. Exit Jose Contreras.
Enter Ryan Madson. A short time later Ryan Madson suffers a hand injury. Exit Ryan Madson.
Enter second-year man Antonio Bastardo. Antonia Bastardo, the 4th option, was the Phillies closer for several games this year.
It’s an interesting phenomenon if you think of it like this. The Phillies first choice for closer suffers a shoulder injury (high on the arm). Their second choice suffers an elbow injury (middle of the arm) and their third choice suffers a hand injury (bottom of the arm). The injury bug started at the top of the closer pecking line and at the top of the arm and made its way down from there.
Somehow though, the above replacements have performed with a tremendous amount of success. All three replacements had both the physical dominance and mental toughness to haul the load in the ninth. Contreras went 5-for-5 in his limited appearances, Madson went 15-for-16, and Bastardo went 6-for-6 as the fourth closer this year. (Two other blown saves this year by the Phillies were by Dan Carpenter and Danys Baez, both occurring in the seventh inning of games.)
Somehow they all have thrived in an environment set up for hardship. Contreras is on the back side of his career, but can still give a solid inning or two at the ends of games. Madson is 30 years old and could have a bright future as a closer, and it’s tough to tell where the young Bastardo will ultimately end up. One thing is for sure though, the Phillies bullpen troubles are gone for the time being, and sit primed for another run in the post-season.
Lidge is on his way back from the DL now, and the club has announced he will at some point be closing games again. No timetable is set at the moment, but if you’re Charlie Manuel and the rest of the front office head honchos, you surely have some risk analysis to do. Is it worth messing with a good thing?
All told, it’s one of those tough decisions like whether or not to throw a fastball in a hitter’s count with a man in scoring position, risking a game-tying hit and the consequent reactions from fans and the media. Leaving the complete set of closing duties to unproven men is risky. In this case, is replacing the replacements even riskier?
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