Our Closer Problems!!
by angelspopbottles on Nov 29, 2009 9:18 PM PST
41 comments
OK so heres the deal. We have all seen how "good" Brian Fuentes is and he is not that good. Yes, he lead 2009 in saves, but any Angels closer would lead the league in saves because that is Scioscia's mentality. If the Angels are leading by three you better bet that the closer is gonna come in. We all saw how Jepsen could come through, but we still don't have a definite closer. There are a few good closers in the free agents market including: Mike Gonzalez, Jose Valverde, and Billy Wagner. Or should Scot Shields perform as the closer. I think the Angels answer is right here in Anaheim in Kevin Jepsen what do you guys think???????
This Fan-Post is authored by an independent fan. Tell us what you think and how you feel.
0 recs |
41 comments
Email
Print
Comments
it'd be nice to know jepsen can be the closer
but when he pitches, he only worries me slightly less than fuentes
by vitzeng on Nov 29, 2009 9:40 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
Bryanharvey'smoustache choses Bryan Harvey...
Oh wait, dude didnt put Bryan Harvey on there. What a fool!
Do it for Nick '09
by BryanHarvey'sMoustache on Nov 29, 2009 9:41 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
jose!
signing jose valverde would automatically turn our bullpen from a weakness to a strength, as would some of the other pitchers on that last. however, mike gonzalez and billy wagner are left handers. valverde on the other hand, a right hander, would be a wonderful compliment to our current southpaw fuentes. all of a sudden we could have jepsen in the 7th and valverde and fuentes splitting the 8th and 9th depending on who’s coming up in the order. at the end of the day, they could both end up with similar saves totals in the 15-30 range. shields coming back and (hopefully) a rebound from arredondo, and all of a sudden i think our bullpen comes enters the discussion in term of being one of the best in the league.
by expoforever on Nov 29, 2009 10:01 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
I think you're worrying way too much
Jepsen may be the answer—in 2011.
Since you didn’t provide the methodology behind your expert analysis that Fuentes “isn’t that good”, it might be instructive to look at the 2009 of the guy whom he replaced.
Frankie:
3-6
3.71 ERA
66 GF
35 SV
7 BS
68 IP
1.309 WHIP
Fuentes:
1-5
3.93 ERA
57 GF
48 SV
7 BS
55 IP
1.400 WHIP
That is matching him up against one of the putative elite of all of baseball (and a guy we know pretty well). There isn’t much to complain about there.
Valverde has had two fine seasons in a row, but he made $8M in his last season in Houston and would figure to average more than that over the years of the deal he signs. Fuentes makes $9M, which would allocate $18M to $20M of payroll simply to the closer spot. This makes absolutely no sense, when there are far more pressing needs.
We won’t even get into the folly of signing a closer to a long-term deal based upon the success of the prior years. Guys like Mo Rivera are the exception to the rule, and most closers burn brightly for a short time, then burn out. Statistically, we would more likely to be signing Valverde and getting Don Stanhouse instead of Percy in his prime.
If Fuentes pitches well enough to finish at least 55 games in 2010, then his option for 2011 vests. If he doesn’t, then he is most likely gone and Jepsen figures to be the heir apparent for that role in 2011. That seems like a much better path to take than spending tens of millions on another closer.
"He's not a Rhodes Scholar to begin with''~Theo Epstein, talking about Papelbon
by George Kaplan on Nov 30, 2009 3:29 AM PST reply actions 3 recs
^^ What he said ^^
Except for maybe the “putative elite” part. Looking that up now…
Driven into right-center field, Erstad says he has it...the Angels, world champions!
by LAASurfin on Nov 30, 2009 4:14 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Comparing him to K-Rod isn't saying too much.
I don’t think too many of us were sad to see ‘9th inning game over (for the Sux)’ go. Replacing him with Fuentes isn’t an upgrade.
The point is we need a upgrade. How about comparing him to someone who gets the job done? Mariano Rivera.
by Wally's World on Nov 30, 2009 4:52 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
I don't disagree
But if someone can put this site in Mr Peabody’s WABAC machine and see what was being written about Frankie back then, I would presume we’d see much the same level of anxiety regarding his not returning as we see now for Lackey and Figgins.
When Frankie was making noises about leaving for free agency, many folks warned how closers don’t grown on trees and that he’d be tough to replace. My only point above was, to the extent that any valid comparison can be made between two closers in different leagues and on different teams, the numbers posted by Fuentes are pretty comparable to Frankie.
And as many others have already pointed out, both men are extremely stressful on the fans’ sphincters.
Besides, 12 months ago, had Brad Lidge been available at a reasonable price, how many here would have advocated replacing Frankie with Lidge? A closer’s life often isn’t a pretty one, and many fall from grace very, very quickly.
"He's not a Rhodes Scholar to begin with''~Theo Epstein, talking about Papelbon
by George Kaplan on Nov 30, 2009 5:41 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
You can't really compare ANYONE to Mariano Rivera.
Nick would be proud.
by halofan4life on Nov 30, 2009 9:42 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Is there another closer
even in Mariano’s league.
Gagne was linked to HGH and fizzled out as soon as the testing became more stringent.
Hoffman had been pretty awesome through out his career, but age is showing up.
Percival was awesome in Anaheim, hasn’t been too hot since coming out of retirement.
Frankie has been consistently good, but he’s not in Mariano’s league.
Papelbon had been nails, but he got lit up like a Christmas tree in the playoffs, lets see if he bounces back.
RIP Nick Adenhart 4/9/09
I blog about the Angels at The Diamond Aces
by Jay Cal on Dec 1, 2009 8:26 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Exactly.
I don’t think there is anyone EVER that is in Mariano’s league. When think of “automatic” and “closer” in the same sentence, he’s the only one that comes to mind.
Nick would be proud.
by halofan4life on Dec 1, 2009 8:37 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
now he would be an absolutely FILTHY
situational lefty.
by dmhead on Nov 30, 2009 8:32 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
lol closer problems? personally i love shitting my pants everytime fuentes comes in with a 1run, 2run, hell even 3 run lead lol
im gonna guess we are going to try an get a new closer via bp commitee. We have alot on our plate this offseason, so i dont see us shelling out our lackey/figgy/vlade money for a closer that is slightly better than what we have. It’s not like joquin soria is going to be available. all that in mind, there is no rule saying we must have a closer. Closer by commitee should work just fine, until we find a guy who can go in their a be lights out consistently.
Competition amoungst our relievers can only be a good thing, because it will force everyone to raise their game. We saw it happen heading into the postseason with santana, saundo, weaver, lackey, and kazmir all raises their games to assure themselves a spot on the postseason rotation
In Kobe we trust!
by robi s on Nov 30, 2009 9:33 AM PST reply actions 0 recs
Wow, he pitches too??!!!
We should try to get him from Detroit!
Angels baseball. We do what we must, because we can -- HaloDutch
by red floyd on Nov 30, 2009 10:07 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
He's the only closer
you wouldn’t pinch hit for too. Granderson will be the reason the American League ends their stance on this designated hitting rule.
RIP Nick Adenhart 4/9/09
I blog about the Angels at The Diamond Aces
by Jay Cal on Dec 1, 2009 8:27 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Remember last offseason?
EVERYONE thought Arredondo would be the answer. Clearly, he was not. Not to worry, we would still have Shields, said everyone else.
Well, that didn’t work out either.
Fuentes has a track record of getting the job done. He had a bad spring and a bad April and a less than stellar offseason. It sucks, but it’s what we have, and the addition of Shields next year should make us fine. If Jepsen progresses to being consistent, and Arredondoa can put up an ERA under 4.00, then we’re looking at a pretty good bullpen, again. How that fares in the postseason is a crapshoot.
Next worry, please.
www.13stoploss.com
by feNOMINAL on Nov 30, 2009 11:16 AM PST reply actions 0 recs
offseason=
postseason.
www.13stoploss.com
by feNOMINAL on Nov 30, 2009 11:16 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Closers grow on trees. Just ask Beane.
Had I owned the Pittsburgh Pirates, I could have saved America.
by Stirrups on Nov 30, 2009 12:43 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
Oooh, let's trade for Bailey!
;-D
RIP Nick Adenhart.
"When the Babe tries to call his shot, I hope Nick puts one in his ear."
--RallyMonkey5
by Clutch on Nov 30, 2009 7:11 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
What
happens if Jepsen has a sophomore slump like Arredondo did? we need to go out and get a closer or Fuentes is our closer
R.I.P. Nick Adenhart #34
by Vladd#27 on Nov 30, 2009 2:18 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
Are Panic Buttons on sale at Ralphs?
"He's not a Rhodes Scholar to begin with''~Theo Epstein, talking about Papelbon
by George Kaplan on Nov 30, 2009 3:01 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
nope
just saying, everyone (including myself) where saying how Arredondo should be our closer and look what happened to him, now everyone (excluding myself) is saying Jepsen should be the closer.
Im just saying if we dont get a closer Fuentes should remain our closer
R.I.P. Nick Adenhart #34
by Vladd#27 on Nov 30, 2009 6:44 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
And now if Arrendondo
bounces back. Our bullpen without re-signing D. Oliver looks like…
Fuentes – Shields – Jepsen – Bulger – Arrendondo – Palmer – Moseley – and anyone one of the hundred Famous Rodriguez pitchers we have down on the farm. I’m not too worried about adding another bullpen arm.
RIP Nick Adenhart 4/9/09
I blog about the Angels at The Diamond Aces
by Jay Cal on Dec 1, 2009 8:31 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Shields will be back, and Arredondo could rebound
I fully expect one of those two to stabilize the pen this year
RIP Nick Adenhart
by ihearhowie2.0 on Nov 30, 2009 4:04 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
I vote for Frankie Rodriguez...
I love this team.
by Downing Rules on Nov 30, 2009 4:20 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
I dont
simply because I had him in fantasy last year and remember him getting a blown save and giving up 5 ER without even recording an out (via a grand slam). Needless to say, it hurt my ERA and WHIP that week.
RIP Nick Adenhart
by ihearhowie2.0 on Dec 1, 2009 10:30 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Don't draft him and he will go on to be a great closer next year...
just to spite you. ;)
I love this team.
by Downing Rules on Dec 1, 2009 3:13 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
not on that mets team...
"come on, eileen."
by retrohalo on Dec 1, 2009 3:56 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Closer by Committee
Play the matchups. Use Fuentes when there are lefties coming up and Jepsen/Bulger when there are righties. Don’t be afraid to use any of the three earlier if the situation calls for it.
by Spird on Dec 1, 2009 2:45 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
I have this inexplicable feeling that
Fuentes and rest of the pen will be much better next year. I think he may have been a little nervous last year trying to fill Frankie’s shoes. But his stuff isn’t that bad. I think he will feel pretty comfortable this year and pitch with confidence.
Oh yes, I have this gut feeling that our pen will be back to normal.
Angels 2009 WS Champs
by dan73962 on Dec 1, 2009 10:44 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
Escobar is apparently making a comback as a closer...
maybe we should give him another look. Again.
by Nashdiesel on Dec 3, 2009 1:51 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
Ummmm...no
I think Escobar was a fabulously underrated pitcher in 2004-2007, but the simple fact is that he had major shoulder surgery on a shoulder which was already missing 25% of the support musculature.
Sentiment aside, is it smart to allocate one of 25 roster slots to Escobar, which would indicate he was superior to (one of) Fuentes, Jepsen, Shields, Bulger, Arredondo, Moseley and Palmer—because keeping Escobar on the 25-man would bump one of those other players.
"He's not a Rhodes Scholar to begin with''~Theo Epstein, talking about Papelbon
by George Kaplan on Dec 3, 2009 7:19 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
We don't have a closer, or bullpen problems...
We had health issues. My predictions for the pen.
BP1: Darren Oliver (Likely re-sign him)
BP2: Kevin Jepsen (I like him with last years seasoning… he’ll be better)
BP3: Dustin Moseley (Pending health coming off of surgery)
BP4: Jose Arredondo (Pending his frickin’ head being on straight)
Set-up: Scot Shields (Pending health)
Closer: Brain Fuentes (W/ the exception of Mariano, every closer makes their fans sweat)
There are some big “If’s” there, but it’s realistic. I would rather have:
BP1: Darren Oliver (Re-sign)
BP2: Kevin Jepsen
BP3: Rafael Betancourt (FA acquisition)
BP4: Randy Johnson (If we could talk him into it, could be nasty as a situational lefty)
Set-up: Scot Shields
Closer: Brian Fuentes
But I know we lack the money to make these changes with glaring holes elsewhere.
by matt92130 on Dec 4, 2009 9:02 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
Johnson
As much fun as it is to imagine Johnson in the bullpen as the LOOGY, the fact remains Johnson doesn’t need to do this for financial reasons and appears interested only in adding to his win total. I don’t see any incentive for him to return for such a situational work—I realized his did this for the Giants at the end of last season, but that was to benefit the team while it was in the midst of a pennant race and with the knowledge that he was physically incapable of starting for the Giants.
If he retires from ball, he has the luxury of being able to fall back on his old career as a male model.
"He's not a Rhodes Scholar to begin with''~Theo Epstein, talking about Papelbon
by George Kaplan on Dec 5, 2009 7:30 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Model material indeed...
You used a phrase which summed up my entertaining the idea of Randy Jonson in the pen for us, “Fun to imagine”.
by matt92130 on Dec 5, 2009 9:24 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports
- Carlos Silva turns mom's good news into solid spring start
- Spring Snapshot: Cubs deal with slimmer expectations in 2010
- Smoltz to join TBS broadcasts if nobody calls for him to pitch
- Who will be the brightest offensive star in the Orioles' universe?
- Runaway Pujols-for-Howard rumor rankles involved parties
Certain photos copyright © 2010 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
